creating a PC auto-run CD-ROM

Creating an auto-rin projector file on a PC is actually one of the few areas that the PC wins on the usabillity front. Designers need noting more complex than a simple text editor to write the file needed to enable this feature.

To enable the auto-run feature for Windows based PCs, we need to include an INF file in the root directory of the CD-ROM. Open any text-editor(Notepad on the PC or SimpleText oin the Mac will do) and create a text file named Autorun.inf.

The Autorun.inf file needs only two lines of text or succesfully enable the auto-run feature:

[Autorun]
open=projectorfile.exe

The value of the open variables is the name of the projector file that you wish to launch. If your file is called futurefridges2002.exe the file contents should look like thie:

[Autorun]
open=futurefridge2002.exe

An optional third line can be aded to the autorun.inf file to specify an icon for the CD-ROM:

icon=iconfile.ico

The value of the ‘icon’ variable is the name of the icon file in the root directory of the CD-ROM.

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Chris McGregor etc, The Flash Usablity Guide(friends of Ed, 2002), pp.386 ~ 387