Encode MP3’s in WMP

The times they are a-changin’.

This post seems to be older than 18 years—a long time on the internet. It might be outdated.

I have music, lots of music. I was fine with using the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format for a while, but then I realized that it would be better to have all my music encoded in MP3 format because it would be more portable to various programs and portable music devices, such as iPod. However, there is a problem, Windows Media Player (WMP) doesn’t come with the MP3 codec! If you want to encode an MP3, you have to shell out some money to get the codec. We’ll, shell no longer! Simply download this MP3 codec and registry file and you’ll soon be on your way to encoding. If you use Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows XP:

  1. Copy the L3codecp.acm file to your C:\windows\system32\ directory
  2. Double click on MP3_XP.reg and click “Yes” when the computer asks are you sure you want to add the information to the registry.
  3. Open Windows Media Player, click Tools > Options
  4. Click on the Copy Music tab
  5. Select MP3Encoding from the Format Tab

If you use Windows XP or Windows NT4:

  1. Copy the L3codecp.acm file to your C:\winnt\system32\ directory
  2. Double click on MP3_W2K.reg and click “Yes” when the computer asks are you sure you want to add the information to the registry.
  3. Open Windows Media Player, click Tools > Options
  4. Click on the Copy Music tab
  5. Select MP3Encoding from the Format Tab

Registry Window
Step 2
Options Dialog
Steps 4 and 5

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