I wouldn't mess with Windows Media player. Use an MP3 ripper/player instead. There are many out there but I mostly use the free Music Match software. You can download it here.
http://musicmatch.com/download/free/...as ic_jbpromo
It's quite easy to setup and convert CD's to MP3's. I've never had any problems with it and the disks have played in all MP3 players that I've ever tried them on including my crappy 3 year old DVD player.