Create or change an auto playlist in Windows Media Player
An auto playlist in Windows Media Player is a type of playlist that automatically changes according to criteria you've specified. It also updates itself each time you open it. For example, if there is a certain artist you like to listen to, you can create an auto playlist that will automatically add new music by that artist when it appears in the Player Library. You can use auto playlists to play different combinations of music in your Player Library, burn grouped items to a CD, or sync to a portable device. You can create your own auto playlists, as well as regular playlists, in the Player Library. Watch this video to learn how to create or change an auto playlist in Windows Media Player (1:45).

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Change which programs Windows uses by default
A default program is the program that Windows uses when you open a particular type of file, such as a music file, an image, or a webpage. For example, if you have more than one web browser installed on your computer, you can choose one of them to be the default browser. Watch this video to learn how to change which programs Windows uses by default.

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Add items to the Windows Media Player Library
You can use the Windows Media Player Library to organize your entire digital media collection on your computer, including music, video, and pictures. After you add files to your Player Library, you can play the files, burn mix CDs, create playlists, sync the files to portable music and video players, and stream the files to other devices on your home network. There are several methods you can use to add files to your Player Library:

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Play an audio or video file: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about playing audio or video files in Windows Media Player. What can I do about audio problems, such as popping, crackling, or sound that plays too fast or too slow? What can I do about video problems, such as lines appearing in the video, flickering or choppy video, and so on? Why does the Player display a visualization instead of the video (or display an error message) when I play a video file? How do I make Windows Media Player the default player for a file type? Why do I get an error when I try to play streams from certain servers? Why does Windows Media Player frequently become unresponsive or close unexpectedly? How do I prevent videos from automatically playing in full-screen mode?

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Managing your music
An easy way to keep track of music on your computer is to use the Music library. By default, the Music library shows all the music located in the My Music folder, but you can include other folders in your Music library, too.

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Change your default printer
If you regularly use multiple printers, you can pick one as your default printer. Windows and other programs then automatically use that device whenever you print. Watch this video to learn how to change your default printer.

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Create or change a regular playlist in Windows Media Player
A playlist is a list of digital media items that you create and save yourself. Playlists are a great way to group items that you like to listen to or view frequently. You can also use playlists to group items that you want to burn to a CD or sync to a portable device. There are two types of playlists in Windows Media Player: auto playlists and regular playlists. An auto playlist is a list that continuously updates automatically based on what music is in the Player Library and includes any changes in media information. Watch this video to learn how to create or change a regular playlist in Windows Media Player.

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Play a CD or DVD in Windows Media Player
In Windows Media Player, you can play audio CDs, data CDs, and data DVDs that contain music or video files (also known as media CDs). You can also play video CDs (VCDs), which are similar to DVDs, although the video quality isn't as high. If you have a DVD drive and a compatible DVD decoder installed on your computer, you can use Windows Media Player to play a DVD-Video disc-this is the type of DVD that movies are distributed on. If you encounter an error indicating that you are missing a DVD decoder, click Web Help on the error message dialog box to determine how to obtain a decoder. Watch this video to learn how to play a CD or DVD in Windows Media Player.

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Find items in the Windows Media Player Library
You can use Windows Media Player to quickly find and play your music, video, and picture files. You can also find where media files are stored in your computer's media libraries or jump to music in the same album.

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Windows Media Player 12
Designed by media lovers, for media lovers. Windows Media Player 12 plays more music and video than ever-including Flip Video and unprotected songs from your iTunes library!

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Getting started with media streaming
Like many people, you probably have a lot of music, video, and picture files in your Windows Media Player Library. There might be times, however, when you want to enjoy your songs, videos, or pictures when you're not sitting at the computer. For example, you might want to listen to your music from another computer in your kitchen or view your pictures on a digital picture frame in your living room. Media streaming, called media sharing in earlier versions of Windows Media Player, makes these experiences possible.

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Unable to view Video in VLC Media Player problem
VLC Media Player which is one of the widely used media player as it can play a plethora of audio and video formats, may not display video when played in Windows 7. However this can be fixed via simple setting.

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Burn a CD or DVD in Windows Media Player: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about burning CDs or DVDs in Windows Media Player. What types of CDs or DVDs can I burn? What is a data disc? Is that the same as an MP3 disc? Can I burn the contents of one disc, such as a music CD, a data CD, or a data DVD, directly to another disc using the Player? How do I burn music to a portable music player device? How can I burn movies to a DVD? How do I add or remove gaps between songs on the audio CDs that I burn?

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File types supported by Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center can play many different music, video, and picture file types. You can even make Media Center the default player for specific types of files so that they'll open in Media Center when you double-click them.

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Set up a device to sync in Windows Media Player
You can use Windows Media Player to copy music, videos, and pictures from your Player Library to a portable device, such as a compatible MP3 player. This process is called syncing.

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Master your devices with Device Stage
You don't have to be a gadget geek to know that it can be hard to get a mobile phone, music player, or other device to work smoothly with your computer. How do you sync contacts and appointments to your mobile phone? How do you get music onto your portable music player? Where do you find the manual for your device, software updates, and help? The list can go on and on, depending on the device. Enter Device Stage. This new feature in Windows 7 solves these problems by gathering everything you can do with your device into a single window, making tasks easier to find and complete.

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Change settings for streaming media in Windows Media Player
After you set up media streaming, known as media sharing in earlier versions of Windows Media Player, you can choose which music, videos, and pictures will be available to stream on devices and computers on your network. You can also decide which devices will have access to your media.

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Windows Media Player Library
The Player Library is the location in Windows Media Player where you can manage all of your favorite music, videos, and pictures on your computer. It lets you easily find and play your digital media files, as well as choose content that you want to burn to a CD or sync to a portable device. To learn more about using the Player Library, click one of the following links:

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Change settings for burning a CD or DVD in Windows Media Player
There are a number of settings you can customize to make burning in Windows Media Player work better for you. Watch this video to learn how to change settings for burning a CD or DVD.

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View a video using the entire screen in Windows Media Player
If you want a video, TV show, DVD, or visualization to fill the entire screen when you play it, switch to full-screen mode in Windows Media Player. When the Player is in full-screen mode, you can control playback with the on-screen controls that appear at the bottom of the video screen.

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Windows Media Player Library: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about the Windows Media Player Library. What is the Player Library and how do I view it? How do I view the pictures, videos, or TV shows in my Player Library? How do I add content to the Player Library? How is the Player Library different from the Music, Videos, or Pictures libraries in Windows? How do I move my Player Library from one computer to another computer?

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Change bass, stereo, and other audio effects in Windows Media Player
In Windows Media Player, you can optimize bass, stereo, and other audio effects by turning on SRS WOW Effects. You can also use the graphic equalizer to adjust the levels of certain frequencies in your music or select Dolby Digital audio settings for different types of playback scenarios.

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Automatically switch default printers between home, work, or school
Windows 7 offers the handy ability to automatically switch your laptop's default printer when it detects that you've moved from one network to another-from home to work, for example. This feature, called location-aware printing, is only available in premium editions of Windows 7. It's also only found on laptops and other portable devices that use a battery. Watch this video to learn how to change your default printer.

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Getting started with Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player provides an intuitive, easy-to-use interface to play digital media files, organize your digital media collection, burn CDs of your favorite music, rip music from CDs, sync digital media files to a portable device, and shop for digital media content from online stores.

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Play To
Play To, new in Windows 7, makes it easy to play music and video on other networked PCs, TVs, or stereos around the house. Just right-click the tracks you want to enjoy, or add them to your Windows Media Player 12 playlist, and select Play To-now you're a DJ.

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Rip music: frequently asked questions
Here are answers to some common questions about ripping CDs in Windows Media Player. What is ripping? What happens if I decide to copy protect music that I rip? Where do I find the files that I ripped? Can I rename or move files that I have already ripped? Can I listen to music while ripping?

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Connect a microphone, music player, or other audio device to your computer
You can connect a microphone, portable music player, or other audio device to your computer by using one of the jacks on the front, back, or side of your computer. These jacks directly connect to your computer's sound card or sound processor.

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Rip music from a CD
You can use Windows Media Player to copy songs from audio CDs to your computer. This process is called ripping. During the ripping process, the Player makes a copy of each song, stores it on your hard disk as a Windows Media Audio (WMA), MP3, or WAV file, and then adds it to your Player Library.

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Burn a CD or DVD in Windows Media Player
You can use Windows Media Player to copy music, pictures, and videos on your computer to a blank CD or DVD. This process is called burning.

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Shuffle and repeat items in Windows Media Player
In Windows Media Player, items that you play appear in the list pane in Now Playing mode and in the Player Library. You can change the order in which the items play by turning on shuffle, which will make items play in a random order. You can also choose to play the items repeatedly. When you turn on repeat, all items in the list pane will play once and then begin playing again. You can also turn on both shuffle and repeat at the same time. It's not possible to shuffle or repeat DVDs. Watch this video to learn how to shuffle and repeat in Windows Media Player.

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Change settings for ripping music
You can use Windows Media Player to rip (or copy) tracks from your audio CDs onto your computer. After you rip the tracks, they become files on your computer. There are a number of settings that you can customize to make ripping work better for you.

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Stream your media to devices and computers using Windows Media Player
If you have a home network, you can use Windows Media Player to stream media to computers and media devices in your home. For example, if you have a networked digital media receiver connected to your home stereo system, you can use Windows Media Player to stream music, pictures, and videos from your computer to your stereo. This allows you to enjoy the contents of your Player Library anywhere in your homeeven in rooms that don't have a computer .

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Watch visualizations while playing your music
In Windows Media Player's Now Playing mode, you can watch different visualizations-splashes of color and geometric shapes-whose patterns move with the music that you are playing. Visualizations are grouped into collections that are based on specific themes, such as Ambience or Bars. The Player includes a number of visualizations, but you can also download more visualizations from the Internet.

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Play an audio or video file
You can use Windows Media Player to play digital media files that are in your Player Library, on your computer or a network folder, or on a website.

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How to Change the Default Libraries Icon
This will show you how to change the main default Libraries icon to any custom icon that you want instead in Windows 7.

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Sync music, pictures, contacts, and calendars with a mobile device
There are two primary ways to sync a mobile phone, portable music player, or other mobile device with your computer. You can install the sync software that many manufacturers include with their devices, or you can use the new Device Stage feature in this version of Windows if your device supports this feature.

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Change volume settings in Windows Media Player
You have several options for controlling volume in Windows Media Player, including adjusting the volume level, muting, or reducing volume differences either within a song or between songs. Note that other software and hardware controls can affect the volume and audio effects settings in the Player.

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Change how you display items in the Windows Media Player Library
Windows Media Player automatically organizes files in the Player Library according to the media information available for the files. To ensure your Player Library is well-organized and that you can find items easily, it's important that your files contain complete and accurate media information. If they don't, you can add the information.

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Change the Default New Library Icon
This will show you how to change the default New Library icon to any custom icon that you want instead in Windows 7.

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How to Change the Default HomeGroup Icon
This will show you how to change the default HomeGroup icon to any custom icon that you want instead in Windows 7.

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