How to Rip Music From a CD

Having your favorite music on your computer to listen to while working or putting it on a portable device such as an MP3 player to take with you is becoming quite popular. It's called ripping. Ripping from a CD may sound cruel, but it's simply a term for transferring music from a CD to your computer or other music listening device.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose the software you want to use to transfer the music files. Many computers come with Windows Media Player, while other users prefer to download software such as Blaze Media Pro or C-Dex.

2. Open the music management software and look for "Rip" or "Burn" on the menu or tabs. Make sure the music CD that you want to copy files from is in the computer. All of the CD's music files should be displayed.

3. Select the tracks that you want to be transferred, either by clicking on the title or checking the box to the left of the song. This will create a burn list where each song when ripped will be moved to the burn list.

4. Click "Rip" to begin the process. A window opens asking about "Rip Options." Choose which format you would like to have the files transferred as. MP3 files tend to be smaller but more portable while WMP files are larger with better quality.

5. Check the ripping status. Once ripping is complete, the files will be either in your music library or in a folder located somewhere on your computer. These files can now either be played or transferred to your portable music player.