How to Restore Autoplay in XP

The AutoPlay feature in Windows XP computers automatically plays the multimedia content that is on a CD, DVD, or other type of media inserted into a computer. For example, when you insert a music CD into your computer's CD drive, AutoPlay will automatically open the music player chosen for your computer, such as the built-in Windows Media Player, and start playing the music for you. If the AutoPlay feature has been disabled or changed, it is possible to restore AutoPlay in XP to the settings you prefer.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Click the "Start" button, then click the "My Computer" icon in the Start menu. This will open the My Computer window.

2. Right-click the icon of the device whose AutoPlay feature you want to restore. For example, if you want to restore AutoPlay for music CDs, right-click the CD drive icon. From the right-click context menu, click the "Properties" link to open the Properties window for the device you have chosen.

3. Click the "AutoPlay" tab in the Properties window to display the AutoPlay feature settings.

4. Select the type of files whose AutoPlay settings you want to restore, such as music files, from the drop-down list of file types in the AutoPlay tab.

5. Click to choose the action you want AutoPlay to perform for your files (choices include Play, Manage Music and Take No Action, among others) in the "Actions" box in the AutoPlay tab. If you prefer, you may instead click the "Restore Defaults" button to return AutoPlay to its original settings.

6. Click the "Apply" button in the AutoPlay tab, then click the "OK" button to complete the process.

References

• Microsoft information on changing Autoplay in Windows XP