Using Windows Media Player

Although Windows Media Player can play video, DVD movies, and photos, its most common use is for music and audio file playback. The following sections show you how to perform common tasks with music files. These methods can also be used to work with other types of files.

To start Windows Media Player:

1. Click Start.
2. Hover the mouse over All Programs.
3. Scroll down to Windows Media Player.
4. Click Windows Media Player.
5. The first time you start Windows Media Player, you are prompted to select Recommended or Custom Settings. If you want to use recommended settings, click Finish. To use custom settings, click Custom Settings, click Next, and provide the information requested.
6. Windows Media Player opens to the Album view of the Music library.

Playing and Ripping an Audio CD

Windows Media Player can convert audio CDs into digital music files (a process called "ripping") or play the music on the CD. To play an audio CD:

1. Insert the CD into the optical drive on the computer.
2. Windows Media Player reads the CD tracks.
3. The CD starts playing automatically.

CDs can be ripped into your choice of several different digital formats. The most popular are Windows Media Audio (WMA) and MP3. To select a format and a bit rate:

1. Click Tools.
2. Click Options.
3. Click the Rip Music tab.
4. Open the Format menu and select the format desired.
5. Adjust the Audio Quality slider to select the bit rate desired.
6. To rip CDs automatically, click the Rip CD Automatically check box. This setting takes effect after you insert a new CD.
7. To automatically eject the CD after ripping, click the Eject CD After Ripping check box.
8. Click Apply.
9. Click OK.

TIP: Unless you have a portable media player that can play only WMA files, I recommend creating MP3 files. The default sampling rates for WMA and MP3 files are suitable for creating music for portable media players. However, if you are building a digital media library for playback on high-quality speakers, consider increasing the bit rate. This can result in higher-quality audio but also larger file sizes.

To rip the CD manually:

1. Right-click the CD icon in the left pane.
2. Select Rip CD to Library.
3. A progress bar appears next to each track in the middle pane.
4. At the end of the process, the CD is listed in the Album/Music library.
5. You can eject the CD manually if you did not select the option to automatically eject the CD.