Maintain My Star Ratings as Global Ratings in the Media Files

Library Page Options

The Library page of the Options dialog box contains options for specifying how to create and maintain your media library.

Sharing

dialog box, which you can use to set up sharing. See “Set Up Sharing,” earlier in this article, for details.

Update Library by Monitoring Folders

To specify which folders Windows Media Player monitors for new media files, click the Monitor Folders button and work in the Add to Library dialog box. Monitor as few folders as possible so that Windows Media Player doesn’t waste processor cycles searching your entire neighborhood for new files. See the section “Adding Files to Your Media Library,” later in this article.

Automatic Media Information Updates for Files

This group box contains the following settings:

Retrieve Additional Information from the Internet Select this check box to have Windows Media Player download and apply missing tag information such as album names or cover art to your files; clear this check box if you want Windows Media Player to leave the tag information alone. If you select this check box, choose between the Only Add Missing Information option button the default or the Overwrite All Media Information option button, which lets Windows Media Player overwrite any existing tag information it considers wrong. Overwriting all can be annoying if you’ve customized tags.

Rename Music Files Using Rip Music Settings Select this check box if you want Windows Media Player to rename music files using tag information and the format you specified in the File Name Options dialog box.

Rearrange Music in Rip Music Folder, Using Rip Music Settings Select this check box if you want Windows Media Player to move files to different folders following the organization scheme you specified in the File Name Options dialog box. This option can be useful if you use only Windows Media Player to play your music files. If you want to manage your music files manually, clear this check box- otherwise, you may not find your music files where you left them.

Maintain My Star Ratings as Global Ratings in the Media Files Select this check box if you want to save your star ratings with your music files. This behavior is usually helpful: If you then move the music files to a new computer, you still have your ratings.

Plug-ins Page Options

On the Plug-ins page of the Options dialog box, you can choose options for visualizations and other features:

• In the Category list box, select the type of item you want to affect, and then select the item in the right-hand list box. Click the Properties button to display a Properties dialog box for any configurable options in the item. To remove the item, click the Remove button, and then authenticate yourself to User Account Control.

• To add a plug-in, click the Look for Plug-ins on the Web link, and then use the resulting browser window to download and install components.

Privacy Page Options

The Privacy page of the Options dialog box contains a complex set of options for controlling which data Windows Media Player downloads for you automatically, which data it provides about your media files and habits, and whether it saves your play history. You will have set some of these settings when you set up Windows Media Player.

Enhanced Playback and Device Experience Group Box

The Enhanced Playback and Device Experience group box contains the following options:

Display Media Information from the Internet This check box controls whether Windows Media Player automatically downloads information from the Internet for the CDs and DVDs you insert in your optical drives. For example, when you load an audio CD, Windows Media Player downloads the artist, CD, and track data so that you can create compressed files easily with the correct names. Usually, this is helpful, but it can potentially reveal which CDs and DVDs you’re playing.

Update Music Files by Retrieving Media Info from the Internet This check box controls whether Windows Media Player updates your music files by retrieving missing tag information from the Internet. This feature too is largely positive except that it could reveal which music files you have.

Download Usage Rights Automatically When I Play or Sync a File This check box controls whether Windows Media Player automatically acquires licenses for content that’s protected by digital rights management DRM technologies. This is usually a good idea, but you may prefer to be prompted each time a license is needed.

Automatically Check if Protected Files Need to Be Refreshed This check box controls whether Windows Media Player automatically checks to see whether your protected files need updated licenses. If you’re using protected files, this setting is usually helpful.

Set Clock on Devices Automatically This check box controls whether Windows Media Player automatically synchronizes the internal clock on a device such as a portable player with its own time setting in order to keep time-limited digital licenses coordinated. This is usually a good idea.