Windows 95 has a newfeature that simplifies installing new CD-ROM software. Theproper name for the feature is AutoPlay, but some call it autorunafter the filename that makes it work. An AutoPlay-enabled CD-ROMwill automatically run the CD-ROM software (whatever it happensto be) when you insert the CD-ROM. If it's the first time you'veinserted the particular CD-ROM, it might run the Setup program.If it's not the first time, it might run the actual program onthe CD.
The problem is that theCD-ROM itself has to be AutoPlay-enabled. This means it has tohave been produced (almost) after Windows 95 was released. I havea number of older CD-ROM's (Legacy CD's; Lega-CD, get it?) thatare not AutoPlay-enabled. It didn't bug me so much except that my3 year old would benefit so much from AutoPlay, but all of hisCD-ROM games didn't support it!
So I started writingLegaCD. That was in January 1995 (I had the Win95 beta). Here itis 2 years later and I still haven't finished it. Yikes! Well,things have been kinda busy and all... It works, actually. I useit here at the house for my kids (now aged 5, 3 and 1) and forsome of my run-from-the-CD programs. It's just not ready forrelease yet, because I haven't added all the features I want.This is what you get when you're a perfectionist with no time onyour hands. ;-} Then Visual C++ 4.0 broke it, and VC 5.0 hasadded new wrinkles.
By the way, Microsoft hasreleased a PowerToy called
If you'll send me ane-mail to phord@kagi.com and tell me you're interested, I'll put youon my seldom-used e-mailing list to inform you of future updatesto software on these pages. (I promise I won't sell your name.)
| E-mail: phil@hord.com |
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Last modified Wednesday, 09-Apr-97 07:26:37 MDT