I have two computers running on my desk at work, one running Linux and one running Windows. I do most of my work on the Linux machine, revelling in the power of the command line, although I am often using it to work on websites that live on the Windows machine via Samba networking. I can also use the same mouse and keyboard to control the Windows box using the Synergy software I wrote about last year.

Most of the time, therefore, the Windows box is coasting along serving up web pages but I can easily work on it without having to even move my chair. Therefore, it also acts as my jukebox, playing tunes from my collection of audio files using Winamp and scrobbling the results to my Last.fm profile.

Winamp does a lot more than I need it to but I have been using it for a long time. One thing I recently discovered was that the developers had added the option to display album art. It is eye candy but still curiously satisfying, associating pictures with the music. This worked well for albums it could identify but I could not track down information on how to include pictures for ones it could not find.

However, a chance observation gave me the answer yesterday – all I have to do is drop a graphic file with the same name as the album (including spaces) into the directory where I store the tracks and then tell Winamp to refresh the album art. Now, if I can find the cover (Last.fm is a good source for this) I can have the picture when I play it; I can even create my own covers when playing recordings from my own band gigs.

How easily I am pleased. However, for any frustrated Winamp users who stumble across this in their searches, may you pleased too.

Technorati Tags:

winamp

album artwork

synergy

last.fm