How does Microsoft media Player ...
 

Play a CD track whilst copying a diferent track to your hard disk?
Surely the laser is reading the track its playing, so how it can it also be reading another to copy the data?

Any ideas anyone:question

I believe it's called multi-tasking...
multi-user o/s

Big enough buffer?

LOL didnt try this yet :)

maybe you have some super new multi-head CD-ROM drive ? :)
or just Microsoft developers are that cool :)

Easy. The copy happens on a time-available basis. The higher priority read operation read ahead and buffers music that hasn't been played yet. It's much like those sax players who can do "continuous breathing"...holding a long note while taking air in at the same time.

it's magic.... :eyecrazy

Don't listen to them. Its MAGIC!

Damn you! You beat me by like 15 seconds.

I have people watching you....

I just opened the curtains a few minutes ago too. Creepy.

Thanks for the explanation, its been bugging me for ages how the hell it does it.

I've got a Minidisk player which does the same thing to stop 'jogging' so I guess this is the same principle

How do you do the voodoo that you do