Converter download free mp3 wma

tech.mechanic

Copying files onto CDs may soon get easier

By J.D. BIERSDORFER

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Q. Why can't you simply copy files onto a CD the way you can onto a floppy disk? With Windows XP, I can copy files to the CD, but then must go through a process to "Write these files to CD."

A. When you drag files to the CD burner icon in Windows XP or use the Send To command from the File menu, you are sending those files to a staging area on the hard drive. The actual recording process starts when you select "Write these files to CD" from the task pane. The gathered files are then copied into a single file that is then recorded onto the CD.

CD recording in general is often confusing for new users because of the abundance of options within the recording software and of conflicts between software and hardware that can result in a ruined disc. (There are many brands of CD recorders and several software programs.) To simplify the process, both Windows XP and Mac OS X include basic CD-recording functions.

A movement is under way to make the process of copying files onto a CD as easy, standardized and straightforward as copying files onto floppy disks. One solution is being developed by a group called the Mount Rainier project with support from Philips Electronics, Compaq Computer, Sony Electronics and Microsoft with the goal of integrating it into future operating systems.

Users of computers with Mount Rainier technology would be able simply to drag and drop their files onto a CD to record them. Disc formatting and other setup tasks would be automatic. The technology is still probably about a year away: you can read more about it at www.mt-rainier.org.

Q. Someone has sent me digital photos as a .zip file. When I try to open them, I get gibberish. Clearly, I don't have an unzip program. Short of buying one, is there any way to open these files?

A. The .zip format is a common way of compressing files for faster e-mailing or Web downloading, and there are plenty of programs, free or modestly priced, that will help you unzip files.

The StuffIt Expander program by Aladdin Systems is a free utility that can unzip files or decompress them in other formats. There are versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris systems at www.stuffit.com/expander.

Having some basic file-compression software on your computer can come in handy if you need to e-mail a large file or batches of photos to someone. Sending compressed files can be a lot quicker than waiting for regular files to upload.

The original zip program was PKZIP, and it can be downloaded for $26 at www.pkware.com.

You can also find links to PKZIP and plenty of other zip programs by searching for "zip" at www.download.com.

Q. I have been using the WMA format to burn my CDs onto the hard drive on a new Windows XP machine. Is there any portable player that supports WMA files? If not, is there a way to change these files to MP3?

A. The Windows Media Audio, or WMA, format is an alternative to the MP3 format for encoding digital music files that you can play on your PC or on a portable music player.

The WMA format is widely used, not only because it is the Microsoft standard for digital music, but also because its compression and encoding can produce music files that sound just as good as MP3 files but take up less space on the hard drive.

Plenty of portable music players work with Windows XP and support the WMA format, including the Intel Personal Audio Player 3000 and the Creative Nomad Jukebox. A list of players and links to their manufacturers is offered at windowsmedia.com/mg/portabledevices.asp.

There are also programs that will convert WMA files to MP3 and other audio formats. A list is availableat www.mp3-converter. com/ wma/index.htm.

The dBpowerAMP Music Converter, a free program made by Illustrate that can handle many audio tasks, can be downloaded at www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm.

This column by J.D. Biersdorfer invites questions about computer- based technology by e-mail to QandA@nytimes.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually.

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