Burnaware (note an M3U playlist is a valid source)

To create an Audio CD, proceed as follows:

1. Click on the Audio CD icon in the Main Window. The project layout will be displayed in separate window.

2. Click on the Add Tracks button, to select audio files you want to burn on the disc, or simply drag tracks from Windows Explorer.·Tracks can be in MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, M4A, AAC and FLAC audio formats.·You can also choose an M3U playlist as a source.

3. Click on the Burn button, to start a recording process.

I'm not adept with Windows. I think the last I used Windows I was using Nero 6.

If iTunes and Windows Media Player are both giving you the same error and if you try but get the same error with Burnaware, you might try turning the burn speed way down. It will take a lot longer burning at 2X but it might succeed.

What is causing the error? A few guesses...

(1) Dust on the laser in the drive (blow it out or use a cleaning disc?)

(2) The driver isn't working well with the drive (roll back the driver if there is an old driver and it was working with it?)

(3) Try another cable if you feel comfortable doing so (or maybe unplug and plug back in a time or three, both ends)

(4) Replace the burner if you feel comfortable doing so

Thank you all so much! I found Burnaware very easy to use, and so far, the sound quality seems quite good--not that I would be able to appreciate the finer points of it when driving on the freeway, but I know I'm going to enjoy this.

To my disgust, I did find that many of the songs I have in iTunes (ALL of which I have either ripped from disks I bought myself or bought from iTunes over the years!) have been converted to MPEG-4 (.m4p), "protected," and cannot be dragged into the playlist window for Burnaware. Perhaps I have just been looking in the wrong folders or something, but I have to take time to go over them all and figure out which ones have been rendered inaccessible, and, possibly, why. (Maybe if I rip them back off of the CDs I burned using iTunes in the good old days when it all worked simply and easily, they will change into files I CAN drag into Burnaware. That would be a great nuisance to handle, but worth the trouble in the end. Anyway, I will report back here if I can figure things out.

While looking for a music playing app in the Microsoft store, though I wasn't aware of clicking on anything, Groove Music showed up on my PC, and I liked it, so I installed that, too. But, of course, it doesn't help with creating playlists to burn.

Has anyone else experienced what I have with iTunes putting songs out of commission, so to speak?

I will also try Richard's suggestion to try burning very slowly.

By the way, until I came directly to this site tonight, I didn't know I had answers here because Houzz didn't notify me. Has something changed. Any ideas what I can do to fix it?

Feeling much happier tonight than I was a couple of days ago, thanks to you all.

To get emails of activity: click on "Your Houzz" in upper right > Edit Profile > Advanced Settings > Scroll down to " User Activity Notifications" and adjust emails accordingly. I also add "Allow anyone to message me" so I can get private messages. I wish this was the default for this site.

For your MP3's - best to just rip the CDs again and forget iTunes. Just search on "open source CD ripper". This one looks good - click me - but have not used it personally. I use dBpoweramp ($39 for single PC).

Thanks, Badabing2, I'll try fre:ac, and then if it doesn't work, dBpoweramp. I appreciate your giving two choices!