1. Start Windows Media Player and connect to the Internet. By connecting to the Internet, media information about the songs being ripped will be displayed in the Library feature.
2. Insert an audio CD into the CD drive, and then click Rip, as shown in the following screen shot.
   
3. All songs are selected to be ripped if you have not previously ripped them.
4. If there are any songs that you do not want to rip, clear the check box next to each, as shown in the following screen shot. You can use the check box at the top of the list to select or clear all check boxes.
   
5. Click Rip Music.
6. The first time you rip music, you are prompted to choose the format for the files being created. Click one of the following options:
   • Keep my current format settings. This option keeps your current file format and audio quality level settings and immediately starts ripping the songs you selected to your computer. By default, the Player uses the Windows Media Audio format, which optimizes the balance between file size and sound quality.
   • Change my current format settings. Select this option if you want to change the format, bit rate, storage folder, or other options.
     After you click an option, click OK. (To change the format or audio quality settings later, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Rip Music tab.)
7. After the songs have been ripped, you can find and play them in your library.

Choosing a Format

• Windows Media Audio (variable bit rate), which can reduce the file size but may also take longer to rip.
• Windows Media Audio Lossless, which provides the best audio quality but increases the file size.
• MP3 format, new in Windows Media Player 10, which provides more flexibility when choosing a format.

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