Changing Behavior for Audio CDs

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 10, 2021)

Whenever Jerry inserts an audio CD into his PC, Windows automatically starts to play the CD using Windows Media Player. This bugs Jerry, as he doesn't always want to play whatever CD he inserts. Many times he wants to perform some other action, such as treating the audio CD as data. Jerry wonders if there is a way to stop Windows from always trying to play his CDs when he inserts them.

Actually, Windows makes it rather easy to modify what happens when it detects a new audio CD being inserted in your system. Just follow these general steps:

  1. Display the Control Panel.
  2. Click the Hardware and Sound link.
  3. Click the AutoPlay link.
  4. Scroll down a bit until you see the CDs area. (See Figure 1.)

    5. Figure 1. The AutoPlay area of the Control Panel.

  5. Using the drop-down list to the right of the Audio CD label, choose what you want Windows to do when it detects an audio CD. (Jerry will probably want to select either Take No Action or Ask Me Every Time.)
  6. Click Save.
  7. Close the Control Panel.

That's it. The next time you insert an audio CD into your system, Windows will take whatever action you specified in step 5.

 This tip (12242) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Symbols Convert to Numbers in Excel

Insert a symbol into a cell, and it should stay there, right? What if the symbol changes to another character, such as a ...

Discover More

Stubborn Phantom Paragraphs

When converting documents from WordPerfect to Word, you may run into a problem with what the conversion produces. If you ...

Discover More

Leading Quote Mark Generates Grammar Error

One of the mostly helpful tools that Word includes is a grammar checker. Sometimes, however, the grammar checker might ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Adjusting How Quickly Your Keyboard Responds

Does your keyboard seem a bit sluggish or a bit too quick when you hold down keys? You can adjust how the keyboard ...

Discover More

Start Menu Folders

The Start menu in Windows 10 allows for you to customize what appears there, such as tiles and recently used apps. You ...

Discover More

Changing Sounds Associated with Windows Events

You can customize Windows so that various sounds (or none) are associated with various Windows events. This tip explains ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 2 + 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.