The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →To put a game soundtrack CD in a computer music library, you must rip the audio tracks into music files first, then add those files to the library if your ripping app does not do that automatically. Insert the disc in a built-in or external USB optical drive, choose an output format, check the album and track information, and start the import. Do not copy the disc’s .cda entries as if they were audio files: they are shortcuts to tracks on the physical CD, not the audio data itself.
The exact path depends on your computer and app. Windows Media Player can rip an audio CD directly. iTunes for Windows can import selected tracks from a CD. Apple Music for Windows adds files or folders that have already been ripped, and normally keeps those source files where they are.
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The safest approach is to treat the physical release as the reference copy: identify the correct edition, preserve its track order, verify the resulting files, and keep the disc after the import. That matters for game soundtracks, which may have regional editions, bonus tracks, alternate titles or multiple discs that an automatic online lookup does not recognize correctly.
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What you need before importing
- An audio-CD-capable drive. Use the computer’s built-in optical drive or connect an external USB CD/DVD drive that can read audio CDs. A drive is required even if the computer has no software installed yet.
- A CD-capable application. Windows Media Player and iTunes for Windows provide direct CD-ripping or importing workflows. Apple Music for Windows is intended for adding files that already exist on the computer.
- Enough storage for the chosen format. Uncompressed or lossless files take more space than compressed files. The original disc remains your source if you later need to create another copy.
- The soundtrack packaging or booklet. Use it to verify the edition, region, disc number, artist credit and track order when online identification is incomplete or wrong.
If your computer has no optical drive, an external USB unit is the practical hardware solution. Look for one that explicitly reads audio CDs. Someone who already has a working built-in drive does not need to purchase another drive just to perform this task.
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“When you copy music, pictures, and videos from a CD or DVD to your PC, it’s called ‘ripping.’”
— Microsoft Support, Burn and rip CDs
Choose the workflow that matches your library
| Situation | Recommended path | What happens to the files |
|---|---|---|
| You have Windows Media Player and the CD is in the drive | Use Rip CD, after selecting format, quality and save location in Rip settings. | The player creates audio files, normally in the Music folder unless you select another location. |
| You want to import selected tracks directly from a CD in iTunes for Windows | Insert the disc, select the tracks, then choose Import CD. | iTunes imports the selected tracks into its library according to its import settings. |
| You already have ripped files and use Apple Music for Windows | Choose Import for a file or folder, or drag items from File Explorer into the app. | Apple Music adds a reference to the existing files by default; the originals stay in their current location. |
These are not interchangeable steps. Apple Music for Windows’ file import does not replace the CD-ripping step when the only copy you have is the physical disc. In that situation, rip with Windows Media Player, iTunes or another CD-capable program first, then import the resulting files if needed.
The two-step route can be useful when you want to inspect a folder, correct names or retain a deliberate file structure before adding anything to the library. Direct CD importing is shorter when iTunes is already configured and you want the selected tracks added immediately.
Rip the soundtrack with Windows Media Player
1. Insert the audio CD
Connect the optical drive, insert the soundtrack CD and wait for Windows Media Player to recognize it. If the disc does not appear, confirm that the drive can read audio CDs and that the disc is seated correctly. Do not begin by dragging the visible CD entries to a hard-drive folder; those entries are not the finished music files.
2. Set the format, quality and destination before starting
- Open Windows Media Player and select the inserted disc.
- Open Rip settings.
- Choose an available output format. Microsoft’s ripping instructions list WMA, WAV and MP3.
- Choose the audio-quality setting offered for that format.
- Check the save location. The default location is the computer’s Music folder; change it if you use a dedicated library folder.
Make this decision before pressing the rip command. These settings apply to new rips. Windows Media Player cannot change the format or audio quality of a track after it has already been ripped; you would need to rip that track again with the new settings. If you are undecided, pause to check what the target library and playback devices accept rather than discovering a compatibility problem after a full disc has been processed.
3. Select only the tracks you want
Clear the selection for trailers, bonus tracks or other items you do not want in the library. A soundtrack CD may include material that is not part of the main score, and Windows Media Player can create files for every selected track. If the soundtrack spans multiple discs, process each disc separately and use disc numbers in the album information so the sequence remains clear.
4. Check the displayed album information
Windows Media Player can retrieve the disc title, artist and track titles online when matching information is available. Review that result before ripping. Automatic identification is convenient, but it can select a different edition of the same game soundtrack, omit a bonus track or apply an unrelated track list. Compare the displayed title and sequence with the disc and booklet, and correct the information before you build the rest of the library around it.
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5. Start the rip and test the result
Choose Rip CD. Windows Media Player copies the audio data from the disc and writes music files to the selected location. Leave the disc and drive connected until the operation finishes. When complete, open the destination folder and play one or two files before ejecting the disc so you can catch a failed or incomplete rip immediately. For a long soundtrack, test tracks from the beginning, middle and end rather than assuming that a completed progress indicator guarantees every file is usable.
Import a CD directly with iTunes for Windows
- Insert the audio CD and open iTunes for Windows.
- Review the track selection and clear any tracks you do not want.
- Choose Import CD.
- Allow the import to finish before removing the disc.
Apple notes that a song taking more than 10 minutes to import can indicate a dirty or scratched CD. If one track is unusually slow, stop and inspect the disc rather than assuming the resulting file is complete. Clean visible dirt carefully, retry the import and compare the resulting track with the original disc if the problem persists.
As with Windows Media Player, inspect the album and track information supplied by the lookup service. iTunes’ direct-import path is convenient, but it does not remove the need to verify a game soundtrack’s edition, artist credit, disc number and track order.
Add already-ripped files to Apple Music for Windows
Use this route when Windows Media Player, iTunes or another CD-capable program has already produced files. Apple Music for Windows is adding those existing files to its library; it is not the step that extracts audio from the physical CD.
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- Open Apple Music for Windows.
- Choose Import and select an individual file or an entire folder, or drag the items from File Explorer into the app.
- Wait for the album and tracks to appear in the library.
- Play a track from the library, then confirm that the source file still exists at its original path.
Apple Music for Windows adds a reference to the original file by default rather than automatically moving or copying it. If you rename, move or delete that source later, the library entry may stop playing. Keep the files in place, or change the app’s storage settings if you want the library to manage copies instead. This is an important distinction from merely seeing an album listed in the app: the listing depends on the referenced file remaining available.
Before importing a whole folder, make sure it contains only the verified soundtrack files you intend to add. A clean folder makes it easier to remove a mistaken import and reduces the chance of adding temporary, duplicate or incomplete rips.
Check and correct soundtrack metadata
Music apps may look up the disc title, artist and track names online. A game soundtrack is more likely than a mainstream album to have multiple editions, regional releases, bonus tracks or a different track order, so treat automatic identification as a starting point.
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Verify the release identity
- Compare the detected album title with the title printed on the disc or booklet.
- Check the credited artist or composer, including compilation wording where applicable.
- Confirm the region, edition, disc number and release year when those details distinguish versions.
- Compare every track name and its order with the physical track list.
- Look for bonus or hidden tracks that an online match may omit or place differently.
Fix missing or incorrect information in Windows Media Player
If Windows Media Player displays the wrong album or leaves fields blank, try a different search criterion. Microsoft’s guidance also allows you to enter media information manually. Correct the album and track fields before you organize the files so the library does not create duplicate or split albums.
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Use consistent names for multi-disc soundtracks
For a two-disc release, retain the official album title and add a disc indicator in the album or disc-number field supported by your application. Keep track numbers from each disc rather than renumbering everything into one invented sequence. This preserves the order shown in the original release and makes a later re-import predictable. If the app does not expose a disc-number field, use a clear, consistent album naming convention rather than mixing unrelated labels between files.
Choose an output format deliberately
No single format is right for every library. Decide whether your priority is broad device compatibility, smaller files or retaining a lossless archive, then confirm that the exact app and devices you use support the choice.
| Format named in Microsoft’s ripping guidance | Practical characteristic | Choose it when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Compressed audio with broad support across computers, phones and older players. | You need convenient playback on many devices or want smaller files. | Compression can discard audio information; select the highest quality offered if you are not keeping another archive. |
| WMA | Microsoft’s compressed audio option. | Your target library and playback devices explicitly support WMA. | Some non-Microsoft players and services may not accept it, so check compatibility first. |
| WAV | Typically an uncompressed PCM container and therefore much larger than compressed formats. | You want a straightforward high-fidelity copy and have sufficient storage. | Large files can be inconvenient on portable devices and may carry less standardized metadata handling than some compressed formats. |
| FLAC | A lossless format supported for playback by Windows Media Player according to Microsoft’s supported-file documentation. | Your library and devices support FLAC and you want lossless storage with efficient compression. | The cited ripping instructions do not establish that every Windows Media Player version can create FLAC files from a CD. Check the format list in your installed version before starting. |
Microsoft’s separate supported-file page lists FLAC as a playback type, but that is not proof that all versions of Windows Media Player offer FLAC as a CD-rip output. If lossless storage is essential, verify the available rip settings first and keep the original CD. A format that plays in one application may still be rejected by another, so check the destination library and the devices on which you plan to listen.
Why copying .cda files does not work
When Windows shows tracks on an audio CD with a .cda extension, those entries represent locations on the disc. They do not contain the PCM audio data that a music library needs on the hard drive. Copying the entries to another folder creates unusable shortcuts once the CD is removed.
Ripping is the extraction step that turns the disc’s audio into actual files such as MP3, WMA or WAV. After ripping, you can back up, rename and import those files independently of the physical disc. If a copied .cda item appears to have transferred instantly, that is a warning that only the shortcut was copied, not the track audio.
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Troubleshoot common failures
The computer has no CD drive
Use an external USB CD/DVD drive with audio-CD reading support. A reader who already has a built-in optical drive does not need to buy another drive; connect the external unit only when the computer lacks a usable one.
The disc is not recognized
- Reseat the disc and confirm that the drive appears in the operating system.
- Try another audio CD to distinguish a drive problem from a damaged soundtrack disc.
- Clean visible dirt from the disc with a soft, lint-free cloth, wiping from the center outward.
- If only one track fails or imports unusually slowly, inspect that area for scratches.
The album information is wrong
Do not accept the first online match when the edition does not correspond to the packaging. Search again using different criteria, then enter the title, artist and track information manually. Verify the complete list before importing into a library that may automatically group albums.
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A rip finishes but a track will not play
Play the file directly from its destination folder. If it fails there, delete that file and rip the track again after checking the disc and drive. If it plays from the folder but not in Apple Music for Windows, confirm that the source file has not been moved and that the library entry points to the current location.
The import is taking far too long
For iTunes for Windows, Apple identifies an import taking more than 10 minutes for a song as a possible sign of dirt or scratches. Stop the process, inspect the disc and retry rather than keeping a potentially damaged result. A delay affecting one track is more suggestive of a disc or drive problem than a reason to accept a partial file.
The library contains duplicate albums
Duplicates usually result from inconsistent album titles, artist fields, disc numbers or track names. Correct the metadata in one consistent set of files, remove the mistaken library entries and import the corrected set once. If Apple Music is referencing files in place, remove the unwanted library reference without deleting the verified source file.
Organize the finished soundtrack
After the files play correctly, use a stable folder and naming scheme that reflects the physical release. A practical structure is an album folder containing the disc’s tracks, with separate folders for separate soundtrack releases. Preserve official track numbers and use the application’s album, artist and disc fields rather than encoding every detail into an extremely long filename.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- Keep one verified copy of each track in the location used by your library.
- Do not move source files after adding them to Apple Music for Windows unless you also update the app’s storage settings or re-import them.
- Retain the original CD, especially if you chose a compressed format or if the soundtrack is difficult to replace.
- Test the first, middle and final track of each disc after import; this catches incomplete rips without requiring a full listening session.
- Keep files from different editions in separate, clearly labeled folders so a later lookup or re-import cannot silently mix track lists.
Quick completion checklist
- The computer can read the audio CD through a built-in or external USB drive.
- You selected a ripping application and confirmed its available output formats.
- You set format, quality and save location before beginning a Windows Media Player rip.
- You imported only the tracks you want.
- The album, artist, edition, disc number and track order match the physical release.
- You opened the resulting files and confirmed that they play.
- You imported existing files into the destination library, if necessary.
- You know where the source files are stored and will not move them without updating the library.
- You kept the physical disc for a future re-rip or format change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy the .cda files from the CD into my music folder?
No. A .cda entry points to audio on the physical disc and does not contain the PCM data. Use a CD-ripping function to create real MP3, WMA, WAV or another supported audio file.
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Which format should I choose?
Choose based on the destination library and devices. Microsoft’s Windows Media Player guidance lists MP3, WMA and WAV as rip outputs. MP3 is broadly compatible, WMA requires explicit compatibility checking, and WAV is much larger. FLAC is listed as a Windows Media Player playback type, but you must verify that your installed version can rip to it.
Why are the soundtrack names or album grouping wrong?
Online lookup may match a different edition or omit tracks. Compare the result with the disc and booklet, try another search criterion, and manually enter the title, artist, disc number and track names before importing.
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Apple Music normally references the files where they currently reside. Moving, renaming or deleting them can make the library item stop playing. Keep them in place or change the app’s storage settings and re-import as needed.
What should I do if one iTunes import takes more than 10 minutes?
Apple identifies that delay as a possible sign of a dirty or scratched CD. Stop, inspect and clean the disc, then retry the import and test the resulting file.
The Bottom Line
Insert the audio CD in a drive, rip it with Windows Media Player or iTunes, choose a format your library and devices support, and verify the soundtrack’s edition and track order against the packaging. Then import the resulting files into Apple Music for Windows or another library as needed. Keep the actual source files in a stable location, remember that .cda entries are not music files, and retain the original disc for a future re-rip.
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