autorun

[liebgott]

I followed your instructions for auto run carefully. It doesn't work and yet CDs from other people do work with auto run.

I have Win XP Business. My inf file and slide show exe file are in the root of the CD as instructed. When I open My Computer I see my inf. file and my icon. Have you any bright ideas why I keep on struggling?

Barbara[

[fh1805]

Hi Barbara,

Your autorun.inf file needs to have the following two lines:

[autorun]

open=pteprojectfile.exe

where pteprojectfile is the name of your pte project

Use Notepad to create the autorun.inf file. Save the file to your hard-disk and then include it with the exe file when you burn to CD. The autorun.inf and the pteprojectfile.exe both need to be in the CD's root directory.

After burning the CD you may need to command the burning software to "finalise" the CD (or words to that effect) before you will be able to run the CD on another computer.

[liebgott]

Hi Barbara,

Your autorun.inf file needs to have the following two lines:

[autorun]

open=pteprojectfile.exe

where pteprojectfile is the name of your pte project

Use Notepad to create the autorun.inf file. Save the file to your hard-disk and then include it with the exe file when you burn to CD. The autorun.inf and the pteprojectfile.exe both need to be in the CD's root directory.

After burning the CD you may need to command the burning software to "finalise" the CD (or words to that effect) before you will be able to run the CD on another computer.

[liebgott]

Thank you for the prompt repkly--but that is exactly what I have been doing--and no luck!

Barbara

[fh1805]

OK, Barbara, let's try a different approach!

You say that CDs from other people work OK. This offers two avenues to be explored further:

- load one of the "other CDs" into your CD drive, let it autorun, then cancel whatever it starts up.

- now view the CD contents with Windows Explorer

- study the files and directory structure and compare them with those on your own CD

If you spot anything that seems as though it might be significant, make appropriate changes to your own CD contents

- open the autorun from one of these "other CDs" using Notepad, study its contents carefully and compare them with your own file

- pay particular attention to the precise syntax of the statements (noting any spaces in their file that you don't have in yours and vice versa)

I presume your PC has just the one CD drive? If it has more than one CD-capable drive it could just be that autorun is enabled on one drive but disabled on another.

If the above doesn't give you any pointers for what to try next, then I'm baffled - but I don't do much burning to CD. I'm afraid you'll just have to be patient until one of the other "technical experts" reads this thread and offers some better advice.

[Conflow]

Liebgott

With much respects to Peter efforts and the 'Instructions' he gave you ~ which under normal circumstances

would work for most PC Users ~ there are many situations where this simple 'Instruction Set' will not work due

to the particular set-up on some PC's.

I hasten to add, that this problem has been discussed on this Forum many,many,times before and you are not

alone with this common problem. If your problem persists, its better to download an "Auto-Run Program" which

will do the job for you, without all the frustration and hassle experienced with 'quirky' Autoruns.

Peter mentioned to 'Finalise the CD' ~ meaning it has to be closed shut after the Burning Process ~ this is

an absolute critical requirement if the CD is a 'Music-CD' otherwise it won't run in any CD-Music Player.

For a PTE Slideshow it should be 'burnt' as a Data-Disc because of its mixed program content and whether

you 'close-it' or not is purely a personal choice. Leave it 'open' should you wish to add more content to the CD

at a later time, or 'close-it' should you wish to treat the CD as a finalised product.

Below is a Download Link to a relaible 'free' Autorun Program:-

http://www.autoruntools.com/express/

With Peters 'Instructions' and the alternative final resort above ~ they should get you out of trouble.

Brian.Conflow.

[liebgott]

OK, Barbara, let's try a different approach!

You say that CDs from other people work OK. This offers two avenues to be explored further:

- load one of the "other CDs" into your CD drive, let it autorun, then cancel whatever it starts up.

- now view the CD contents with Windows Explorer

- study the files and directory structure and compare them with those on your own CD

If you spot anything that seems as though it might be significant, make appropriate changes to your own CD contents

- open the autorun from one of these "other CDs" using Notepad, study its contents carefully and compare them with your own file

- pay particular attention to the precise syntax of the statements (noting any spaces in their file that you don't have in yours and vice versa)

I presume your PC has just the one CD drive? If it has more than one CD-capable drive it could just be that autorun is enabled on one drive but disabled on another.

If the above doesn't give you any pointers for what to try next, then I'm baffled - but I don't do much burning to CD. I'm afraid you'll just have to be patient until one of the other "technical experts" reads this thread and offers some better advice.

[liebgott]

I've done all that and I do have two drives and I tried both. I just called my favourite techie and he will sort it out for me if it can be done. But thank you so very much. I work in computers at our national museum so I do have a bit of expertise.

Barbara

[liebgott]

Liebgott

With much respects to Peter efforts and the 'Instructions' he gave you ~ which under normal circumstances

would work for most PC Users ~ there are many situations where this simple 'Instruction Set' will not work due

to the particular set-up on some PC's.

I hasten to add, that this problem has been discussed on this Forum many,many,times before and you are not

alone with this common problem. If your problem persists, its better to download an "Auto-Run Program" which

will do the job for you, without all the frustration and hassle experienced with 'quirky' Autoruns.

Peter mentioned to 'Finalise the CD' ~ meaning it has to be closed shut after the Burning Process ~ this is

an absolute critical requirement if the CD is a 'Music-CD' otherwise it won't run in any CD-Music Player.

For a PTE Slideshow it should be 'burnt' as a Data-Disc because of its mixed program content and whether

you 'close-it' or not is purely a personal choice. Leave it 'open' should you wish to add more content to the CD

at a later time, or 'close-it' should you wish to treat the CD as a finalised product.

Below is a Download Link to a relaible 'free' Autorun Program:-

http://www.autoruntools.com/express/

With Peters 'Instructions' and the alternative final resort above ~ they should get you out of trouble.

Brian.Conflow.

[liebgott]

Cornflow. What a great idea--but--I was doing well with the instructions and everything worked until I got to the point of burning. I burned the Cd with all the necessary parts and again it would not autorun. I could run it from my computer of course. So I think I shall wait for my techie and find odut what my computer doesn't like. But again--many, many thanks.

Barbara

[Conflow]

Barbara,

I CAN NOT EMPHASISE ENOUGH JUST HOW COMPLEX A PROPER 'AUTORUN' ACTUALLY IS, please read on.

It makes sense to download the 'Autorun-Tool' as it will confirm, one way or another, whether you

have a System Problem or a Set-Up Problem or a Software Problem or an XP-Security Problem and

it will help your 'Techie' to quickly diagnose any of the above.

You may not be aware that XP-All-Versions, were 'Auto-upgraded' by Microsoft just a few days ago

and this always resets your PC back to default values. And as you know this is done behind your back

and it always resets 'Autorun' back to its default values giving preference to Autorunning of Commercial

CD and Music CD ~ where as you want the priority set to 'Autorun' of your own CD's.

The fact that you can run the CD on your own Computer but not 'Autorun' it ~ says to me, that the CD is OK

but the Computer 'Autorun' settings have been changed ~ blame Microsoft (see above).

The small 'Autorun-Program' I suggested ignores these 'auto-resets' and I have it permanently on all

our Workshop Computers for the very reasons stated above. I can no longer be bothered 'resetting'

our PCs back to personal-setting, so now I let one or two small programs do that for me.

Here is the 'link' again should you wish to try it.

But please,please read on their Web Page what Microsoft does with Autorun behind your back.

Link:

http://www.autoruntools.com/express/

Brian.Conflow.

[liebgott]

Barbara,

I CAN NOT EMPHASISE ENOUGH JUST HOW COMPLEX A PROPER 'AUTORUN' ACTUALLY IS, please read on.

It makes sense to download the 'Autorun-Tool' as it will confirm, one way or another, whether you

have a System Problem or a Set-Up Problem or a Software Problem or an XP-Security Problem and

it will help your 'Techie' to quickly diagnose any of the above.

You may not be aware that XP-All-Versions, were 'Auto-upgraded' by Microsoft just a few days ago

and this always resets your PC back to default values. And as you know this is done behind your back

and it always resets 'Autorun' back to its default values giving preference to Autorunning of Commercial

CD and Music CD ~ where as you want the priority set to 'Autorun' of your own CD's.

The fact that you can run the CD on your own Computer but not 'Autorun' it ~ says to me, that the CD is OK

but the Computer 'Autorun' settings have been changed ~ blame Microsoft (see above).

The small 'Autorun-Program' I suggested ignores these 'auto-resets' and I have it permanently on all

our Workshop Computers for the very reasons stated above. I can no longer be bothered 'resetting'

our PCs back to personal-setting, so now I let one or two small programs do that for me.

Here is the 'link' again should you wish to try it.

But please,please read on their Web Page what Microsoft does with Autorun behind your back.

Link:

http://www.autoruntools.com/express/

Brian.Conflow.

[liebgott]

Brian I am not too shocked. My techie is a Microsoft licensed chap and I shall pass this on to him. I sincerely thank you for all this fascinating information. It is just so annoying.

Barbara

[goddi]

Barbara,

I CAN NOT EMPHASISE ENOUGH JUST HOW COMPLEX A PROPER 'AUTORUN' ACTUALLY IS, please read on.....

Brian.Conflow.

---------------------------------------

Brian... I tried the Autorun program you mentioned in your response to Barbara. I installed it and I gave it a try. When I get to the end to do the Browse, the next step is to click on 'Write these files to a CD'. From what I can determine, I should see this choice in the Send To menu. I did put a CD in the writeable drive. However, the 'Write these files to a CD' is not there or anywhere I can find in my Windows XP.

Can you point me in the right direction to get this to work???

Thanks.... Gary

[Conflow]

Gary,

Please excuse me if I'm being too obvious with details known to you ~ but I must consider others reading this.

The 'Files' to write to your CD should be in a 'Root Folder' which contains all the Materials you wish to

Autorun after the CD is Burnt. You MUST PUT all materials into a Named-Folder called a 'Root-Folder'

because the 'autorun-files' are burnt to the root of the CD before all other materials are burnt.

When the Autorun-Program makes up the 'autorun files' these should be "saved" to your Root Folder

and from there you 'drag' these into your Burner-Window along with all the Materials you wish to Burn.

(The Program makes its own Auto-Save, just check your Root-Folder to be sure)

Please Note: All EXE.Programs (PTE Shows) must be 'dragged' from the Root Folder into the Burner Window

along with the 'Autorun-Files'. You may also drag complete Folders (without Exe's) into the Burner Window.

You can't simply "plonk" a Folder containing PTE.Exes or other EXE's for that matter into a Burner Window.

They won't work because you are asking the Program to open the Folder and then run the Exe.Show.

Its job is to Autorun the Exe.Show on the CD Disc, not open Folders...do you see what I mean ?

See "Example Attachment" below.

(The 'Root-Folder' is called Holidays)

Let me know how you get on...

Brian.Conflow.

[goddi]

Gary,

Please excuse me if I'm being too obvious with details known to you but I must consider others reading this....

Let me know how you get on...

Brian.Conflow.

================================

No, please be as obvious as you can!! When I read, "click on 'Write these files to a CD'", I thought it was trying to tell me to use a Windows method of burning the files. After reading your reply and thinking a bit, what I need to do is just open Nero, for example, and Add the files to the list to be burned from the folder with the files that I ran the Autorun program on. I did create all the files needed by the Autorun program (the files to burn with the launcher and the inf files). I didn't try an actual burn yet but I think this is the solution. I just could not interpret what the "click...." statement meant. Am I on the right track???

Thanks.... Gary

[Conflow]

Gary

You seem to have everything correct ~ just hit the 'Test Button' on the Autorun program

and that confirms everything is OK to Burn.

By the way use the PTE Show "Blue Icon" when asked for an Icon.

Brian.Conflow.