You are not sure your computer can play MP3 files or
You are not sure you have the required skills to download and manage digital MP3 music files
The free practice and information will tell you if you are ready to purchase, own and use MP3 music files.
We want you to have a good experience as our customer. We would rather you choose not buy MP3 music if you are not yet prepared to know how to do that. We have limited ability to help inexperienced customers. We cannot guarantee a product which is lost after download by improper handling.
Please practice as much as you want with this self-test until you feel comfortable. If you don't feel comfortable, then come back another time after someone has helped you learn more about MP3 files and the processes involved in using and managing them.
Questions you need to answer:
Can my computer play MP3 files, or do I have a portable player (such and an iPod, or music capable cell phone).
Do I have the skills required to download an MP3 file over the internet.
Do I have the skills to manage MP3 files on my computer so that they do not get lost?
1) Music Player Software and Computer Sound System
In order to find out if your computer has hardware and software to play an MP3 song file, please go to this site (click on link below) and click on " get MP3 ". http://mp34u.muzic.com/sourceHome.php?source=37
If your computer has the software, it will start playing the music. If you see a music player running, but you don't hear the music, you need to find out if your computer has a sound system. You need to know if your computer's sound system and speakers, or earphones, are working. You might need to ask an experienced person, or seek a professional technician to answer those questions.
On a PC computer the music player software most likely will be the Microsoft Media Player. On an Apple computer, it will most likely be Quicktime.
You can probably install a free MP3 player, if your computer does not have one. If you need to install a sound system you might need to consult a professional computer technician to get an sound card or an external USB sound processor and speakers working.
3) Methods and importance of computer backup
When you start Windows Explorer, on a windows XP computer, you will see the above view in the upper left corner of Explorer's window. The folder "My Music" is where downloaded MP3 files usually go. The download process will usually create a new sub-folder (under "My Music) for the music you purchase. Similar conventions are followed on other operating systems. For backup purposes, it is highly advisable to use Windows Explorer to make a copy of your music files in another folder on another part of the hard drive, or better yet on another computer (if you have a network), an external backup drive (if you have one), removable media like a CD Rom disk or a flash memory stick, or a commercial internet backup service.
To make a second copy of your music with Windows Explorer, you use the "Copy" and "Paste" commands under the "Edit" main menu heading. You select the sub-folder your music is in, with the mouse pointer. Then use the "Copy" command to capture the folder and all it's files. Then you select the place you want the music copy to go by placing the mouse pointer on the new location. Then you use the "Paste" command to complete the operation. Your MP3 files will then exist in two different locations. If one location is lost, you can retrieve the files from the second location.
If you routinely do a complete backup of all the content of your hard drive, then the MP3 files will be captured and backed up during the general backup operation.
As an MP3 music owner you must be prepared to accept and deal with the risks that go with owning purchased digital media files that can potentially be lost or corrupted by accident or faulty handling. If you can manage a text file (word processor), or a picture on your computer without loosing it, then you will probably have no difficulty with MP3 files. But if you often loose text files, or pictures on your computer, you should seriously consider the risks before you invest in MP3 files.
