Music CD formats and Software

[bill]

I was recently presented with a performance recording, on CD. It was in .cda format. I am not an audiophile nor do I especially care to be one but I am now in the position of wondering what the difference between this is .cda and a .wmv or .wav or .MP3 is. I would also like to know if there is software that will convert files from one format to another. Windows Media Player won't "rip" a .cda but it will play it. This means I can not store the music file on my PC and I would like to do that.

[bwtuba]

Bill,

.cda files aren't real - they are created by the Windows media driver as a pointer to the real data on a cd. They don't actually contain any music, and that's why you can't store them on a PC. To rip the music to your hard drive, you can use something like this:
http://www.coolutils.com/TotalAudioConverter

or simply get iTunes for Windows which is free.

Hope that helps.

[bill]

Thank you very much for your explanation and hints. I was able to extract the music files.