You've probably heard the term "rip" before, but do you know what it means exactly? Well, if you don't, read along with me as I show you how to rip a CD using Windows Media Player (version 10). Once you're done reading this article, you'll be a CD ripping pro! (If you don't have Windows Media Player installed on your computer, you can download it for free here).
First of all, the term “rip” refers to the process of copying data and converting it from one format to another when using CDs or DVDs. CD ripping is highly common among computer users today and it involves extracting music from a compact disc (CD) onto the computer as music files, which are saved as .wma files. When you're done with this process, you can easily listen to your favorite songs and hits on your computer while you’re working on a project or just surfing the Internet. It’s a simple and rather fast process, so let's get started!
1. Open Windows Media Player (WMP) and insert the CD you want copied into the CD ROM drive of your computer.
2. Usually, the program will immediately begin to play the CD inserted, but if this does not happen on your system, go to File, Open. Under the “Look in:” tab, search for the CD in the CD drive. Select all of the music files and click Open to play these files in WMP.
3. At the top of the screen, there are six tabs: Now Playing, Library, Rip, Burn, Sync and Guide. The Now Playing list should read the music files that are contained on the CD. If you select the Rip tab, it will show the same list of songs.
Wait! What if you don’t want to record all of the songs onto your computer? What if you only want to record one or two of them?
Well, you're in luck, because that is no problem at all!
4. Next to the title of each song is a checkmark. This option allows you to hand pick the songs you want to rip onto your computer, if you do not wish to copy the entire CD. Once the desired files are selected, click on “Rip” located on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
5. When this process is complete, you can eject the CD from the CD drive and the songs that were ripped onto your computer will appear in the Library. The Library is where all of the songs are stored for later uses, etc.
6. If you want to organize the songs stored on the computer in your own desired fashion, this can easily be done. By right clicking on the song under the Library tab of WMP, you can edit the name of the song, the artist, the album name and more.
When you're all done, you will see your CD playing under the Now Playing tab.
Windows Media Player also allows you to organize your songs under Album Artist, Album, Genre, among other options. If you want a couple of songs to pop up under the same genre, make sure to enter the same information under both songs.
With this easy process, listening to your favorite songs on the computer has never been easier!
~ Sheida
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