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What Is Auto Run? How It Works autorun.inf Make autorun.inf File Auto Run Tips

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Create Auto Run CD's

What Is Auto Run? Auto Run or Auto Play CD's are compact disks that automatically begin running or playing when the CD is inserted in the CDROM drive.  This is a feature built into the Windows Operating System. How It Works If a CD contains a special file called autorun.inf, and if the Auto Run feature is enabled in the operating system settings, then the CD will automatically begin when it is inserted in the CDROM drive. To enable the Auto Run feature in Windows: 1. Right click the My Computer icon on the desktop. 2. Click Properties. 3. Click the Device Manager Tab. 4. Select the CDROM in the list. 5. Click the Properties button. 6. Click the Settings Tab. 7. Put a check next to Auto Insert Notification.

autorun.inf This file is in the root directory of the CD, it is NOT in any folder.  All CD's that have the ability to be autorun contain a file called autorun.inf. If you were to stick a data CD in your CDROM drive and then explore the contents of the CD you would see this file in the root directory.  Here is what the root directory of the Windows 2000 Pro CD looks like:

Make Your Own autorun.inf File Below is the code needed to create an autorun.inf file.  Edit this code to use with your E-Book:

[autorun]OPEN="start E-Book\index.html" * Instructions * 1. Change E-Book to the name of your E-Book folder. 2. Change index.html that of the first page of your E-Book. 3. Copy+Paste your edited code into a Notepad window and save the file as autorun.inf

Important - You must type the filename like so:

Auto Run Tips • The above code used in the autorun.inf file has been tested and should work on computers with Windows 95, 98, 98SE, Millenium and Windows NT/2000 operating systems. • If the above code does not autorun your CD's then it is suggested that the CD also contain a read_me.txt file with instructions for your viewers about how to start your E-Book.  If you make your own CD labels then print instructions on the labels. • Information from Microsoft about the autorun feature. • There are many programs that can automatically create Auto Run CD's for you.  See the Resources page for links to software download websites or search the software categories at DownloadFAST.com.