AUTOPLAY  SETTINGS

Default Programs is a control panel that is split into four programs. Set Your Default Programs, Associate A File Type Or Protocol With A Program, Change AutoPlay Settings and Set Program Access And Computer Defaults. In this section I will explain CHANGE AUTOPLAY SETTINGS which allows you to set the default action for a certain type of media or media device.

To use the Default Programs control panel go to the Control Panel and double click on the DEFAULT PROGRAMS icon. This will bring up the Default Programs window (Fig 1.1). You can also bring up the Default Programs window by clicking on the DEFAULT PROGRAMS Start Menu icon - Click on the START Menu button, ALL PROGRAMS and then on the DEFAULT PROGRAMS icon (not shown/exampled here).



Fig 1.0  Double click on the DEFAULT PROGRAMS icon to continue



Fig 1.1  The Default Programs window - Click on the CHANGE AUTOPLAY SETTINGS link.

When the Default Programs window appears click on the CHANGE AUTOPLAY SETTINGS link to bring up the AutoPlay window (Fig 1.3). Alternatively. You can go to the Control Panel and double click on the AutoPlay icon which will also bring up the AutoPlay window.



Fig 1.2  Alternatively. Double click on the AUTOPLAY control panel icon to bring up the AutoPlay window.



Fig 1.3  The AutoPlay window

With the AutoPlay window open you can choose which default program plays DVDs, which default program plays CDs and so on. Or you can choose another action to take for that media. For example. If you wanted to view the content of every CD inserted into the CD Drive you would choose to take the action OPEN FOLDER TO VIEW FILES USING WINDOWS EXPLORER by clicking on the AUDIO CD drop-down menu and then selecting the OPEN FOLDER TO VIEW FILES USING WINDOWS EXPLORER menu-item (Fig 1.4 below). To save that action (setting) and make it the default action you simply click on the SAVE button. From then on, each time you insert a CD into the CD Drive its main (drive) folder is opened automatically in order for you to view its content.



Fig 1.4  Select the default action you want to take when a CD is inserted into the CD Drive

The action TAKE NO ACTION does nothing. If you insert a CD into the CD Drive its main (drive) folder will not automatically be opened. The CD Drive will spin the CD around (read the CD) but then stop the spinning (stop reading the CD) after a few seconds.

The action ASK ME EVERY TIME brings up an AutoPlay window with the available actions for that media (i.e CD). For example. Inserting an Audio CD into the CD Drive gives you the following AutoPlay actions.


Fig 1.5  Select the default action you want to take when a CD is inserted into the CD Drive

As you can see, you have the same Audio CD actions at the top of the AutoPlay window as those in the control panel AutoPlay window but only one General action is available (OPEN FOLDER TO VIEW FILES USING WINDOWS EXPLORER). The control panel AutoPlay window gives you three general actions (OPEN FOLDER TO VIEW FILES USING WINDOWS EXPLORER, TAKE NO ACTION and ASK ME EVERY TIME). Hence, a good reason for using the control panel AutoPlay window.

If you put a tick next to the option ALWAYS DO THIS FOR AUDIO CDS the selected action, PLAY AUDIO CD - USING WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER, will become the default setting (action). This is the equivalent to clicking on the SAVE button on the control panel AutoPlay window. And if you do not put a tick next to the option it means you only want to do the selected action once (now) but not make it the default action. Here are two more examples.


Fig 1.6  Set (ticked) to always view Picture files

Fig 1.7  Run the Setup.exe (installation) file now only

AutoPlay in Fig 1.6 is set (ticked) to always view Picture files, after VIEW PICTURES has been clicked on. Whereas in Fig 1.7 clicking on RUN SETUP.EXE will only run (launch/execute) the CD's Setup.exe (installation) file once, because its ALWAYS DO THIS FOR SOFTWARE AND GAMES option has not been ticked (set/saved). In this example the Setup.exe file is the setup (installation) file that installs Microsoft Office Home And Student 2007. Hence, it only needs to be RUN once.

You will receive an error message if you click on an action whereby the media is not supported. For example. If you click on VIEW PICTURES and one of the picture files on your CD is not supported, perhaps because it is the wrong file type, you will receive an error message from the program trying to view the unknown picture file.

If you want to reset all of the AutoPlay actions back to a Choose A Default state you can do so by clicking on the RESET ALL DEFAULTS button at the bottom of the control panel AutoPlay window.


Fig 1.8  Click on RESET ALL DEFAULTS to reset all of the AutoPlay actions back to a Choose A Default state

To switch off AutoPlay un-tick (clear) the option USE AUTOPLAY FOR ALL MEDIA AND DEVICES, located towards the top-left corner of the control panel AutoPlay window.



Fig 1.9  Un-Tick (clear) the option USE AUTOPLAY FOR ALL MEDIA AND DEVICES to switch AutoPlay off

The above examples concentrated mainly on CD actions but the above applies to all AutoPlay actions - Follow the above explanations and apply them to the other media/media devices in other words.



Set Program Associations Index ???