Since my switch to WinXP with a new machine, I haven't found much that won't play with the "built-in" Windows Media Player. The "new" versions seem to be greatly improved. Be advised that I don't do a lot of "aural surfing" though - just not adventurous enough, I guess.

Our first CD burner came with Nero, and it would still be my choice for burning audio, but I've found it all but impossible to get a good burn of some kinds of data files. A laptop about a year ago came with Roxio EZCD, and it's miles ahead of Nero for data burns.

Naturally, my new machine came with Nero, and the later (DVD) version is significantly improved; but I still felt the need to go buy Roxio to "complete the set." It is "better enough" to justify the price if you do a lot of data backup (esp. for someone who likes "long file names").

John