i have several audio cd's i bought and would like to copy it to my pc's hard drive so I can make compilations.

best way?

create a new folder (right click an unused area, select 'new' and select folder from the pop out menu) a new folder will appear, type mp3library (or something to identify that it is all your mp3s)

double click the new folder to open it, and move it to one side, so you can see it but it does not take up all your desk top.

open the first of the 7 folders your friend made, move it to another side so you can see both folders.

click once anywhere in the folder with the mp3s, press ctrl and the "A" key and they will all highlight in blue. press ctrl and the "C" key. (copies all the items) move your mouse to the new folder, click once in a blank area then press ctrl and the "V" key. this puts a copy of everything selected from the first folder to the 2nd. When you are finished, you will have 1 folder with all your mp3s in it, and 7 original folders intact.

This will take more disk space, however it also leaves your mp3 sorted into albums if you want to create a copy of the CD to use. It is cheaper to replace a 50 cent copy of a cd than it is the original. (you can open the folders in media player and save as a cd to create back ups)

*tip: I save my mp3 library onto a DVD and play it on my dvd player. You can set up your dvd and tv to play through your stereo system. (cd=700 megs about 175 mp3, dvd = 4400 megs or about 1100 mp3s) *mp3 aprox 4 megs each* This is an estimate, but good enough to do a comparison.