Looking for some freeware to convert m4a's into wma's or mp3's. Something that Windows Media Player will recognise basically...! Dam all my friends for having iTunes... please do not suggest I download that either, it could make me angry! You have been warned!

Thanks

have you tried VLC media player rather than converting the files?

I'm yet to find a file type it won't play

Why do you need those formats? Almost everything i know will happily play music from iTunes.

If you have itunes already, and you dont have many tunes to re-encode, you can just create a playlist, then right click it, and select burn to MP3 CD, and itunes will convert it and burn to CD.

Why do you need those formats? Almost everything i know will happily play music from iTunes.

If you have itunes already, and you dont have many tunes to re-encode, you can just create a playlist, then right click it, and select burn to MP3 CD, and itunes will convert it and burn to CD.

I don't have itunes, that's the problem, nor do I want it if I'm honest! Windows Media Player doesn't support m4a files for some reason.

I have about 1gb of music I need to convert I think. Guess I'm going to have to have a search through some of the things on google to try and find something decent.

Lots of them, see e.g. http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Audio-Convertors/ or http://www.tucows.com/search.html?search_terms=Audio+Conversion&c=&tc=2&search_scope=win&search_type=&nfilter=

Can't remember right now what I have installed at home but they're probably more or less the same all of them, just pick one and try.

Whatevever software you choose, the resulting file will be of lower sound quality than the M4A file. Also if the the itunes M4a file is purchased music then you will be unable to convert the file at all.

To convert the file, it needs to be decompressed from an already lossy compressed file and recompressed again, which can result in even more detail being lost from the original file. The best solution would have been to have itunes configured to rip in MP3 format, which it can do by simply changing a setting.

I have itunes on my mac, and hate the way it organises the music library folders. I much prefer mediaplayer on my PC as it gives me control over the file structure. I now rip all my music on the PC and transfer it to the auto import folder on itunes on my mac, and then it can do what it likes because I do at least have the library elsewhere how I want it.

Lots of them, see e.g. http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Audio/Audio-Convertors/ or http://www.tucows.com/search.html?search_terms=Audio+Conversion&c=&tc=2&search_scope=win&search_type=&nfilter=

Can't remember right now what I have installed at home but they're probably more or less the same all of them, just pick one and try.

Yup, found one, I'm just always a little bit wary about typing things into google and downloading random things! Viruses and malware and all that makes me paranoid!

Yup, found one, I'm just always a little bit wary about typing things into google and downloading random things! Viruses and malware and all that makes me paranoid!

Sound attitude. But starting with a fairly established site such as softpedia or tucows or cnet or sourceforge and then check if the application developers have a fairly respectable website plus a quick google search looking for trouble will minimize the risk.