Can't play/copy music CD

[Sir Kenyth]

Copy protection is nothing more than a corrupt data track on the CD that throws the CD players CPU into a loop at the component level. Since cheaper CD players aren't designed to read data, they pass the bad track until they find a music track. The problem is that many of the newer players that play MP3's, DVD's, etc. scan for data tracks. The "security" messes up the read on these too. Whether they modify the processors on players to overcome this is questionable, since many makers of the players also produce the protected CD's. You can overcome the protection by covering up or destroying the corrupt track or using a portable player through the cound card.

[Larry_OHF]

In theory, Windows XP may be helpful then, since it will not open a CD and read it unless I specify "how". It is wierd. It will ask me if I want to read it, play it, or open or view the data in various ways. Not all the time will it do so. Games open themselves...but any CD I make for backups and stuff always have me specify how to open them. If it is a music CD, I usually just drag and drop into my Winamp player, though it does not actually come off the CD like that. If I remove the CD, then Winamp cannot play it anymore.