How to add an AutoPlay action
You would like to add a favorite program, or a program of your own, to the list of AutoPlay actions available when a CD or DVD is played. You would like to use another, unlisted program to play CDs and DVDs instead of Microsoft Media Player.
Solution
This is quite complicated to do. Most programs that can be used in this way register themselves with Windows when they are installed. But some freeware programs may not do this registration. We will describe how to register Robin Keir's tiny CD player as an action you can select to play audio CDs. With a little common sense you can work out how to modify the steps described for other programs such as DVD players or CD burners.
* Start the Registry Editor.
* Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers\EventHandlers.
* Right-click PlayCDAudioOnArrival and select New, String Value.
* Name the new value MyPlayCDAudioOnArrival. The name isn’t critical, but it will help identify this entry as ours.
* Close the EventHandlers folder.
* Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AutoplayHandlers\Handlers.
* Right-click Handlers and select New, Key.
* Name the new key MyPlayCDAudioOnArrival (the name you entered above.)
* Right-click the new folder and create a new string value called Action containing Play Audio CD.
* Right-click the new folder and create a new string value called Provider that contains CD Player by Robin Keir.
* Right-click the new folder and create a new string value called InvokeProgID containing MyCDPlayerPlay.
* Right-click the new folder and create a new string value called InvokeVerb containing play.
* Right-click the new folder and create a new Expandable String value called DefaultIcon containing %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll,-41 .
* Select and right-click HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.
* Create a new key named MyCDPlayerPlay, matching the InvokeProgID value you entered earlier.
* Right-click the new key and create a new subkey named shell.
* Right-click shell and create a new subkey called Play.
* Right-click Play and create a new subkey called command.
* Select command, double-click its default value and type into it the full path to the CD player program.
If you open My Computer, right-click your CD drive and select Properties, then look at the AutoPlay tab, you should see that “CD Player by Robin Keir” is now listed as one of the possible AutoPlay actions for Audio CDs.
