AutoRun

AutoRun is a very lightweight executable that aims to enhance the built-in Windows AutoPlay feature, which allows for the execution of programs for CD / DVDs and various installers.

The advantage of using AutoRun is that unlike AutoPlay, which can only initiate EXE files, it can open any type of document or file that you can think of.

Moreover, it uses a slick fall-back approach for systems that don’t provide support for a certain type of file placed in Autorun’s queue. In such cases, the application will ultimately use Windows Explorer to point to the source directory instead of triggering various errors.

AutoRun’s behavior depends on the Autorun.inf file, which needs to be modified in order to allow the application to start by default. This should be done using this pattern: open=autorun.exe followed by the names of the files that you want to launch placed in between quotation marks.

For instance, if you want to set AutoRun to open a Readme file, the instructions above should look like this: open=autorun.exe “Readme File.txt”.

If you don’t use quotation marks, Autorun will interpret the name of the file to be opened as Readme, after which it will seek for File.txt, attempting to open something that obviously doesn’t exist.

Because it is so light in size, AutoRun can be placed seamlessly on a CD or DVD without tampering with the space available on the disc.

AutoRun seems like a pretty good asset, allowing you to autoplay any type of document or media file, as long as you configure the Autorun.inf file correctly.