Ripping in Windows Media Player
Learn tips for copying files from your CDs to the library in Windows Media Player.
Answers refer to Windows Media Player 10, unless otherwise noted.
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What does "rip" mean?
The term "rip" means to copy music from a CD. When you rip a CD, you can either copy the entire CD or copy selected tracks, and these are created as files on your computer.
Ripping helps preserve your CDs because after they have been ripped, you no longer need to use them when you listen to that music on your computer. Simply start Windows Media Player, find the music in your library, and play it. You can also mix that music with other music in a playlist to extend your listening possibilities.
How can I change the folder or drive that I rip to?
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options. |
2. | On the Rip Music tab, in the Rip music to this location area, click the Change button. |
3. | Select the folder or drive you want to rip to, and then click the OK button. The next time you rip music from a CD, the files will be created in the new location that you specified. |
Why is the media information for my ripped tracks "unknown"?
If files in your library have missing ("unknown") or incorrect media information, it is because either Windows Media Player couldn't add the information or added incorrect information while you ripped the CD, or you ripped the CD by using another CD-ripping program. There are several methods you can use to fix media information. For more information, see Adding Media Information to Files Already in Your Library.
Note that when you rip tracks from a CD, you can configure Windows Media Player to add media information while ripping. The Player will try to identify the songs on the CD by connecting to the Internet and searching the Windows Media database that is operated by Microsoft. In most cases, the Player can retrieve the correct media information from the online database and then add the information to the Windows Media Audio (WMA) or MP3 files that are created during the ripping process. For more information, see Adding Media Information to Tracks When Ripping a CD.
How can I remove copy protection from the files that I have ripped to my computer?
It is not possible to remove copy protection from your ripped tracks. For more information, see the question, "I can't play files I ripped from a CD on another computer because they are protected. How can I remove copy protection from the files?" in the Media Advice archive.
If you still have the CD in your possession, you can rip the tracks from the CD again, but with copy protection turned off. For more information, see the next question.
How can I rip files to my computer without copy protection?
You can prevent files from being copy protected the next time you rip music from a CD by doing the following steps.
| Player version | Steps | ||||
Windows Media Player 10 |
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Windows Media Player for Windows XP and Windows Media Player 9 Series |
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Windows Media Player 7 |
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Note that whenever you rip music that you did not create, it may be copyrighted and, therefore, protected by U.S. and other worldwide laws. Ownership of a CD does not necessarily constitute the right to redistribute or share the content. If you intend to redistribute or share content, be sure you have the necessary permissions to do so.
How do I stop the Player from playing each track while it is being ripped from a CD?
The Player is ripping your CD using digital mode, which allows you to listen to the CD while you are ripping its tracks to your computer.
To turn off digital mode
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options. |
2. | On the Devices tab, in the Devices list, click your CD drive, and then click the Properties button. A Properties dialog box for your CD drive opens. |
3. | On the Audio tab, in the Rip area, select the Analog option. |
How can I rip the tracks on a CD to one file in the Player?
This is not possible in Windows Media Player. However, if you are using the Windows XP operating system, you can use Windows Movie Maker to record the CD audio output to a variable-bit-rate WMA file.
First, adjust audio input levels in Windows Movie Maker.
To adjust audio input levels
1. | Begin playing the CD in Windows Media Player. |
2. | Start Windows Movie Maker (click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Movie Maker). |
3. | In Windows Movie Maker, on the Tools menu, click Narrate Timeline. |
4. | In the Narrate Timeline window, select an audio capture device in the Audio device list. (If necessary, click the Show more options link to see this list and other options in the window.) |
5. | In the Audio input source list for the selected audio capture device, select the appropriate audio input source. The names that appear in the Audio input source list vary and depend on the sound card manufacturer. In most cases, you will want to choose the input source commonly named Stereo Mix or Wave Out. |
6. | In the Input level box, move the slider to adjust the volume of the captured audio. |
7. | In the Player, stop playing the CD. |
Next, prepare the CD in the Player for recording, and then begin recording.
To record the CD
1. | To record the CD tracks in the correct sequence, make sure that the Player is not configured to shuffle tracks (on the View menu, click Shuffle to remove the check mark next to this command). |
2. | To record only one copy of the CD to the WMA file in Windows Movie Maker, make sure that the Player is not configured to play repeatedly (on the View menu, click Repeat to remove the check mark next to this command). |
3. | Click the Start Narration button in Windows Movie Maker, and then click the Play button in Windows Media Player. To minimize the amount of time that Windows Movie Maker records audio before the Player starts ("dead air"), resize Windows Movie Maker and the Player so that they appear next to each other on your desktop. Then, you can quickly move between programs to click the buttons. |
4. | When the CD finishes playing, click the Stop Narration button in Windows Movie Maker. |
5. | In the Save Windows Media File dialog box, save the narrated WMA file to the My Music folder on your computer. |
How can I rip a video or a movie from a CD or DVD?
It is not possible to use Windows Media Player to rip movie files from a CD to your computer's hard disk. However, if you can see the movie file on the CD in Windows Explorer, then you probably can copy and paste that file to your computer's hard disk instead.
It is also not possible to rip a movie file from a DVD using the Player. You need to use a program designed to legally copy movie files from a DVD to a computer.
If you don't find the answer to your question in this column, be sure to check the Archive. Media Advice is not an official Microsoft Support channel. If you need immediate help for an urgent problem, we recommend that you visit Microsoft Help and Support.