# Autorun CD

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autorun-cd/142190>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 12, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autorun-cd/142190 "2002-12-12T03:39:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rayray5884](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@rayray5884](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayray5884)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autorun-cd/142190/1 "2002-12-12T03:39:55Z")

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I created a “multimedia” disc if you will on my computer…few websites and a few songs…the songs play through the website and also in a regular cd play. Is there anyway to make my home.htm file autostart when put into a computer? Id really like for the home page to come up instead of having to click through and open it manually. Thanks guys and gals.

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**Author:** ![deathawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@deathawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deathawk)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autorun-cd/142190/2 "2002-12-12T04:11:05Z")

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You’ll want to create an autorun.inf file

This link describes how to do it:

[http://www.microsoft.com/msj/0499/win32/win320499top.htm?gssnb=1](http://www.microsoft.com/msj/0499/win32/win320499top.htm?gssnb=1)

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**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autorun-cd/142190/3 "2002-12-12T06:34:02Z")

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There isn’t an easy way. The autorun.inf file wants to run a program, not start a file associated with a program. There are several free programs on the web which will call Windows’ ShellExecute function and do this for you. Do a Google search for “autorun browser” to find one.

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**Author:** ![rayray5884](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@rayray5884](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayray5884)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autorun-cd/142190/4 "2002-12-12T06:38:03Z")

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Well my cd is finally complete. As the article provided by **deathawk** stated all i did was create a simple .js file and a .inf file and everything was up and running in no time. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![capnfutile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@capnfutile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capnfutile)\
**Post date:** [December 12, 2002, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autorun-cd/142190/5 "2002-12-12T08:55:55Z")

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I just had to do this myself two days ago. Setting up a text file called “autorun.inf” will work, but only if what you are running is an .exe file. For .htm files, you need something to jumpstart the autorun, something a bit more complicated than a couple of lines in a batch file. After wading many google results for commercial products, I found a freeware solution by PJ Naughter called ShelExec. Link:  
[http://www.naughter.com/shelexec.html](http://www.naughter.com/shelexec.html)

This advice, of course, is windows-centric. YOSMV.

capn