MP3 Corruption Bug "Bytes" Users of Leaked Win7 Beta

When Build 7000 of Windows 7 leaked onto the Internet recently, some bloggers speculated  that Microsoft had deliberately leaked Build 7000. If that's the case, Redmond has some 'splainin' to do : numerous users have reported that Windows Media Player 12 (the media player included in Windows 7) corrupts some MP3 files .  According to posters at a Neowin.net forum , WMP 12 removes the first 2 to 3 seconds of MP3s that have large headers (over 16KB) when the "automatically fill in missing metadata using the online service" option is selected. This option is part of the Express setup defaults. According to ZDNet's Hardware 2.0 blog, the problem seems to be confined to variable bit-rate (VBR) MP3 files. Microsoft is aware of the bug and is working on a patch, but if you've decided not to wait for an official Beta 1 of Windows 7, what should you do in the meantime to protect your MP3 collection? Join us after the jump to learn how to protect your precious rips and purchased files - ... (link)