What can you try if FreeRIP does not show tracks?

FreeRIP is a very easy to use program. Usually once it is installed you just have to put your audio CD in the CD drive and FreeRIP loads it. But what can be the problem when you put the audio CD in the drive and nothing happens?

This article tries to help you solving this problem. Unfortunately this behaviour can happen for a number of causes, so you need to make some tries. And remeber that even more than one cause can apply at the same time!

Here follows a list of causes and actions to take:

1. Old FreeRIP version installed: we constantly update FreeRIP, fixing bugs and adding new features. It can happen that the problem you are experiencing dpends on a bug that we had been found and fixed already, so first of all be sure you installed the latest release. Look here to download latest FreeRIP release.
2. CD auto run is disabled: Windows can automatically notify application when a CD is put or removed in a drive. This function is called "auto run" and FreeRIP uses it to automatically load the CD. Windows auto run can be disabled, in this case once you put the audio CD in the drive, you must manually tell FreeRIP to load it by the File->Refresh CD menu option.
3. Wrong CD Drive: if your PC is equipped with more than one CD reader (note that a CD burner is a CD reader as well), may happen that FreeRIP is configured to read CDs from one drive while you put the CD in the other one. Check FreeRIP configuration (menu File->Settings->Option...) to find out which CD reader FreeRIP currently uses, or to change it.
4. Wrong media type: FreeRIP can extract audio from Audio CDs only. An audio CD is a CD which cointains music (like the ones you buy at the music shop). FreeRIP cannot rip tracks from DVDs or data CDs, though it can convert tracks from MP3 (or other format) files eventually placed on this type of media. For more info about differences between an Audio CD and a Data CD please read here. For information about copying a MP3 CD or DVD to your PC please look here.
5. ASPI problem: if your system runs Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT or Windows Vista, try disabling (or enabling) the Force ASPI option in FreeRIP options window (File->Settings->Options... menu). Please note that you have to restart FreeRIP if you change that option.
6. CD low level access rigths: on Windows XP and Windows Vista, only administrators users can access CD drives in low level mode (the mode FreeRIP uses to RIP CDs). If you need to use FreeRIP with a non-administrator user, you can use FreeRIP Grant CD use rights tool.
7. Software conflict: sometimes it happens that a third party software installs drivers that interfere with low level CD access used by FreeRIP to read CDs and this prevent FreeRIP working. This is a very rare case but it can happen. Unfortunatelty there is no easy guideline to fix this problem. If you can, try to disable or uninstall or update software that works with CDs (like virtual CD drivers).
8. If your system is running Windows Vista x64, please read this document.

Some users sometimes ask us if upgrading from FreeRIP Basic (free) to FreeRIP Pro fixes the problem. Of course the answer is "no": if you installed FreeRIP Basic and it cannot load your audio CD tracks, FreeRIP Pro will not do it either. So please use this article to try fixing the problem before purchasing the Pro version.