I've recently borrowed a VCD that was totally compatible on any computer because it had an autorun file pointing to a video CD player burned on the disk. How can I do this utilizing Adaptec's EZ CD Creator Deluxe Ver 3.0? Also....using this software...can I put the autorun file on the CD? One more question...Does the CDI application burn onto the CD with this version of CD creator? I see the option, but the CDI application isn't burning onto my Video CDs. That's it. Thanks!

-- Robert(Slide)Snider (rsnider1@san.rr.com), June 25, 1999

Answers

Success...after only 2 bad CDs. I've successfully created a CD that I think will autorun on any computer. I got the answer from doing a search in Yahoo with the keyword 'autorun.inf'. Go to http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Sector/4444/ I've been trying to create a CD that worked in the CD-I mode(DVD), VCD(VCD player) and add a windows compatible player on it to make it compatible on any computer. I was REAL close, but the player I burned on the CD couldn't open a .dat file directly...it has something to do with the VCD files burned on the disk(the player somehow needs to know that the .dat file is a VCD format..maybe something to do with the VCD files burned on the CD). In any case...I was really looking for a CD that would play on any computer.

The answer was actually real simple.... with an autorun file pointing to a Mpeg player burned on the CD, it's not necessary to have the CD-I and VCD format video on the CD.....basically I just burned the MPEG video to it's own directory and burned a mpeg compatible player to its own directory with the autorun file burned into the root directory of the CD. It works GREAT! E-mail me if you need help with the autorun feature. The website isn't very specific as to how to do this. That's why I wasted 2 CDs. You'll only have to modify the 'Slyauto2.ini'. The 'Autorun.inf' file runs the 'Slyauto2.exe', which in turn runs the 'Slyauto2.ini file'. The .ini file's first line I typed in opens the Mpeg player that I burned on the CD. The second line tells the Mpeg player which file to start playing after it opens. If you don't have a nice mpeg player loaded on your machine....the Windows Media Player will work just fine or you can make the first line point right to the mpg file(this will run the computer's default mpeg player). To avoid wasting CDs(like me) you can test the .ini file by double clicking on the .exe file....you'll have to have everything in it's own directories on your hard drive(as if it were on the CD) before you can do this. If you double click and nothing happens....something is wrong with the commands in the .ini. Since I didn't get an answer to my original question...either I was so confused that I ended up not being specific enough or there's no interest in what I was trying to do. Either way..the answer's here now if anyone needs it. Hope it helps somebody.

-- Robert(Slide)Snider (rsnider1@san.rr.com), June 27, 1999.