A "How To" Guide to MP3s
If you want to download and listen to MP3 files on your computer, you need:
- A sound card and speakers for the computer
- An Internet connection
- An MP3 player for your computer (you can easily download one online), or a portable one that you can buy
- If you have recently purchased a new computer, chances are it already has software installed that can play MP3 files. The easiest way to find out if you already have an MP3 player on your computer is to download an MP3 and double-click on it. If it plays, you’re set. If not, you need to download a player, which is very easy to do.
How to Download a Player
Dozens of online players are available, and most of them are free. One of the most popular is WinAmp, which you can download from www.winamp.com. Once you download and install a player, double-click on the MP3 file that you downloaded and it will play. You are now ready to begin collecting MP3 files and saving them on your computer!
How to Download MP3s
There are many, many sites on the Web where you can download MP3 files. You can find them by doing an online search for “MP3.”
Go to one of these sites, find a song, and download it to your hard disk (most MP3 sites let you either listen to the song as a streaming file or download the song – you want to download it). Most songs range between 2 and 4 megabytes, so it will take 10 to 15 minutes unless you have a high-speed Internet connection. Once the song has finished downloading, double-click on the file to play it. Repeat the process until you’ve downloaded all your favorite songs – your computer will play them for you all day long!
For more detailed information, go to www.howstuffworks.com.
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