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Autoplay Menu Designer Giveaway
$39.95
EXPIRED

Giveaway of the day — Autoplay Menu Designer

Autoplay Menu Designer builds professional-looking autorun menus for CD-ROM, DVD, USB Flash drives.
$39.95 EXPIRED
User rating: 359 44 comments

Autoplay Menu Designer was available as a giveaway on October 4, 2009!

Today Giveaway of the Day
$29.95
free today
Record Any Audio on Your Computer with Ease.

Autoplay Menu Designer builds professional-looking autorun menus for CD-ROM, DVD, USB Flash drives. The user can create a project from scratch or use one of the many pre-built layouts, add graphics, buttons and interactive events to create an autorun menu with engaging look and simple navigation. The program allows one to create an unlimited number of pages for the menu and even embed several pages into one page.

Autoplay Menu Designer is ideal for building autorun CD menus for different purposes. As a software developer, for example, you can create a professional-looking software installation disk, tutorial or presentation and forward it to customers. Home users can create engaging photo galleries or DVD disks with video for their home collection or to be presented as a gift to a relative, friend, or colleague on different events.

System Requirements:

Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and Windows XP (x32)

Publisher:

VisualDesigning

Homepage:

http://www.visualdesigning.com/

File Size:

15.8 MB

Price:

$39.95

GIVEAWAY download basket

Developed by CyberLink Corp.
Developed by PhotoInstrument
Create, manage, copy and edit custom images.
Developed by Mirillis Ltd.

Comments on Autoplay Menu Designer

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#44

#2, Miles, you're complaining about a very brief splash screen and yet Ashraf is redirecting GOTD traffic to his own blog?

I agree with some of the things mentioned here, such as Autoplay Menu Designer needing external software at run time (probably without checking) for most things, and this version only being useful to determine what the rather pricey business license can do (especially considering it needs external software to create some types of content).

People don't seem to have actually used this. I found editing to be cumbersome and buggy, undo/redo didn't always work, etc. The bigger issue is that most of us don't use removable media. I routinely download purchased software in the hundreds of megabytes (not games, but you can, and they can be much larger). I might even use a downloadable Windows 7 upgrade, although that will need to be burned to disc.

Reply   |   Comment by Fubar  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)
#43

@Cad Delworth

Normally, yes for a piece of free software, splash screens are understandable and not an issue.

In this specific case, it might be free for us today, but this program is normally $39.95. I really don't think there's a need for a splash screen on a piece of forty dollar software. Paying $39.95 should give you the ability to remove it, if you so desire.

Reply   |   Comment by Ian  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+4)
#42

thangk,s great software

Reply   |   Comment by hadiriswan  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-2)
#41

#9 - A Watermark is NOT "Adware"
Adware is when a program installs a back door to some other ad server... so suddenly you're getting pop-ups and other heinous intrusions.

That said - this software is one step above something you'd leave in the loo before flushing, so good luck to anyone unlucky enough to try using it.

-Ricky

Reply   |   Comment by Rickarde Hempstampfkingdon  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-5)
#40

Splash screens? Logos? When starting a PC recently, I saw the words "Microsoft Corporation" prominently displayed below the %-loaded meter.
Needless to say, the computer had a hardware manufacturer's logo on it and probably, somewhere, the MS Windows sticker. That's advertising, pure & simple.

The worst logo example that I have ever seen is from a manufacturer of application specific software that put its own name, its registered customer's name and license number on every printed report containing the customer's data. How would you like "MS Word - licensed to Your Name Here - #123456789 by Microsoft Corp." at the top of every page of correspondence that you produce? Suddenly, splash screens are no big deal. By the way, please don't tell Bill about the page header idea ;-)

BTW, has anyone tried hacking the logo file?

I think I will try this s/w. Thanks.

Reply   |   Comment by LeeNoildale  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#39

Calling it "adware" as some people have, is a little unfair.

Bannerware or Promo-ware would be more accurate, as most of the time, you only have the "brought to you by..." on free versions of things.

3 versions of this, Home (which on a lot of other things, would probably be clipped a little further and free), Professional personal and Professional business.

A few other suggestions:
http://fray.host.sk/ - Mini CD Gui (rather old now)
http://multiinstall.sourceforge.net/ - Powerful skinnable menu creator

Reply   |   Comment by The Leecher  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#38

This is like an extremely simplified version of Mediachance's Multimedia Builder.

If you just want to create simple front ends for CD's then this one is for you. It's not too complex and will get the job done for you.

But, if you want to create something more complex with the ability to create actual Windows programs then my suggestion would be to buy Multimedia Builder from Mediachance. It's scripting abilities give it a lot of power.

I had to try this to see what it can do. I'm un-insalling it, because I like the power of the program I mentioned.

The downside of Multimedia Builder is that it has a pretty steep learning curve.

Although I love MMB, I would suggest this Autoplay Menu Designer to anyone who wants to be able to create a simple front end for CD without a a lot of learning time.

Reply   |   Comment by Tina  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)
#37

Thank you Ashraf. Saved me some time.

Reply   |   Comment by Stephan  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-2)
#36

Pure bait and switch if you compare what the home edition offered today doesn't do vs. Pro for $50. The nag screen isn't the problem; it's the limitations, like inc. fonts, mouse over messages, and opening sub pages. For $50 there are many better autorun packages.
Check it out at
http://www.visualdesigning.com/autorunmenu/order/compare.shtml

Reply   |   Comment by Thor  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)
#35

@Ashraf's Review
You can easily remove the spash screen with Resource Hacker from here
Extract ResHacker.zip and run ResHacker.exe.
Select "File" and open amplayer.exe from your project's output.
Expand bitmap and its subtrees, find images of the blue cd.
Right click and either delete the resource or replace it with your own splash screen.

Reply   |   Comment by No Splash Screen  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)
#34

#32 mike,

Sorry bro but I have no idea what you are talking about. Both Autoplay Menu Designer and Compant AutoRunner create autoplay menus; the menus for both point to files, folder, or website. In other words, when one clicks on a button, an external file, folder or website is opened. Neither of them have a built in web browser, or file/folder viewer. Both relay on the default web browser and file/folder viewer of the user's computer.

For example, if you set a button on both CAR and AMD to open a .TXT file, both will call Notepad to open it. From what you wrote, I think you are saying CAR will call Notepad while AMD has a built in .TXT viewer. That is incorrect. If you don't believe me, go look at the file size of the .EXE created by AMD; what are the chances of a ~2 MB .EXE containing a menu, a web browser, and a file viewer?

As far as I can tell, even when you embed RTF or HTML files with AMD it is using external programs to process those files. For example, AMD was using Internet Explorer to view the HTML files I put into it.

The main difference between how AMD and CAR do things is CAR points to the external file or website (which each button is set to) where as AMD tells you to move it into the "resources" folder. In other words, when using CAR you have to make sure the files you are pointing to are located on your external media where you menu will be put where as as AMD will tell you to move it into the "resources" folder. I personally find CAR's approach better because you are not forced to have the contents of your CD in a "resources" folder but both approaches are basically the same thing.

Reply   |   Comment by Ashraf  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)
#33

33# Cad Delworth and everyone who thinks moaning about the ‘advertising’ screens is wrong ore not a big deal.
Well to be honest it does not belong on this site.
It suppose to be free of this kind of things.
If we do not complain it becomes just another adware site.

Reply   |   Comment by Jack  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)
#32

This is my first-ever post here, so please forgive me if I "goof up", BUT:

While this program should be a real blessing for my sending the stacks of photos & "home-movies" that we've had in the family forever, which I put onto discs to send copies of to my relatives & esp. my father, (who really NEEDS a "one-button-computer", ("On/Off"), that'll do almost everything FOR him), this should at least let him know what to do, since we DID teach him about "clicking" on things.
And he won't care about the "watermark", "splash-screen" or whatever it puts on just the menu, BUT:

I'm pretty sure this site USED to include some wording about "Fully Licensed Version, No Adware or Spyware", {etc.} in the program that was up for the GiveAway that day,

So WHY, "all of a sudden", are there are SO many programs that have been offered here, (in the last couple of months, at least), that have these "watermarks", "Splash-Screens", & other forms of "AdWare"?
Not to mention the blantant "SpyWare" in the recent "RadioGet" prog., which I really liked, until it "reverted" to the "Trial Version" (with it's limitations that make it just about useless)?

Or am I missing something "right in front of me", to get rid of them and/or get things working like the day I'd GOTTEN them from here?

(I wish I'd made a "screenshot" of one of those when I first found this site, so I could be "stone-cold sure" I'm not saying something that's not true!),
(And, GAOTD folks, if I AM incorrect, you have my deepest, humblest apologies!)

I DID see where someone described, sort of, that you CAN get rid of that VERY annoying "watermark", but it's not supposed to BE there in the first place, especially if the program we find here is a "Fully Licensed version..." as advertised, since once you BUY it, it says that the "watermark" goes away.


(I suspect that this next part should go to a Forum someplace other than here, but I haven't been able to find it linked to from here, (maybe I just "missed it"), and I've got to winterize some things before it gets any colder, which can't wait any longer, so I'm putting them here; Apologies if that's a problem, but like I said, this is my first post),

Another "little problem" that never happened to me BEFORE, was with that really great "RadioGet", especially when I first GOT it from here, and it "Activated" properly & all that, is that after that day/night, and I'd closed it down using the "Exit" selection in the Taskbar right-click menu, which will come up when you click on the icon it puts there (but they don't tell you about it continuing to record, & use half of the machine's resources ALL the time it's running, even if it's NOT recording), and all appeared to be normal,

BUT, when I next tried to use it again, two days ago, it told me it was the "Trial Version", and wanted me to enter all of the numbers I hadn't written down when I'd run the "Activate" thing on it to begin with, since it HAD worked perfectly when I DID Activate & run it when I first GOT it here, and because the #'s were so small & long & hard to see when it "Activated", & I've NEVER had to DO that to ANYTHING I've gotten from this site before!,

(And the "Trial Version" it had "reverted to" is essentially useless, with the limitations that make it only record (& play?) for the ""way-too-short" recording time of a "normal-length" track from anything but a 24Kb station. Try even a 56Kb station, and I'd have PART of the track, but not even close to ALL of it).

(i'd wanted to use it while I had to go to the Post Office, (a 5-minute round-trip), and "let it run" while I was out & the computer wasn't doing anything else anyway, but when I got back, any & all of the tracks that it HAD found & recorded, were only the beginning parts of the songs! Most stations I had it monitoring for specific Artists for were 96Kb to 128Kb or higher, & the higher the bitrate, the less time the recording ran; I forgot what the "filesize limit" is, but it's pretty much useless for anything that comes through well enough to listen to without it sounding like a 1930's radio station).

And I'm talking about AFTER the program was properly "Registered" or "Activated" or whatever, & not just "the moment it's downloaded & started", before the "Activation" or the Reg Codes that USED to be in the "Read-Me" file were entered, and so on.
THAT was a MUCH better way to DO it; If you had a hard-drive crash & needd to replace your disk drive, and you had a 1Tb External USB or Firewire eSATA drive connected to the machine, (or an Online Backup Service, so that it could make & keep Daily & Weekly backup sets without you needing to do more than make sure it wasn't turned off overnight, (or even just a RAID "Mirrored" pair of drives in the machine, you may have gotten the program and its codes in a Backup Set, (or from the still-good drive of the RAID pair), BEFORE the crash, so you'd at least have a CHANCE of getting some things back;

(Having taught Computer Tech & Comp. Sciences long ago),
While I don't have anything more (yet) as to today's GiveAway,
I DO have some info to send to the developers of "RadioGet" about a few "little details", (problems no one else here commented on when it was still up for downloading), that the Authors/Developers/Publisher may have wanted to look at BEFORE putting that program on a "widespread consumer market", since many of the same things happened to some of my neighbors as well, like being able to go up to 25 recordings at once (IF your computer could "handle it"), and a LOT of the "crashes" seemed to be related to exceeding a certain number of Artists in your "Record These Artists" list, or "moved or resized" the window while it was running, etc.),
But now, I'm at "What's the point? I can't use it anymore", unless I can find that "work-around" that WAS posted here "for Manual Activation", & the developers email me the info I need to my "preferred" email box, after I email them the info I found that they'd want to know about, so they could "look into it & fix it".

I haven't gone thru my "keylogger & screenshot Recorder" on my machine, (which I put on it, because I have a just-turning-teenage daughter, and her Mom wants to know what she's doing online, for her own protection);
I'm HOPING I'll find the screen with the Registration/License Code numbers in it logged in there someplace as well.

Sorry if I put more than half of this where it shouldn't have been sent, but as I said, I've got to get things winterized BEFORE it gets down to below 25° tonight, so I didn't have time to "hunt" for the link to that particcular Forum.

Here's hoping that GAOTD (and the much-missed & related "Games" site) are able to regain their "best sites on the Net" ratings that we keep, (along side of "Mike Focke's Verified Computer BBS List" for the D.C Metro area, which he's kept updated since the 1980s),

And thanks for trying to keep this site going at all, since some of us DO know just how hard it can be to find a wide enough variety of software publishers who are willing to "give away" potentially several tens of thousands of copies of their software, sometimes with no expectations of any "real" or "new" evaluation data, for those that've been on the commercial market for more than a couple of years anyway, (although some are obviously "new", "Alpha-Test-stage" programs, but there are only so many "new" developers who let that kind of thing "out of the building", let alone "into the wild" where Industrial Espionage is still the norm), and so from those of us who are "out in the middle of nowhere",

"Thanks, GAOTD, we DO appreciate the efforts you go through for us!"

From all of the people in various small towns across the "Grain Belt" & other places across the country & the globe, "We DO appreciate you!"

Reply   |   Comment by Jonny Tesst  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)
#31

To everyone moaning about the 'advertising' screens:

Many pieces of software include things like watermarks or splash screens in output produced by all versions of their software 'below' their most expensive version. This is, of course, to encourage you to buy the 'top' version.

I don't understand why this is such a big deal, given that (as always) the version given away here is for PERSONAL and not business or commercial usage? >shrug<

Reply   |   Comment by Cad Delworth CEng MBCS CITP  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-10)
#30

#1: I respectfully disagree with your recommendation of Compact Autorunner at the end of your review, Ashraf.

In practice a big limitation with html pages run off a CD/DVD is the way Active content & such is normally blocked. Another problem is that you can't always know what browser or media player etc is the default, or where it's located, & you don't always know what, if any video codecs are installed. Browser plugins are potential problems, & opening urls, images, document files, & sometimes even text files can be an issue.

When you're running something off removable media, everything about the PC should be irrelevant, though almost always an exception is made for Windows itself. While it's far from perfect, I think Autorun Menu Designer at least tries to supply what you need rather than relying on what the user has -- I don't believe the same could be said for Compact Autorunner, though in fairness it doesn't make those sort of claims either. Being self contained is why Flash Shockwave ruled the autorun space for so long, not even needing an installed player.

That said, Compact Autorunner might be useful as part of an overall solution by pointing to other, self-contained [fully portable] apps. It's fairly easy to open most media in the portable VLC player for example, even DVDs, but there's no easy menu for doing or going anywhere else. [Autorun Menu Designer can do the same thing, pointing to an external app.] With the new portable Java runtime [portableapps.com] there's a whole new range of possibilities. However if you're only interested in starting other software, you need to ask: "is Compact Autorunner the best choice"? There are several free apps to do the same thing, often centered on USB sticks [though many (most?) work fine on CD/DVDs], which can have many more options & can be much easier to use.

At the end of the day, IMHO it's a matter of what you want to do... If you want to spend the time coming up with individual solutions, like a portable browser, a portable media player etc, that's a very viable solution & you have several *Launchers* like Compact Autorunner available free to choose from. If you want a more self-contained solution with less time/effort spent, & without the same need for testing, you'll need Autorun Menu Designer, or if you have the time & money, Autorun Media Studio or Adobe's tools for Flash/Shockwave. While both routes are potential solutions to the same problem, they're different enough that they don't really compare.

Reply   |   Comment by mike  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+20)
#29

Really, I don't think the splash screen is a big deal. I found it fairly unobtrusive and quick to disappear. It's not really different from how InstallShield (or Installer VISE, or any of the others) displays its logo and splash screen nearly every time you install software on your computer (the company whose software you are installing bought InstallShield software to package their program into an easy-to-use install wizard, and the splash screen lets you know that the installer was built using a particular piece of software). Similarly, many car dealers put their logos on the bumpers of every car they sell, so you are driving around with an ad for that dealership. It may be a little annoying, but it's fairly minor and not something that would make me walk away from an otherwise good car deal (though I might complain to the dealer as part of the negotiation game).

So all that is to suggest that if this title appeals to you, don't avoid downloading it just because of the splash screen issue. Try it out and see if you personally care about how the logo looks.

Reply   |   Comment by Fizzgig  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+7)
#28

Autoplay Menu Designer is actually quite a nice GOTD. There simply aren't a lot of alternatives when you want/need to create a program with menus that starts from a CD/DVD. OTOH the auto-run apps you can create are pretty limited -- you have to go outside the software to create your own web pages, Flash/Shockwave, or apps if you want to include any programming. Perhaps a big minus for some folks, those using your disc may need to have certain software installed, like Windows Media Player, the Flash Player, & Internet Explorer, if you want to use video, Flash/Shockwave, or HTML... Ideally everything someone needs to view your auto-run app should be included on disc, so it can be used in schools, corporate environments etc, where those may be blocked or not installed.

Auto-run apps, menus etc are often used just to make things simple -- insert a software install disc for example & a window pops up with buttons to read any program notes, install the software, or install any additional stuff like the Adobe PDF viewer or maybe bonus content. On many commercial or retail DVDs you'll get access to added content, sometimes on-line, along with a stripped down DVD player in case you don't have one installed on your PC/laptop. For corporate & schools, the Autoplay app might be a complete learning program, or even what amounts to an info-mercial. At home including an Autoplay app's a nice way to access things like photos you've included on a DVD with video you've taken of the family -- it's certainly easier than explaining to some relatives how to view the pics otherwise.

Most all Autoplay apps are essentially script interpreters -- you create a script of what you want displayed, & what happens when someone clicks a button etc. Designing what that display will look like, along with things like setting object properties, creates that script behind the scenes. The script interpreter, in this case "amplayer.exe" is included on your disc along with the script & any needed resources (like graphics or media). A very simple text file called "Autorun.inf" starts the program (amplayer.exe) when the disc's inserted, *provided Auto-run's turned on* in Windows -- it's *very* common to have it off for security reasons.

As for alternatives, as I started out above, there really aren't many at all. Most of the things folks think of 1st, like just including an Autorun.inf file targeting a web page, usually don't work out all that well. Retail DVDs most often use a package from Intervideo that includes the player. Shockwave files are common, but you need expensive, higher end software to create them. Indigorose makes a few apps & is probably the best known for this sort of thing, but while they have a feature limited Home product, their full on app is both expensive & harder to learn. Many feel the best free solution is using the Opera browser, which can be configured to run entirely off a CD/DVD, & even has a kiosk mode. Many portable apps will also work, & the VLC player can be used self-contained for DVDs. It's not easy though, & with very little documentation spread across the web you're very much on your own figuring things out & getting stuff working.

With so few choices, I suspect that for many GOTD visitors like myself, it's a matter of either using today's Autoplay Menu Designer or nothing at all. If I could afford anything & could easily master the learning curve, I'd go for Autoplay Media Studio from Indigorose or Adobe's software, & that's certainly what I'd advise for a biz that didn't just farm the whole thing out. If you've got all the time in the world to learn & experiment & figure things out, then maybe Opera's the best solution. Regardless it's shortcomings, Autoplay Media Designer's for the rest of us.

Reply   |   Comment by mike  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+16)
#27

To GAOTD team,

I'd have preferred, at least, the PROFESSIONAL version worth another US$10 ( US$49.95 ) instead.

See this page for details.>>

http://www.visualdesigning.com/order/

Maybe on another day eh?

Thanks to #1:Ashraf and #5:oliviab for mentioning alteratives.

:) :-) ;-)

This installed on VISTA 32 bit ultimate edition with no problems too.

:-)

Reply   |   Comment by JohnO  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+5)
#26

Consider maybe not so complex but free:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-Tools/AutoRun-Builders/1st-AutoRun-Express.shtml

http://www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-Tools/AutoRun-Builders/Compact-AutoRunner.shtml

http://www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-Tools/AutoRun-Builders/CDStarter.shtml

Reply   |   Comment by pelikan11  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+16)
#25

Well i downloaded this program and it installs nicely.
I will have a look at how the program works some other time (i think this is a program with a little learning curve and i lack the enthusiasm at the moment).
Having sad that i can not really comment on the program but from reading other remarks about a splash screen i do anyway.
I do not know about other visitors here but it seems to me we are getting more and more software tailored for a giveaway.
For me no problem there unless it becomes a extended traileware.
A form of Adware ore even worse spamware.
I wonder what the other people who have a look hear think about that.
As mentioned by this side it suppose to be free of these things.

Beside that this is a refreshing new kind of program offered here and i give a thumb up for that.

Reply   |   Comment by Jack  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)
#24

#19 - Woody: When you remove programs, use Revo Uninstaller (it's free) and it gets rid of all the registry/files/folders on your drives:
http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html

Reply   |   Comment by copmom  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+10)
#23

Appears to install and run fine in Vista64. Some may consider the Splash screen ad as tacky, but it is not the norm here so I think I can live with it.

Reply   |   Comment by Anidem  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-2)
#22

Very nice and original program.

Reply   |   Comment by Greek  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-13)
#21

eh, it's ok, installed fine withotu issue, but I'm not really crazy about the SPLASH screen.

Thank you.

Reply   |   Comment by Ian  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+8)
#20

From their homepage: "Home edition - software mode with limited features set for simple autorun creations. Used for authors, who do not want to distribute CDs, created by Autoplay Menu Designer."

Why would anybody create CDs, if distribution is not intended?

Reply   |   Comment by master yoda  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+14)
#19

This is a crippled and watermarked version of the software, and not in the spirit of GotD (as I understand it).

to quote from GotD About page: "...and that software will be absolutely free. That means – not a trial, not a limited version – but a registered and legal version of the software will be free for our visitors*.
The software product will be presented in its full functionality, without any limitations save for those mentioned in Terms and Conditions."

I really appreciate what this site offers, and the many companies that have participated, generously (and in their own long term interest!) offering full versions one may otherwise buy. I wont be downloading this, let alone imagine that someone would buy it (watermarked and crippled).

Reply   |   Comment by WobblyWombat  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+29)
#18

Installed with ease on both XP-SP3 and Vista Home Premium. Just run setup, then activate.exe. Worked OK, but didn't like the large and dominating adverts either. A real turn-off even if the program is free. I felt as though I was being used. Ran the uninstaller which left registry and files+folders on my drives. Less than pleased with this one.

Reply   |   Comment by Woody  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+38)
#17

Inserting media and flash are not available in the GOTD edition and thus for me not useful. I tried editing copy paste in to text box - again not possible but has to be directly typed in to text box.

Reply   |   Comment by jayaraj  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+10)
#16

Just a quick note....many tech savvy people turn off autorun for all removable devices because of the inherent security risks that autorun creates.

Reply   |   Comment by PTyson  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+38)
#15

#4 oliviab
I am not sure where you are getting your definition from but your description of the autorun/autoplay function is inaccurate. This software on GOTD is used to create the menu's and such that you might see when you first insert a CD or DVD or even sometimes a USB flashdrive. You may also see this concept in action when you insert the CD/DVD and the program on the CD/DVD begins to install itself automatically. Context menus are created through registry entries. These registry entries can be created by a file that is automatically run by autorun/autoplay when you insert the removable media but the context menu's (right click menu's) themselves have nothing to do with autorun/autoplay.

Reply   |   Comment by PTyson  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+18)
#14

I would say this is AutoPlay Media Studio 7's little brother, just not capable of doing the cool stuff that AutoPlay Media Studio can do.
pretty much when you put a dvd in your computer and that menu that comes up to select things well those are made in this type of program.

Reply   |   Comment by thomasalan  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+13)
#13

Just from looking at the pictures: this is great for developers who want to create a cd-rom to install their product. Just pop in the cd-rom, the menu "auto-plays" ie, opens automatically and you see all the options: Install, Go to developers website, Install related software, view users guide, Browse CD, Exit, etc. You probably got one with your digital camera.
Or you can use this to create a cd-rom about your company, get that information out there.
Or maybe you can use it to create a cd about your school's upcoming reunion or even the last one
Or maybe create your own self-help cd.
Possibilities are endless... at first I didn't think I would have a need for this but I think I just talked myself in to it.
too bad about the limitations....

Reply   |   Comment by Exemplar  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)
#12

For anybody authoring DVD software this is a no brainer. As well as anyone trying to cram a whole 5 or more OS on a live CD. It would suit musicians as well that want to get a grip on their musical widgets.

Reply   |   Comment by SchoolDaGeek  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-18)
#11

Check out Ashraf's suggested alternative. He has complete directions on how to use Compact Autorunner. I also like the program better. A big thanks from me for the suggestion.

Reply   |   Comment by Grumpy1  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+56)
#10

I agree with #1 Ashraf regarding the really unpleasant advertising "Splash screen" that will show up for the persons receiving a CD. Because of this, I will not use Autoplay Menu Designer.

Reply   |   Comment by AO  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+71)
#9

ADWARE! As Ashraf said:
>The Bad
* Only “business license” users are allowed to remove the Autoplay Menu Designer watermark-like splash screen.<

Reply   |   Comment by Curt  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+47)
#8

Correct now is for Wordperfect not for#2,because it is changed.

Reply   |   Comment by Doru  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-35)
#7

For#2.You was in hurry.At this kind of program you must to unchecked launching.Whith program closed after install,you make click on Activate to activate what you install and after activate you close program for activate.Next you can open the program who now is not trial and unregistered.First is install program next is activation but with program closed.Thank for this program,i see that is not simple but can make more and with style.Need time to learn.

Reply   |   Comment by Doru  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)
#6

Downloaded super fast, unpacked and loaded as have all the other programmes I have from GOTD, thanks very much.

I can see this being useful to "package" CD's of my young daughter to send to her Gran, she is almost 90 and sometimes technology gets on top of her. SO thank you guys for this.

But, unlike other soft, there is no reg key or password, I have hit "activate" done, but the Autoplay Menu Designer keps asking for the reg code?
I have selected "Home version" but it still pops up unregistered.
Never had this before guys, something I am missing?
As Ashraf said, initially it looks intimidating, my first thought was "oh no, Photoshop, I need to be a designer to use it" but it isn't so bad once you dig into it.

Reply   |   Comment by wordperfect  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+6)
#5

This is about the most helpful in a quick search :

http://autorun.moonvalley.com/autorunmenu.htm

"An Autorun Menu is the list of items presented to the user in the Context menu, (Right mouse click) on the CD in Explorer or My Computer. This menu, its items and the functions that they perform are defined in the Autorun.inf file."

Reply   |   Comment by oliviab  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+27)
#4

I bet I'm not the only one here who doesn't really understand
what this software does, or even where to begin with it.
I'm off to look up 'autorun menu' etc....

Reply   |   Comment by oliviab  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-52)
#3

Nice 1! Thanks giveawayoftheday.com

Reply   |   Comment by Tirth  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-70)
#2

Hurrah for Ashraf's reviews...always saves me a lot of time. In this case, instead of the publisher using GOTD to get loyal users who spread the word of the software, the publisher is just trying to get adverts onto people's CDs.... no thanks GOTD. Please encourage publishers to just use GOTD to make their software popular with the GOTD users....we then recommend the good stuff to people who buy it. I've bought three pieces of software (for other users) on here that I already got for free.

Reply   |   Comment by Miles  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+105)
#1

The Good
* You can create a menu from scratch or use a template (comes with 19 templates).
* Menus are fully customizable:
o You can have multiple "pages" for each menu.
o You can have unlimited buttons for each page.
o Each button can be set to do multiple tasks when clicked.
o You can add a written description for each button.
o Multiple different mouse-over effects available for buttons.
o You can insert RTF or HTML files into your menu.
o ...and more.
* Has a useful "layer" (think Photoshop) system.
* You can preview your menu before you publish it.

The Bad
* Interface organization and presentation makes the program look a lot more complicated than it actually is.
* Only "business license" users are allowed to remove the Autoplay Menu Designer watermark-like splash screen (we get "personal license" from GOTD).
* "Home Edition" (the one we are getting from GOTD) is limited to 10 pages per menu.

Free Alternatives
Compact AutoRunner

For final verdict, recommendations, and full review please click here.

Reply   |   Comment by Ashraf  –  15 years ago  –  Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+226)
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