Computer and Software Support


How to Enable or Disable Automatically Running CD-ROMs

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This article was previously published under Q155217

This is an article from Microsoft posted here for your convenience. MSKB article # 155217


 IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SUMMARY

This article describes how to enable or disable automatically running CD-ROMs.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

If there is a CD-ROM changer attached to your computer, you may want to disable automatically running CD-ROMs (the automatic running of a compact disc [CD] or the automatic playing of an audio CD-ROM). If automatically running CD-ROMs is enabled with a CD-ROM changer, each time that you insert a new CD-ROM into one of the trays, Windows cycles through every tray in the changer.

There is no option to enable or disable automatically running CD-ROMs in the user interface. To enable or disable automatically running CD-ROMs, you must edit the registry:

For a picture of the location in the registry, click the link
  1. Access REGEDIT (The page will open in a separate window)
  2. Double-click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
  3. Double-click on SYSTEM
  4. Double-click on Software
   
  1. Double-click on CurrentControlSet
  2. Double-click on Services
  3. Double-click on CDRom
  4. To disable automatically running CD-ROMs, change the Autorun value to 0 (zero).
  5. To enable automatically running CD-ROMs, change the Autorun value to 1.
  6. Restart the computer
NOTE: This method disables automatically running CD-ROMs. If you want to disable automatically running CD-ROMs depending on the CD-ROM that you insert in the CD-ROM drive, you can press and hold down one of the SHIFT key while you insert the CD-ROM.

Additional Information

There are two other registry keys that can affect this functionality:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft \Windows\CurrentVersion \Policies\Explorer
NoDriveTypeAutoRun = 0x00000095

-and-

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion \Policies\Explorer
NoDriveTypeAutoRun = 0x00000095

The correct value for each is 0x00000095.

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0