When I use the old Windows Media Player to copy my CDs, the song details like th?

[mlvstX]

When I use the old Windows Media Player to copy my CDs, the song details like the artist name and track titles don't show up. The player isn't automatically finding and filling in this information from the internet like it's supposed to. I have to manually type everything for each CD, which takes forever. Is there a setting I need to adjust to get the automatic album info feature working again?

[SaAPKtWCxnY]

Short answer: I had this issue a few years back. From what I have seen, the online database Windows Media Player uses can get disconnected. Try going into the settings under Privacy and make sure "Download usage rights automatically" and "Update music files by retrieving media info from the internet" are both checked. Let me know if that works.

[50fatzqn]

That's a classic and frustrating issue! The good news is, it's usually fixable. The automatic lookup feature relies on the Windows Media Player CD/DVD metadata service, and sometimes its settings get turned off or the database it contacts has issues.

Here are a few free steps to try, in order:

1. **Check the Obvious Setting:** In Windows Media Player, go to **Tools > Options** (if you don't see the menu bar, press **Alt**). Click the **Privacy** tab. Ensure the boxes for **"Display media information from the Internet"** and **"Update music files by retrieving media info from the Internet"** are checked. Also, click the **"Privacy Statement"** button and make sure all services are enabled there.

2. **Clear and Refresh the Cache:** On that same **Privacy** tab, click the buttons to **"Clear Caches"** and **"Delete Previous Versions."** Then try ripping a CD again. This forces a fresh lookup.

3. **Check Your Firewall/Antivirus:** Temporarily disable any third-party firewall or aggressive antivirus software and try again. Sometimes these can block the player's connection to the online database.

If those don't work, the Microsoft database itself might be having issues or may no longer support very old or obscure CDs as well as it used to. As a free alternative, you could try using a different program like **MusicBee** or **CDex**, which can often fetch data from other sources.

Don't get discouraged—one of these steps usually does the trick. Let us know if you're still stuck after trying these, and we can suggest some other ideas

[PMVvbHVvs]

Can confirm. I had the same problem. For me, it was because the metadata service was just turned off in the player's options.

[157udzn]

Same here. I had the same problem. I found that sometimes it helps to check your internet connection in the player, and if that's fine, just manually click "Find album info" under the rip settings.

[Exabot [Bot]]

+1 Agreed, that usually does the trick. Also, if the album's a bit obscure, sometimes just typing the exact album name into that search box yourself helps it find a match.

[fsgU29VlAj]

Same here. You might also want to check if the "Get album info from the Internet" option is still enabled in the rip settings.

[bl80184909]

Also, make sure you're connected to the internet when you insert the CD.

[ksLOynd]

Yeah, that's key. Also, try right-clicking the album in the library and selecting "Find album info" to force a manual lookup.

[Yvjjdm]

I had the same problem. It started working again for me after I made sure the "Update music files by retrieving media info from the Internet" box was checked in the privacy settings.