# How can you keep windows explorer from spinning up the cdrom?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 10, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007 "2003-02-10T02:52:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007/1 "2003-02-10T02:52:06Z")
Ok. Whenever you open windows explorer, at least in win2k, and it doesn’t have the name of the cd in your cdrom in memory, it’ll spin up the cdrom to find out the name of the disc/drive.
This means you’re sitting around for 5 seconds waiting for the cdrom to spin up just to use windows explorer.
Ideally, the cdrom shouldn’t fire up unless you actually click on the cdrom.
Is there some way to prevent it from reading/spinning up the cdrom in normal (non-cdrom related) use?
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### Author:  [@something\_clever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/something_clever)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007/2 "2003-02-10T02:58:23Z")
take the cd out of the drive.
you shouldnt just leave one in there if its such a big deal…
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2003, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007/3 "2003-02-10T03:59:32Z")
So I replace a 5 hassle with a 10 second hassle when I do something that requires a cd. Not a good solution.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007/4 "2003-02-10T04:37:44Z")
You could try switching off the ‘auto insert notification’ option in the cd-rom drive section of the ‘system’ control panel applet. But I am not sure if that would work.
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007/5 "2003-02-10T04:51:56Z")
I think that has to do with popping up the autorun file on the cd when you put it in - I couldn’t find an option for it, though.
I was hoping that perhaps there was a registry setting or something that someone knew about.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [February 10, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-you-keep-windows-explorer-from-spinning-up-the-cdrom/154007/6 "2003-02-10T05:01:03Z")
**Funny story!** - I was typing “sometimes you even have to hit the F5 key” and instead of hitting ‘F’ then ‘5’ I hit F5, and promptly lost my post!
Anyway - Yes, the autoinsert notification (being disabled) _does_ stop the autorun programs from running. but one of it’s side-effects is that it stops windows from reading from the CD at all, unless you select it in explorer (sometimes you even have to hit the F5 [ha!, I don’t make the same mistake twice] key to get windows to see the drive)
This was in windows 98 though. I am not sure if it still applies.
**SenorBeef** I’d guide you to the command but I am on an NT system right now, which is completely different in the control panel than other versions I’ve used. (that said - maybe win2k does it differently too)