How AutoPlay Works

The implementation of AutoPlay relies on the following items:

·A set of 32-bit CD-ROM device drivers for Windows 95 and Windows NT. These device drivers detect when a user inserts a compact disc into a CD-ROM drive; device drivers for MS-DOS or previous versions of Windows do not.

·An Autorun.inf file on the compact disc. When you insert a disc into a CD-ROM drive on a computer running Windows 95 or Windows NT, the system immediately checks to see if the disc has a personal computer file system. If it does, the system searches for a file named Autorun.inf. This file specifies the application that AutoPlay runs. It can contain other information as well. For more information, see Autorun.inf.

·A startup application on the compact disc. Although you can start any application on the disc by specifying it in the Autorun.inf file, typically the application performs a startup or installation function. By including your own startup application, you can control the install, uninstall, and run processes for your product.