Hi,
I am running Windows XP SP3 Home Edition which is fully patched. Lately, I 
have discovered that when I put a DVD/CD in either a DVD burner or DVD ROM, I 
 see the  "Safely Remove Hardware" message in the sys tray. When I try to run 
task manager it gives me only a blank dialog box. I cannot start any of my 
applications ( same problem, blank dialog boxes). Rebooting the system clears 
up the problem but I can't insert any DVD or CD without the problem 
reoccuring. 

Is Autoplay corrupted?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
-Rich

> I am running Windows XP SP3 Home Edition which is fully patched. Lately, I
> have discovered that when I put a DVD/CD in either a DVD burner or DVD ROM, I
>  see the  "Safely Remove Hardware" message in the sys tray. When I try to run
> task manager it gives me only a blank dialog box. I cannot start any of my
> applications ( same problem, blank dialog boxes). Rebooting the system clears
> up the problem but I can't insert any DVD or CD without the problem
> reoccuring. Is Autoplay corrupted?

Its just lousy.  You can Google and find out how to abolish that monstrosity.  Right click the optical device, then select what you want to do with it.  You're in control.

Try these tips:


Windows XP Autoplay Repairing Tutorial

Autoplay requires the Shell Hardware Detection service, make sure
it's set to automatic and is running. To access Services, open the
Run box and enter: %SystemRoot%\system32\services.msc /s
=================================================

CD-ROM May Not Run Automatically in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314855

The Autorun.inf file and the programs that the Autorun.inf file is
designed to run may not run if you are logged on to Windows XP as
a user without either Power User or Administrator rights.
By default, only users who are logged on to Windows XP with Power
User or Administrator rights are allowed to install software. In
Windows XP, files that have an .inf extension are considered to be
setup information files. As a result, the Autorun.inf file does not
run if you do not have Power User or Administrator rights.
=================================================

Make sure that this registry value is set to 0:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"allocatecdroms"="0"

And that this one is set as shown:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom]
"Start"=dword:00000001
"Autorun"=dword:00000001
=================================================

How to restore Autoplay to its default settings:

Enable/Disable Autoplay in Windows XP
http://www.typhoonsoftware.com/configxp.htm
=================================================

Disable Autorun while keeping all the functionality of Autoplay!

1. Copy below and paste into Notepad.

----------copy inside only----------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Autorun.inf]
@="@SYS:DoesNotExist"

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MountPoints2]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MountPoints2]

----------copy inside only----------

2. Save-as Autorun_Disable.reg (or any name + .reg)

3. Double-click or right-click and merge into the registry.

The effect is immediate, no restart or logoff required.
=================================================

The BEST software for fixing autoplay:

Autoplay Repair Wizard  77 KB  (Freeware)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=c680a7b6-e8fa-45c4-a171-1b389cfacdad&DisplayLang=en

AutoPlayConfig  164 KB (Freeware)
Info: http://www.typhoonsoftware.com/autoplayconfig.htm
Download: http://www.autoruntyphoon.com/AutoPlayConfig.zip

Autoplay Repair  225 KB  (Freeware)
Main page: http://www-stud.uni-essen.de/~sddabacz/prog.php?id=apr
Homepage: http://www.orangeblue.net.ms/
Download: http://www-stud.uni-essen.de/~sddabacz/apr/APR.zip

CleanHandlers  73 KB  (Freeware)
Info: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/autoplayhandlers.htm
Download: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/utils/cleanhandlers_2_4.zip

AutoRun Settings  11 KB  (Freeware)
Info: http://www.uwe-sieber.de/drivetools_e.html
Download: http://www.uwe-sieber.de/files/autorunsettings.zip


ju.c


"RichL" <RichL@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:D33495CD-0723-484B-8179-8B5767FFC241@microsoft.com...
> Hi,
> I am running Windows XP SP3 Home Edition which is fully patched. Lately, I 
> have discovered that when I put a DVD/CD in either a DVD burner or DVD ROM, I 
> see the  "Safely Remove Hardware" message in the sys tray. When I try to run 
> task manager it gives me only a blank dialog box. I cannot start any of my 
> applications ( same problem, blank dialog boxes). Rebooting the system clears 
> up the problem but I can't insert any DVD or CD without the problem 
> reoccuring. 
> 
> Is Autoplay corrupted?
> 
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> -Rich
>