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AUTORUN.INF Basic Settings

An easy-to-use Auto-Play function from James Greene for your CDs and DVDs

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Configuring Auto-Play

To enable a media to automatically run when it's inserted, all that you need to do is to place a file named AUTORUN.INF in the root-directory of the media. However, if you want to launch a document (e.g. "index.htm") while showing your company logo, then you need Auto-Play.

When you burn a CD or DVD, just create the file AUTORUN.INF as described below, then place AUTORUN.INF and AUTO-PLAY.EXE (along with other supporting files) in the top-level (\) directory of the image.

Auto-Play also includes the Auto-Play Configuration Utility to help you create the AUTORUN.INF file.

Standard settings in AUTORUN.INF

    [AutoRun]
    OPEN=Auto-Play.EXE
    SHELLEXECUTE=Auto-Play.EXE
    ICON=Auto-Play.ICO
    LABEL=My CD-ROM
    USEAUTOPLAY=0
    SHELL=ReadMe
    SHELL\ReadMe=View README File
    SHELL\ReadMe\Command=notepad.exe README.TXT
    
    [Content]
    MusicFiles=false
    PictureFiles=true
    VideoFiles=true

where

[AutoRun] required

Identifies the beginning of the standard AUTORUN settings in the AUTORUN.INF file.

OPEN=path\Auto-Play.EXE [options] required

The OPEN entry specifies the path and file name of the application that AutoRun launches when a user inserts a disc in the drive. If no path is specified, Windows looks for the file in the root directory of the media. Specify a relative path (no drive letters!) if the file is located in a subdirectory.

SHELLEXECUTE=path\Auto-Play.EXE should be set the same as OPEN=

The SHELLEXECUTE entry specifies the application or data file that Windows will AutoRun. When using the Auto-Play utility, this value should be set the same as the OPEN= value, above.

ICON=iconfile.ico [,index] optional

Specifies a file that contains the icon for the Auto-Play-enabled CD in the Windows user interface. The file name specified with this command must be located in the same directory as the file name specified by the open command.

Specifies a file that contains the icon for the Auto-Play-enabled CD in the Windows user interface. The file name specified with this command must be located in the same directory as the file name specified by the open command.

You can also specify a .BMP, .EXE, or .DLL file. If a file contains more than one icon image, specify the resource number (index) of the icon in the file to use, e.g. ICON=Auto-Play.EXE,0

LABEL=LabelText optional

Specifies a text label to represent the drive in the Windows user interface.
Note that using the LABEL option can lead to problems displaying the selected ICON under Windows XP.

USEAUTOPLAY=0 should be set to 0 for the Auto-Play application

On Windows XP, the UseAutoPlay entry specifies that Windows AutoPlay should be used instead of AutoRun. On Windows Vista or Windows 7, this entry causes any actions specified for AutoRun (by using either the open or shellexecute entries) to be suppressed from the Windows AutoPlay dialog. This entry has no effect on versions of Windows earlier than Windows XP.

SHELL=verb
SHELL\verb=Menu Text
SHELL\verb\COMMAND=path\filename.exe
optional

Specifies a custom command listed in the shortcut menu for the icon. The first line identifies the executable file that performs the command. The second line specifies the custom entry of the shortcut menu.

verb
Abbreviated form of the command. This parameter associates a command with the executable file name and the menu item. It must not contain embedded spaces. You will not see verb unless Menu Text is omitted from Autorun.inf.
filename.exe
File name of the application that performs the custom command.
Menu Text
Menu item text that can contain mixed case letters and spaces. You can also set an accelerator for the menu item by preceding one of the letters in the item with an ampersand
[Content] optional

Identifies the beginning of the CONTENT section in the AUTORUN.INF file.

MusicFiles=true or false
PictureFiles=true or false
VideoFiles=true or false
optional

The Content section allows authors to communicate the type and intent of content to Windows, without Windows having to search the media.

Valid keys are: MusicFiles, PictureFiles, VideoFiles. Each key can be set to indicate true or false values and values are not case sensitive.

True can be represented by true, 1, yes, t or y. False can be represented by false, 0, no, f or n.

See Also:

Copyright © 1999-2016 by James Greene. All rights reserved. Information subject to change without notice.