Autoplay enable

I've installed the free version of VMware, and it disables autoplay on
the host.
I want it back. I have Win7 Home Premium and the only way I can find by
googling is a registry change, as in these;
http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
http://tinyurl.com/3hr7bdl

I don't like editing the registry.
Does anybody know another way?

Ed

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:10:22 +0100, Ed Cryer wrote:

> I've installed the free version of VMware, and it disables autoplay on
> the host.
> I want it back. I have Win7 Home Premium and the only way I can find by
> googling is a registry change, as in these;
> http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
> http://tinyurl.com/3hr7bdl
>
> I don't like editing the registry.
> Does anybody know another way?
>
> Ed

Open control panel click on auto play.

Ed Cryer wrote:

> I've installed the free version of VMware, and it disables autoplay on
> the host. I want it back. I have Win7 Home Premium and the only way I
> can find by googling is a registry change, as in these;
> http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
> http://tinyurl.com/3hr7bdl
>
> I don't like editing the registry. Does anybody know another way?

VMware is a company name. I'll assume you meant you are using the free
VMware Server software.

I haven't use VMware Server for a couple years (personally I distaste
their web-centric setup in version 2 but understand why they did it for
remote admin purposes). When I last used it, and when I started a guest
(VM), it prodded me with a prompt asking if I wanted to disable
autoplay. It's suggestion was to disable it but I rejected their
recommendation and left it enabled. Once you accept, however, there was
no undo option to revert to autoplay enabled in the host OS so you had
to do the registry edits.

Since they are just registry edits, I would assume a good tweaker
utility would cover the autoplay settings. Ultimate Windows Tweaker
(for Win 7), for example, and according to the screenshots shown at
http://www.softpedia.com/progScreens...ot-115432.html,
has its "Disable Autoplay function for removable devices" settings (that
you would deselect to leave autoplay enabled). But then you really
don't need a tweaker and can just use the Autoplay applet in Control
Panel; see:

http://www.techtalkz.com/windows-7/5...ndows-7-a.html

On 08/09/2011 03:23, VanguardLH wrote:
> Ed Cryer wrote:
>
>> I've installed the free version of VMware, and it disables autoplay on
>> the host. I want it back. I have Win7 Home Premium and the only way I
>> can find by googling is a registry change, as in these;
>> http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
>> http://tinyurl.com/3hr7bdl
>>
>> I don't like editing the registry. Does anybody know another way?
>
> VMware is a company name. I'll assume you meant you are using the free
> VMware Server software.
>
> I haven't use VMware Server for a couple years (personally I distaste
> their web-centric setup in version 2 but understand why they did it for
> remote admin purposes). When I last used it, and when I started a guest
> (VM), it prodded me with a prompt asking if I wanted to disable
> autoplay. It's suggestion was to disable it but I rejected their
> recommendation and left it enabled. Once you accept, however, there was
> no undo option to revert to autoplay enabled in the host OS so you had
> to do the registry edits.
>
> Since they are just registry edits, I would assume a good tweaker
> utility would cover the autoplay settings. Ultimate Windows Tweaker
> (for Win 7), for example, and according to the screenshots shown at
> http://www.softpedia.com/progScreens...ot-115432.html,
> has its "Disable Autoplay function for removable devices" settings (that
> you would deselect to leave autoplay enabled). But then you really
> don't need a tweaker and can just use the Autoplay applet in Control
> Panel; see:
>
> http://www.techtalkz.com/windows-7/5...ndows-7-a.html

Thanks for the reply and help.
None of them work. In Autoplay it's ticked for on. I ran UWT, it showed
it as enabled. I even disabled and re-enabled (followed by reboot) to no
avail. I have an iPad, shown under "Devices" at bottom of Autoplay page,
and that works fine.
I have WinXP running inside VMware, and autoplay works ok on it.

It appears to be just as the webpage I mentioned above says; ie that a
registry setting has been altered by VMware.
http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
Someone in that forum says he did the reg edit and bingo, it's back.
I'll build up my courage and give it a try when I have time.

Ed

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:19:51 +0100, Ed Cryer <>
wrote:

>Thanks for the reply and help.
>None of them work. In Autoplay it's ticked for on. I ran UWT, it showed
>it as enabled. I even disabled and re-enabled (followed by reboot) to no
>avail. I have an iPad, shown under "Devices" at bottom of Autoplay page,
>and that works fine.
>I have WinXP running inside VMware, and autoplay works ok on it.
>
>It appears to be just as the webpage I mentioned above says; ie that a
>registry setting has been altered by VMware.
>http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
>Someone in that forum says he did the reg edit and bingo, it's back.
>I'll build up my courage and give it a try when I have time.

You strike me as someone who has used Windows computers for awhile.
Why the reluctance to edit the Registry? I've never understood that,
especially when it comes from someone who is fully capable of using a
mouse and keyboard.

--

Char Jackson

On 08/09/2011 13:57, Char Jackson wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:19:51 +0100, Ed Cryer<>
> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the reply and help.
>> None of them work. In Autoplay it's ticked for on. I ran UWT, it showed
>> it as enabled. I even disabled and re-enabled (followed by reboot) to no
>> avail. I have an iPad, shown under "Devices" at bottom of Autoplay page,
>> and that works fine.
>> I have WinXP running inside VMware, and autoplay works ok on it.
>>
>> It appears to be just as the webpage I mentioned above says; ie that a
>> registry setting has been altered by VMware.
>> http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
>> Someone in that forum says he did the reg edit and bingo, it's back.
>> I'll build up my courage and give it a try when I have time.
>
> You strike me as someone who has used Windows computers for awhile.
> Why the reluctance to edit the Registry? I've never understood that,
> especially when it comes from someone who is fully capable of using a
> mouse and keyboard.
>

I've done many registry changes and hacks, Char, but at the moment I'm
going through a bad patch when things aren't working out quite as they
should. It's unsettled me a bit; but I'll be back soon enough!

Ed

On 08/09/2011 14:02, Ed Cryer wrote:
> On 08/09/2011 13:57, Char Jackson wrote:
>> On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:19:51 +0100, Ed Cryer<>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for the reply and help.
>>> None of them work. In Autoplay it's ticked for on. I ran UWT, it showed
>>> it as enabled. I even disabled and re-enabled (followed by reboot) to no
>>> avail. I have an iPad, shown under "Devices" at bottom of Autoplay page,
>>> and that works fine.
>>> I have WinXP running inside VMware, and autoplay works ok on it.
>>>
>>> It appears to be just as the webpage I mentioned above says; ie that a
>>> registry setting has been altered by VMware.
>>> http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
>>> Someone in that forum says he did the reg edit and bingo, it's back.
>>> I'll build up my courage and give it a try when I have time.
>>
>> You strike me as someone who has used Windows computers for awhile.
>> Why the reluctance to edit the Registry? I've never understood that,
>> especially when it comes from someone who is fully capable of using a
>> mouse and keyboard.
>>
>
> I've done many registry changes and hacks, Char, but at the moment I'm
> going through a bad patch when things aren't working out quite as they
> should. It's unsettled me a bit; but I'll be back soon enough!
>
> Ed

Yes, the reg edit did the trick. Autoplay works in both host and nested
systems now. I don't know why VMware disables it for the host. I can't
see any problems at present; but maybe later, eh!

I'm not quite sure why I was cautious over using Regedit. I waited until
after my Thursday swimming session. I've done lots of regedits, and
never once messed up any registry; nor do I usually back it up beforehand.
I think that what causes me hesitation is a reminiscence of the
situation back with Win95 when all the pundits used to say "be
super-dooper careful, back up your whole system first".

Ed

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:02:42 +0100, Ed Cryer wrote:

> On 08/09/2011 13:57, Char Jackson wrote:
>> On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:19:51 +0100, Ed Cryer<>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for the reply and help.
>>> None of them work. In Autoplay it's ticked for on. I ran UWT, it showed
>>> it as enabled. I even disabled and re-enabled (followed by reboot) to no
>>> avail. I have an iPad, shown under "Devices" at bottom of Autoplay page,
>>> and that works fine.
>>> I have WinXP running inside VMware, and autoplay works ok on it.
>>>
>>> It appears to be just as the webpage I mentioned above says; ie that a
>>> registry setting has been altered by VMware.
>>> http://tinyurl.com/3lefjbo
>>> Someone in that forum says he did the reg edit and bingo, it's back.
>>> I'll build up my courage and give it a try when I have time.
>>
>> You strike me as someone who has used Windows computers for awhile.
>> Why the reluctance to edit the Registry? I've never understood that,
>> especially when it comes from someone who is fully capable of using a
>> mouse and keyboard.
>>
>
> I've done many registry changes and hacks, Char, but at the moment I'm
> going through a bad patch when things aren't working out quite as they
> should. It's unsettled me a bit; but I'll be back soon enough!
>
> Ed

Good luck - I think I understand the feeling you described. I've been
there. Often...

If it would help set your mind at ease, you could back up the registry
(or relevant keys) first, and I think there are even bootable CDs that
let one edit the registry or restore a backed up registry entry, in case
of an error that prevents booting Windows.

Yeah, here goes:
I think I have such a CD. Yup, I found it, it's labeled PCRegEdit 1.0, a
bootable Linux disk. But I haven't used it :-)

The URL is http://www.pcregedit.com/ and the product is free.

I would guess there are other such products.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:54:08 +0100, Ed Cryer wrote:

> I'm not quite sure why I was cautious over using Regedit. I waited until
> after my Thursday swimming session. I've done lots of regedits, and
> never once messed up any registry; nor do I usually back it up beforehand.
> I think that what causes me hesitation is a reminiscence of the
> situation back with Win95 when all the pundits used to say "be
> super-dooper careful, back up your whole system first".

I use a registry editor (Registry Workshop, not free) that has an undo
command which remembers its data from session to session :-)

Of course, that won't help if I make an error that makes my system
unbootable.

And the pundits still say what you indicate...

I'm glad you managed it - which I would have known before my last post,
except this newsreader only updates its headers manually.

As for being over cautious, I quote Bloch's Lemma 1: It's crazy not to
be paranoid.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:54:08 +0100, Ed Cryer <>
wrote:

>Yes, the reg edit did the trick. Autoplay works in both host and nested
>systems now. I don't know why VMware disables it for the host. I can't
>see any problems at present; but maybe later, eh!
>
>I'm not quite sure why I was cautious over using Regedit. I waited until
>after my Thursday swimming session. I've done lots of regedits, and
>never once messed up any registry; nor do I usually back it up beforehand.
>I think that what causes me hesitation is a reminiscence of the
>situation back with Win95 when all the pundits used to say "be
>super-dooper careful, back up your whole system first".

Fair enough. Starting with Win 95, I've never been shy about
editing the Registry so it sometimes amuses me to see such trepidation
in others. I'm glad you jumped in and glad it was successful.

--

Char Jackson