Windows Media Player 11

Windows Media Player is included with your Windows operating system as a means for playing and organizing your audio, video, and graphic files. You can also connect to the internet to find out information about the media in your library and purchase music.

In addition to playing your music with Windows Media Player, you can also rip music to your computer from your CD's, and burn both audio and data discs from within the program.

Though many files can be played with Windows Media Player, you may have to download codecs in order to play certain file types. If at anytime Windows Media Player cannot play a flie, you will be able to click on the flie (which should display a small red x next to it) and find out what the error is. Then, you have the option to connect to the internet to get more help. If the issue is with a codec, you will be directed to a place where you can get the codec, and with the name of the codec, you may be able to find it for free.

If you are a Windows Vista user, you will already have Windows Media Player 11. If you are using Windows XP, you will have Windows Media Player 10 on your system and you will need to visit the Microsoft website in order to upgrade. A direct link to the upgrade website is here.

Your copy of Windows will need to be validated through an ActiveX control you will be prompted to install. Once you have been validated, download the file and follow the on screen instructions to install it. You will likely be required to restart your computer in order for the changes to take place.

In this version of Windows Media Player, you will be able to ogranize your songs by album, and all of them will be presented with a graphic of the CD cover. Aesthetically speaking, Windows Media Player 11 has a much better appeal to its users.

The basic interface is the same as previous versions, and all of the features such as being able to create a playlist, burn CD's, and rip files to your computer, are still in place.