Put Your Favorite Media Player on Its Best Behavior.

This article offers several tips on how to get more out of Windows Media Player (WMP) 10 and the Winamp player by tweaking some of their not-so-obvious settings. According to the author, WMP 10 can be of great help if you do not use iPod and you like having some choices when shopping for media files online. First, be sure to back up your licenses. When you purchase an audio or video file through one of the services in WMP 10's list of online stores, it will probably come encrypted and accompanied by a digital rights license. Without the license, you cannot play the file. Backing up your media licenses lets you restore files that become corrupted, and lets you move the files to another PC. Reinstalling Windows or changing your PC's hardware may invalidate the licenses on your PC, making a backup a must. This article shows how to create a copy of your licenses in WMP 10. If you enjoy the diversity of Internet you might use AOL subsidiary Nullsoft's Winamp 5.09 player. Besides being highly configurable Nullsoft's Shoutcast service puts a wealth of Internet radio and TV streams at your disposal. Unfortunately, Winamp's Internet TV selection may be a little too wide-ranging for some people: Among the Radiohead videos, pirate reruns, and eastern European news stations, you are likely to find more than a smattering of hard-core porn.