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This week's question relates to a previous one on MP3 .wav files: I have a CD rewriter on my PC and also real juke box. I can, as you said, copy songs from CDs to my hard drive as .wav files and then copy on to a blank CDR. I bought my computer last year and the quality of the copies is very poor. I also get downloads from the Internet which are .mp3 and when I tried to copy these to onto a blank CD I got an error saying it wouldn't work because the files need to be .wav. Is it possible to convert the .mp3 files to .wav? - Roddy, via e-mail.
If the quality of the CDs you record from wav files on your hard drive is very poor this could suggest that there is something wrong with your software. If your computer is still under warranty I would suggest getting the manufacturer or shop that you bought it in to have a look at it. If your computer is out of warranty then ask a computersavvy friend to have a look at it before you decide on what to do.
As for the second part of the question, yes it is possible to convert .mp3 files to .wav. Most modern PC-based CD recorders do this automatically. Yours seems not to do this, though this may be part of a general problem as mentioned above. A programme called Winamp allows you to convert MP3s to wavs very easily. The latest version is Winamp 2.72 - you can download it free from many different sites - just do a search for Winamp. You can also download more up-to-date CD recording technology from the web. Shareware (http://shareware. search.com/) is very good for the latest information, tips, help and downloads in relation to CDRs. It has all the links you should need for making read-only files writeable, upgrading your equipment, making the best out of the technology and even creating your own labels and covers. The site also helpfully divides some of its advice up in relation to the specific equipment that the user already has.
