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.

  6. 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.)
  7. Click Save.
  8. 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

Controlling How Body Text is Displayed

When working in Outline view, you can control how Word displays the body text under each heading. You can specify that ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Choppiness in Justified Text

Justified text doesn't always produce the best-looking results. Here's how to avoid some of the choppiness that can occur.

Discover More

Moving Drawing Objects

When you need to move a drawing object around your document, you use the mouse after you select the object. This tip ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

What is a Desktop.ini File?

When browsing through your system, you might see several files named Desktop.ini. This tip explains what these files are ...

Discover More

Recording Video with the Xbox Game Bar

You can use Xbox Game Bar to record videos of applications running on your system. Let's see how to capture a video of ...

Discover More

Renaming Your Computer

When you buy a new computer, it typically has some obscure name that doesn't accurately reflect your personality. Or ...

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 two less than 9?

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


Newest Tips