Type of Music to Copy to a Portable Music Player

Any song you have stored on your PC's hard drive can be copied to your portable music player, with some limitations. You need to be aware of two possible limitations when copying music:

• You can only copy music files in the specific file formats supported by your portable music player. For example, the Apple iPod will play back only AAC- and MP3-format files, not WMA-format files. So you can't copy WMA-format files to an iPod. Similarly, most non-Apple music players can play back WMA and MP3 files just fine, but can't play back AAC-format files. For this reason, you can't copy AAC files to a non-Apple player.

• Some songs you purchase from online music stores come with strict digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. A particular song may be limited as to where you can play it or how many times you can play it. This might mean that you can't copy specific songs to your portable device -- or if you do copy them, they can't be played. Read the licensing regulation at the online music store to determine just how you can use the music you download. Past these limitations, you should be able to copy all your digital music files to your portable music player. This includes music that you purchase online, download for free from the Internet and rip from your own personal CDs. As long as the file is on your computer's hard drive, it can be copied.

Michael Miller is a writer and commentator on technology and digital lifestyle topics.