Tech Spotlight

The auto play function built-in to Windows XP and Vista is a really useful feature most of the time.  You can set up certain software to run when for example a CD or DVD is inserted into the drive, and depending on what is on the disc, an appropriate application will launch.  There are 3 types of medium this works with including CD’s, DVD’s and USB devices such as Thumb Drives and Flash Memory.

While the auto play feature has its advantages there are certain times you don’t want to launch a program and bypass the Windows Auto Play feature.  To do this, it is very easy and effective, simply hold down the Shift key while inserting the media.  This will disable the auto play dialog from appearing and launching applications.