Microsoft silently kills Windows and Office phone activation and forces online activation with a Microsoft account
Goodbye, Windows 10 — how a decade of 'progress' eroded users' command over their own machines
Our efforts shifted to the new Media Player app that is the default tool for consuming video and audio, as well as handling playlists, on the latest Windows 11 packing PCs. Sadly, this app suffered from a very similar issue. The error message when I tried to update album info online read, “We couldn’t connect to the service. Check your internet connection, then try again.” There was no issue with my internet connection.
Alternative CD audio media players and rippers are available, but it is a shame those built-into the latest Windows OS distributions have been neutered in this way.
Not many computers ship with optical drives nowadays. We have reported on just a handful of PC releases in 2025 which involved optical drive hardware , ready to handle media like Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs.
Some movie, music, and computer enthusiasts are still very fond of their optical media. Even though we are firmly in the ‘age of streaming,’ movie and music aficionados still prefer physical media due to the quality they offer, and the shifting-sands upon which streaming providers like Netflix , Amazon Prime Movies, Spotify , and others, build their offerings.
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-media-players-find-album-information-functionality-has-been-removed-youll-have-to-find-other-software-for-playing-and-ripping-cds-with-relevant-track-information#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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- Windows Media Player’s ‘find album information’ functionality has been removed — you’ll have to find other software for playing and ripping CDs with relevant tr
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.