AutoPlay, customizing folders, customizing the toolbar, and choosing which columns Windows Explorer displays in Details view.

Customizing and Turning Off AutoPlay

By default, Windows is set to use its AutoPlay feature, which tries to automatically run any CD or DVD that you insert in your computer’s optical drive and examine the contents of any removable disk or memory card you attach to your computer. What run means for a CD or DVD depends on the disc’s contents and the action that the disc’s developer has specified in the disc’s AUTORUN.INF initialization file, a hidden file stored at the root of the disc’s file system. If the initialization file doesn’t contain specific instructions, or if there’s no initialization file, Windows may pop up a dialog box offering you a choice of possible actions to take with the disc. These are the usual actions for AutoPlay:

For a music CD, AutoPlay activates the default player for files of the CD Audio Track type. Usually, this means that Windows Media Player or whichever program has ousted Windows Media Player as the default player starts playing the CD.

•    For a software installation disc, AutoPlay usually activates the setup routine, unless Windows detects that you’ve installed the software already.

•    For a game disc, AutoPlay usually starts playing the game.

•    For a CD containing video files, AutoPlay may start playing a file.

•    For a DVD containing a video, AutoPlay may start playing the video.

AutoPlay also manifests itself in other ways, such as the AutoPlay dialog box, which lets you specify an action to take when you insert a disc that contains a specific type of file.

Suppressing AutoPlay Temporarily

To suppress AutoPlay temporarily, hold down the left Shift key as you close the optical drive after inserting a disc. Release the Shift key when Windows has loaded the disc for example, when you see the disc’s name and contents appear in an Windows Explorer window. Use the left Shift key because, by default, holding down the right Shift key for 8 seconds turns on the FilterKeys accessibility feature. Alternatively, clear the Turn On Filter Keys When Right Shift Is Pressed for 8 Seconds check box in the Set Up Filter Keys window, which you can access from the Ease of Access Center in Control Panel.