# Need to rip CD and create mp3s, but Winlame don't work.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-rip-cd-and-create-mp3s-but-winlame-dont-work/219471>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 17, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-rip-cd-and-create-mp3s-but-winlame-dont-work/219471 "2003-12-17T04:37:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-rip-cd-and-create-mp3s-but-winlame-dont-work/219471/1 "2003-12-17T04:37:17Z")

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I’m about to put up my music website, (after all these years), and I needed to rip some of my music off a CD. Well I download Winlame (this is a new computer) and nothing! I go to load “all supported files” and it reads my cd drive as blank. I’m using XP so I don’t know if there’s some protection scheme or something I’m not aware of?

I simply need to convert some of _my_ music to mp3. I looked for other rippers but they are all shady looking, have some stupid time trial, or are crippled in some fashion.

Help me find a free encoder that ain’t Winlame.

I tried to search but it won’t let me use CD or Mp3 (less then 4 characters)

As always thanks in advance.

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**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-rip-cd-and-create-mp3s-but-winlame-dont-work/219471/2 "2003-12-17T04:50:04Z")

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[CDex](http://www.cdex.n3.net/)  
is pretty good.

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**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-rip-cd-and-create-mp3s-but-winlame-dont-work/219471/3 "2003-12-17T04:53:21Z")

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It’s been awhile since I’ve used WinLame but, IIRC, it’s merely an encoder not a ripper. To rip a CD directly to MP3 try:

[CDex](http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/)  
or  
[Exact Audio Copy](http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/)

both are powerful, reputable and free.

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**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-rip-cd-and-create-mp3s-but-winlame-dont-work/219471/4 "2003-12-17T05:28:33Z")

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Thanks guys, I’ll check it out in the morning.

Sleepytime.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-rip-cd-and-create-mp3s-but-winlame-dont-work/219471/5 "2003-12-17T16:16:15Z")

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[www.dbpoweramp.com](http://www.dbpoweramp.com)

Totally free, easy to use, uses the best codecs. Not only CD ripping, but you can convert files by simply right-clicking in windows explorer.