This article shows you how to use Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center. Windows Media Player is the powerful multimedia player included with all versions of Windows Vista; it not only provides features for enjoying audio, video, and DVDs, but also supports copying compact discs CDs to your hard disk in compressed formats and burning custom audio CDs. Windows Media Center is a program for recording and watching TV, and playing and burning CDs and DVDs. Windows Media Center comes with Windows Vista Home Premium and with Windows Vista Ultimate but not with Windows Vista Home Basic. Much of Windows Media Center’s functionality is simple to use, so this article covers it only briefly. This article also shows you how to use the Volume icon to control input and output and how to record audio using the Sound Recorder applet.

Using Windows Media Player

This section shows you how to use Windows Media Player for enjoying audio and video. Microsoft has made Windows Media Player as easy to use as possible- but it also has many configuration options that you should know about so that you can make the best use of the program.

Getting Started with Windows Media Player

Start Windows Media Player by choosing Start   All Programs   Windows Media Player.

Choosing Initial Settings

The first time you run Windows Media Player, the program displays its Welcome screen which offers you the choice between Express Settings and Custom Settings.

The easiest choice is to select the Express Settings option button and then click the Finish button. You can change these settings later. But if you want to control what Windows Media Player does from the start, follow these steps:

1.  Click the Custom Settings, and then click the Next button. Windows displays the Select Privacy Options screen , which lets you choose the options you want:

Display Media Information from the Internet    This check box controls whether Windows Media Player automatically downloads information from the Internet for the CDs and DVDs you insert in your optical drives. For example, when you load an audio CD, Windows Media Player downloads the artist, CD, and track data so that you can create compressed files easily with the correct names. Usually, this is helpful, but it can potentially reveal which CDs and DVDs you’re playing.

Update Music Files by Retrieving Media Information from the Internet    This check box controls whether Windows Media Player updates your music files by retrieving missing tag information from the Internet. This feature too is largely positive except that it could reveal which music files you have.

Download Usage Rights Automatically When I Play a File    This check box controls whether Windows Media Player automatically acquires licenses for content that’s protected by digital rights management DRM technologies. This is usually a good idea, but you may prefer to be prompted each time a license is needed.

Send Unique Player ID to Content Providers    This check box controls whether Windows Media Player passes an identifier to streaming media servers to enable the servers to monitor the connection and adjust the stream to improve playback quality. You may need to select this check box to get high-quality streaming audio.

Cookies Windows Media Player uses Internet Explorer’s cookies discussed in the section “Handling Cookies” in Article 2. Click the Cookies button to access the controls for configuring cookie handling.

I Want to Help Make Microsoft Software and Services Even Better by Sending Player Usage Data to Microsoft Select this check box if you want Windows Media Player to send Microsoft data on your playing habits automatically. Windows Media Player sends the information anonymously, but many people still feel uncomfortable being monitored.

Save File and URL History in the Player    Select this check box if you want Windows Media Player to save information about the files and streams you’ve played. Clear this check box if you’d prefer not to keep this data.

2.  Click the Next button. Windows Media Player displays the Customize the Installation Options screen.

3.  Choose whether to create shortcuts on the Desktop and Quick Launch toolbar:

•    Select the Add a Shortcut to the Desktop check box if you want to have a Windows Media Player shortcut on your Desktop. You probably don’t need to create a shortcut here.

•    Select the Add a Shortcut to the Quick Launch Bar check box if you want to have a Windows Media Player shortcut on your Quick Launch toolbar. This shortcut is more useful than the Desktop shortcut.

4.  Click the Next button. Windows Media Player displays the Select the Default Music and Video Player screen.

5.  If you want to use Windows Media Player as your default music and video player, select the Make Windows Media Player the Default Music and Video Player option button. Otherwise, select the Choose the File Types that Windows Media Player Will Play option button.

6.  Click the Next button. If you decided to make Windows Media Player the default player, Windows Media Player displays the Choose an Online Store screen; go to the next step. If you decided to choose the file types, Windows displays the Set Program Associations window for Windows Media Player . This window shows the file extensions that Windows Media Player can play and the program to assigned. Select the check box for any file extension currently assigned to another program that you want to transfer to Windows Media Player, and then click the Save button. Windows Media Player displays the Choose an Online Store screen.

7.  Choose the appropriate option button, and then finish the installation:

•    Select the URGE option button if you want to use the URGE music service for buying and downloading songs, click the Install button, and follow through the process for downloading and installing URGE. If the Microsoft Windows Media Configuration Utility – Security Warning dialog box appears, click the Run button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control. Depending on your Internet Explorer cookie settings, you may also be prompted to let urge.com place cookies on your computer. Select the Apply My Decision to All Cookies from This Website check box, and then click the Allow button.

•    Otherwise, select the Don’t Set Up a Store Now option button, and then click the Finish button. The Install button swaps places with the Finish button depending on which option button you choose.

Once you’ve completed the installation, the Windows Media Player window appears , showing the songs on your computer. Even if you haven’t added any songs yourself, your computer will normally have the sample songs that come with Windows Vista.

Understanding Play Modes

Windows Media Player offers four play modes: Full mode, Compact mode, Skin mode, and Mini mode.

Full Mode Windows Media Player appears in a normal window that you can resize or maximize as needed. Full mode is good for watching video or DVDs and for navigating your media library, but it takes up too much screen space when you’re just listening to music.

Compact Mode Click the Switch to Compact Mode button in the lower-right corner of the Full mode window, and Windows Media Player appears in Compact mode, as shown here. The title bar shows the artist, composer, album, and song title in sequence. You can click the Return to Full Mode button in the lower-right corner of the window to return to Full mode.

Skin Mode Skin mode applies a custom skin, or graphical look, to Windows Media Player, as shown here.

•    To choose a skin, right-click the command bar at the top of the Windows Media Player window just below the title bar, and then choose View Skin Chooser from the menus. Choose one of the skins in the left panel to display it in the right; when you find one you want, click the Apply Skin button. To download more skins, click the More Skins button, and then use the resulting browser window to download skins.

•    To switch to Skin mode, press Ctrl+2 or right-click the command bar and choose View   Skin Mode from the menus.

•    To switch back to Full mode, press Ctrl+1 or click the Switch to Full Mode button. The location of this button depends on the skin.

Mini Mode Mini mode shown next reduces Windows Media Player to a toolbar containing control buttons.

•    To switch to Mini mode, minimize Windows Media Player, and then accept Windows Media Player’s invitation to display Windows Media Player as a toolbar. After that, Windows Media Player will run as a toolbar when you minimize it.

•    To stop Windows Media Player appearing as a toolbar, right-click the notification area, and then choose Toolbars   Windows Media Player to remove the check mark from the Windows Media Player item on the menu.

•    You can display the current track information by hovering the mouse pointer over the toolbar, or by clicking the button with the upand down-arrows.

•    To switch back to Full mode, click the Restore button at the lower-right corner of the toolbar.