PCs For Dummies® Windows®, 7 Edition

Chapter 27. Music to Your Digital Ear

In This Chapter

• Working with Windows Media Player

• Ripping music from CDs

• Building playlists

• Using a portable music player

• Burning a music CD

• Listening to Windows talk

• Making the PC listen to you

To be a with-it denizen of the new century, you most likely want to use your PC as a hub of your musical existence. Thanks to its sophisticated audio hardware, playing music is a natural for the computer. Not only that, you can become your own deejay, create your own musical CDs, and even hear the computer talk. And, amazingly, you can talk back to the computer. It's all covered in this chapter.

Your PC Is Now Your Stereo

There's a reason why your home stereo tosses a jaundiced eye at the PC. Combined with a portable music player, the computer has essentially made the old stereo system obsolete for most people. Beyond the PC's digital audio hardware, the main culprit is the software program Windows Media Player, which lets you collect, play, and share your music. This section explains how it works.

Running Windows Media Player

Start the Windows Media Player by opening its program icon: Click the Start button, choose All Programs, and then click Windows Media Player.

Windows Media Player sports a simple and easy-to-use interface, as shown in Figure 27-1. Media are organized on the left. You can find your music listed under Library and get even more specific by choosing a category, such as Album or Songs.

Figure 27.1. Windows Media Player library window.

To play a tune ...