How to control what happens every time you insert a CD-ROM disk
(Windows XP)

Every time you insert a CD-ROM or CD-R disk into a Windows XP computer's CD drive, the computer takes a few seconds to inspect the contents of that disk.  What happens next depends on how your computer is configured and what kind of content is on the CD. It might do nothing, it might display a list of possible actions and ask what to do, or it might automatically perform some actions without asking. You can control what happens every time you insert a disc by following these steps:

1. Open My Computer.  (Right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop and select Open).

2. Right-click on the icon on the CD-ROM and select Properties.

3. Click once on the AutoPlay tab at the top of the window.

4. Click once in the pop-up menu at the top of the window. This menu lists several different content types that might be on any CD disk that you might insert into the computer:
		
Music files	MP3 files, WAV files, or any other sound file types
Pictures	JPEG (.jpg) files or any other image file types
Video files	AVI, MOV, or WMV files
Mixed content	A mix of files, programs, and folders
Music CD	An ordinary audio CD that plays on an audio CD player
Blank CD	A blank CD-R or CD-RW disk

5. Select each of these content types in turn.  For each type, the current action taken for that content type will be indicated in the "Actions" section below.

6. If the button for "Prompt me each time to choose an action" is selected, that means that every time you insert a CD disk, the computer will display a menu of possible actions and wait for you to select the one you want. For example:

 	For disks containing digital photos, the computer will give you several choices, including: Copy the pictures to a folder (on your hard disk); View a slideshow of the images; Print the images, Open folder to view files, etc. 

	For disks containing music files, the choices will include: Play in Windows Media Player; Open folder to view files, etc.  

	For music CDs, the choices will include: Play in Windows Media Player; Copy music from CD, etc.  

7. If the button for "Select an action to perform" is selected, then it means that every time you insert a CD disk of that type, the computer will automatically perform the action that is highlighted without asking.  If you want nothing to happen, click once on "Take no action". To change the action, simply click once on the desired action and then click once the Apply button in the lower right.

8.	You can choose whatever automatic action is most comfortable and convenient for each content type.  You can change these setting at any time if you change your mind later. When you have finished, click OK to close the Properties box.  

(c) Tom O'Haver (toh@umd.edu), February 2006