How to Burn a Protected CD

Burning music from a protected CD to a blank CD is a detailed process, but after one or two burns, you should get the hang of it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Windows Media Player (Version 11) or iTunes
• Computer
• Blank CDs

Rip Music Using Windows Media Player

1. Insert the protected CD into your computer's CD player.
2. Look for the option to rip music. If you already have Windows Media Player on your hard drive, an option will come up to ask if you want to "Rip Music from CD"; click OK. If you do not want to burn every song on the CD, uncheck the boxes next to the songs you do not want.
3. Watch the progress of each song being ripped (by percentage) until they are all on your hard drive in the Windows Media Playlist.
4. Eject the protected disc and insert a blank disc.
5. Click the Burn tab.
6. Right-click on the album that you would like to burn (under Library on the left-hand side) and click Add to Burn List.
7. Click the Start Burn box underneath the CD titles that will show up when the album has been added to your burned playlist.

Rip Music Using iTunes

8. Open iTunes if you'd rather use this music program instead of Windows Media Player.
9. Insert the CD into your computer's CD player. (Note: Unless you've turned this pop-up off, a pop-up should ask "Would you like to import the CD [album title name] into your iTunes library?" Click Yes, and the import will start. If this pop-up option is off, follow Steps 3 and 4.) If you do not want to burn every song on the CD, uncheck the boxes next to the songs you do not want.
10. Look in the left-hand column under Devices. Find the CD inserted into the computer player. Choose this CD.
11. Click Import CD from the bottom right-hand corner. Wait for all the songs to import. If you do not want to burn every song on the CD, uncheck the boxes next to the songs you do not want.
12. Eject the protected disc, and insert a blank disc.
13. Choose Recently Added on the left-hand column, and press the CTRL key to choose all of the songs that you'd like to burn to a disc.
14. Click Burn Disc on the bottom right-hand side, and the songs will be burned.

Tips & Warnings

• In iTunes, if there are multiple songs that you'd like to burn from different protected CDs, then you should make a playlist name for the CD by clicking on File and choosing New Playlist. Rename it. After you've imported all of the protected CDs that you want to make a playlist from, proceed. In Step 6 of the iTunes section, right-click on the set of songs you've selected and then click Add to Playlist. Select the playlist title. This way, you can click Burn Disc with all of the songs in one playlist, instead of burning songs from separate protected CDs onto various blank CDs.
• In Windows Media Player, you can also create a Playlist. While you're in the Library tab, choose each album that you've burned songs from, and drag those songs into Untitled Playlist on the right-hand side. After you've chosen all of the songs to go into that playlist, click on Untitled Playlist, choose Rename Playlist and rename it. After you've saved the playlist, you can burn the songs as usual.