The most common CD music file type is the Compact Disk Audio (CDA) file format. CDA files may be converted, or ripped, to other audio file types using a file conversion utility or a media player that is compatible with various audio file types. A quick, easy and free way to convert a CDA file to a Windows Media Audio (WMA) file is to use the "Rip Music" functionality of the Windows Media Player. Because WMA is the native file format for Windows Media Player, several options for the WMA file may be configured during the conversion process.
Step 1
Click the Windows "Start" button and select the "Windows Media Player" link.
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Step 2
Insert the CD containing the CDA file to be converted.
Step 3
Select the CD drive in the left navigation pane of Windows Media Player. The player will begin playing the first track of the CD.
Step 4
Click the "Rip" button on the top navigation bar in Windows Media Player. The "Rip Music" interface will appear.
Step 5
Check the checkbox in front of each CDA track to convert.
Step 6
Click the downward-pointing arrow under the "Rip" button, and then select "More Options." A configuration interface will appear.
Step 7
Click the tab labeled "Rip Music."
Step 8
Click the "Change" button next to the "Rip Music to This Location" label, and then select the folder that will contain the new WMA files.
Step 9
Click the "File Name" button to set how the files will be named when saved as WMA files.
Step 10
Select one of the Windows Media Audio file formats from the dropdown box in the "Rip Settings" section.
Step 11
Slide the "Audio Quality" slider bar to the desired balance between quality and file size.
Step 12
Click the "OK" button. The configuration interface will close.
Step 13
Click the "Start Rip" button in the bottom right corner of the "Rip Music" interface. A progress bar will appear next to the track. When the track is completely converted, the progress bar will label the track as "Ripped," and then move to the next selected track to convert. Allow the conversion process to continue until all tracks have been ripped to the desired location on the hard drive.
Step 14
Navigate to the new WMA files using Windows Explorer.
Step 15
Double click one of the WMA files to test it in Windows Media Player. Repeat for remaining files, if necessary.
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