I have got an MP3 player sitting in the drawer since 2 years ago. WTF do I do with it please?

[BionicleBill]

I need to catch up with the modern age.

Please can someone tell me how to do this.

It is a small lipstick shaped MP3 player with 1GB written on it...brand new, bought on a whim in the queue at Argos for about 15 quid.

It has all its bits

just what is it for exactly? You are supposed to, erm, download things yes?

Thankyou

plug it into a computer and see what happens!
(preferably one with some music on)

Some music on?

See this is it, mine has a little button on the start menu for 'my pictures' yes I understand that one, 'my music' now erm my music is on the shelf in the dining room. How does the computer know what I have got in there??

Seriously please explain step by step as I have not got a CLUE sorry to ask.

Okaaaay...... this is not easy without seeing said MP3 player... but anyway step 1 would be to convert your CDs to MP3s, 'rip' them as we say in geek world.

Did you get a software CD with your MP3 player?

Hmm possibly. No actually, no CD. It's a Philips, the end comes off and there's a USB plug inside. No battery compartment I can see?

Thanks btw!

We've fgot a Philips Gogear which ds nwo uses and is similar. You can plug it into usb slot and use Windows Music to download (not via itunes) or copy cd tracks onto it. The battery compartment is on the back and casing slides off. hth

Brilliant Lizs, thanks - it is a gogear.

Why not itunes? I wanted to ask if itunes is legal, I'm confused as to what we're allowed to do and what we can't iyswim - my ex wanted to use something called limewire, I think it was dodgy probably.

Can I put a normal CD into the disc tray on the hard drive and just copy it like that?

Sorry I am so behind on all this stuff...would an ipod be easier? Everyone seems to have an ipod.

itunes only has ipod compatible files as far as we can make out. Also not very techy so might learn a thing or two if others respond ! Yes you can put in a cd and copy from that via Windows Music onto your usb device in correct file format (as something like .mpg or .mpeg files (?), sorry can't remember exactly). Not done it successfully with downloads yet, at least they show up on the list of files but won't play !

Ah thankyou. That's really useful, I'll give it a try.

If LIZS has the same gadget I guess what she says is best, but I've typed this now so I'm going to post it!

I have looked up how to rip files in Windows Media Player, if that's any help?

• Stick CD in, open Windows Media Player from Start Menu
• Go to the 'Rip' tab and right click on it, select Tools then ' Options'
• Pick the 'Rip music' tab (note the file location where it's telling you it's going to save to) and check 'Rip settings' is set to MP3, tell it 'OK'
• Click 'Rip music' over on the right hand side
• Twiddle thumbs for about 10 minutes
• Repeat until you have a folder of MP3 goodness.

Now, if you shove your MP3 player into one of the USB ports, you should be able to open up 'My Computer' and see it listed on there (think mine comes up as E: drive).

• Double click on that to open it as an empty folder (well, there may be a couple of bits and bobs already in there)

• Open in a separate window the folder where you saved all your MP3s to above
• Drag & drop the MP3s from one to t'other

I think you should be able to get around 20 CDs onto 1GB by the way.

Yes, iTunes is legal but you have to pay for what you download and it's iPod specific.
If you want to buy MP3s, I know Amazon do them, probably loads of others too. I don't actually know much about illegal downloading, you might have to ask a young person about that [old fart emoticon here]

Would an iPod be easier? Probably not, they look pretty and all, but iTunes can be annoying. Although, I suppose, so can anything that involves getting a computer to actually do what you want it to...

Oh wow, HB you are great

Thankyou SO mcuh for doing that. I will try it forthwith having discovered the battery bit (thanks to Lizs)

You lovely lot - I feel all warm and fuzzy now. (not to be mistaken for muzzy, who as we all know is a big kind of green monster)