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1. How much do your products cost?
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 | If you have a photo CD, a series of linked HTML pages displaying JPEG files is a very efficient way to present your photos. |
| HTML is a great way to present a documentation CD. Autorun would start the document index and all other pages would be crosslinked with HTML. |
5. Can I distribute an unlimited number of CDs with autorun programs created by your products?
| Yes, but there is restriction that each developer designing autorun programs with our software must have a unique license. |
6. Is there anyway to play midi files (instead of wav files?) for the sounds during autorun?
| No, only WAV and mp3 files are supported. Refer to Product Help on our home page and look up the help for the individual product to find out. |
7. If I have A CD full of pictures and stories, what would be the best product to use?
| If you have a photo CD, a series of linked HTML pages displaying JPEG files is a very efficient way to present your photos. The GST Autoplay Pilot will launch the index page for you. |
8. Are all of your products packaged the same?
| No, and let's explain the differences. |
| The GSTMenu and GSTAction Kits are packaged alike. You receive a zip file that you expand into a sub-directory of your choosing. This sub-directory now has a working example of the program. After studying the example and reading the help file, you then delete the sample graphic bitmaps and replace them with you own and then use the markup wizard to create your selections. These programs are designed for the professional multi-media developer. They allow great flexibility in creating graphic animation. |
| The GST Autoplay Easel, GST AutoFlash, GST AutoFlash Builder, GST DigiCardCD Builder, GST Autoplay Pilot, GST Power Launch 2, and GST AcroPDF Launch 2 are different. You receive an exe file that expands into a setup program. You click on the setup and the product is installed automatically. The Windows Start menu contains samples and the the programs. You create an autorun program by opening the program and following the steps using the wizard. These programs are designed to do it all for you. |
9. All I want to do is launch my video file using the default Microsoft Media Viewer. Do you have a program to do this?
Yes we do. Even though the Autoplay Pilot is designed to launch HTML files using the browser, it also will launch just about anything else that you can launch by double-clicking in the Windows Explorer.
1. I can't seem to unzip the packages from your download page. What should I do?
| Try going to http://www.winzip.com/ and get the latest version of WinZip. That is known to work OK with our Zip files. |
2. I don't know how to specify a file to have the generic drive and directory that is on the CD. For instance, If I burn the CD on e: how will I know what CD drive the user will have?
| Just use the backslash only and it assumes that is the root directory on the drive the program is running on. For example if your e: drive has a sub-directory called text and a file called readme.txt you would do it like follows: Path and Program - \text\readme.txt |
3. I cannot seem to get the GST Autoplay Easel program to start Internet Explorer with a specific HTML page that resides on the CD.
| All you need to do is put the path and name of the HTML in the Path and Program field like follows: \myinformation.htm or if it is in the info sub-directory on the CD \info\myinformation.htm. |
4. Is it possible to set up the GST Autoplay Easel program to launch a web site?
| Yes, to make this web site come up in the browser you would do it like follows: Path and Program - http://www.autorun-autoplay-tools.com |
5. I am having trouble with Windows paths and sub-directories -- and what is a "root" directory?
| We have prepared a tutorial that will help explain Windows paths. It is broken into two parts. One that deals with the GS Autoplay Easel and the other menu programs and one that deals with the GSTMenu and GSTAction kits. |
Windows Path Tutorial for Autoplay Easel autorun CDs
Windows Path Tutorial for GSTMenu and GSTAction autorun CDs
6. I am having trouble launching a file with a long name and path.
I am trying to launch a file with this command
First of all, spaces in paths and file names will definitely cause problems with the GSTMenu and GSTAction kits. Don't use them.
Although this path may work with the Autoplay Easel, some programs will have problems. Also some CD formats only allow 8.3 file names so it is a good idea to use them.
It is OK to have long complicated paths in your development machine, but for CD distribution please simplify your path and file names. A better path and name for the above document on the CD would be a shorthand name like this:
7. My CDs autorun on some computers but not on others.
Cd's not autorunning can be caused by a number of things.
1) A bad CD, computer not able to read it.
2) Operating system problem, Even though every thing is configured right it just won't
start, this in severe cases may need a re-installation. (last resort)
3) Autorun may be shut off, see the following directions to check
Windows 95/98
The Windows AutoPlay feature is enabled for CD-ROM drives when you install Windows. To
check if it is still enabled do the following - Click Start | Settings | Control Panel |
System | Device Manager, then double-click the "CDROM" node to list all your
CD-ROM drives, and then double-click one of those drives. A properties dialog will pop up.
Click the dialog's Settings tab. You should see a checkbox labeled "Auto insert
notification". AutoPlay is enabled when that checkbox is checked.
Windows NT and later
Checking Autorun requires you to look at the Registry and you know what we always say
about editing the Registry--be careful. Click Start, Run. Type regedit or regedt32 and
press Enter. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom
In the RegEdit right pane, locate Autorun and double-click its icon. (1) = enabled (0) =
disabled click OK. Close RegEdit (choose Registry, Exit) and restart the computer.
1. How can I customize the AutoFlash program to use my logo or graphics.
The AutoFlash animations are highly complex to program and can't be altered except the MyLogo player.
This theme is different than the others. This theme was designed to display your logo. Your logo will display exactly like the GS Technologies logo, with the same size and motion. To get your logo displayed, a custom player will be needed.
To get a FREE custom player made with your logo send your logo in GIF,JPG or BMP format to support@autorun-autoplay-tools.com ,You will be contacted to let you know the status.
2. Does the computer running the AutoFlash autorun need a special plug-in from Macromedia?
The GST AutoFlash autorun program is totally self-contained and does not need anything extra installed on the computer to make it autorun.
1. My entire CD layout doesn't work when I hit "Test how your autoplay works" on the Autoplay Easel, Why?
The "Test how your autoplay works" button is designed to test backgrounds, templates, selection wording, colors and sounds. The full layout of your CD can only be tested by writing a test CD. Use a read/write CD if you don't want to waste CDs for testing.
2. After creating an autorun with the GST Autoplay Easel and building it to a sub-directory, do I put the folder that is created on the CD or the individual files that are in the folder?
| The individual files created by the GST Autoplay Easel should always be copied to the root directory of the CD. The AUTORUN.INF has to be there and the information in this file tells the system to look in the root directory for the rest of the autorun files. |
For detailed information refer to the Autoplay Easel Tutorial build step
3. With the GST Autoplay Easel do I have to copy my files and executables to the CD?
| Yes you need to plan out the layout of your CD and copy your files. I.e. Plan where the htm files will go, where the txt files will go and where programs like setup will go. If these files are going to be in sub-directories you will need to consider this in your path and program box in the configuring actions dialog. For example if your CD drive has a sub-directory called text and a file called readme.txt you would do it like follows: Path and Program - \text\readme.txt |
For detailed information refer to the Autoplay Easel Tutorial build step
4. Can I change the font or have a different background for each menu with the GST Autoplay Easel?
The background you choose is used for all menus.
The font you choose is used for all menus. You can choose the following:
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For Heading 1, Heading 2 and the selection text - Font size, bold and italic |
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For all text - The font choice of Arial or Times New Roman. The font choice is limited because the user's computer needs to have the font installed and these two are installed on all Windows computers. |
1. What is the best way to test an autorun CD created while I am developing it?
Yes you saw the words "developing it". To create a good autorun CD that works properly, there should be a development process of design, development and test. This is usually an iterative process. You don't just grab a group of files and throw them together with the autorun programs and fire up the CD burner and hope for the best.
The method we use here is read/write CDs for testing. To get a good test you need to burn all the files to a CD and have them in their proper place to make sure you have designated the paths correctly.
Before even testing autorun you should be able to double-click on the autorun.exe and have everything work correctly.
1. For some reason the browser is bringing up some kind of default home page instead of the one I set it up to start in the Autoplay Pilot wizard, Why?
Be careful what you name the html page that you want to start with the Autoplay Pilot. Certain standard names like home.htm and a few others are reserved for some browsers. Try to use a unique name like autoindx.htm.
2. The Autoplay Pilot won't start my html page, it just sits there.
You will see this warning throughout this FAQ. You can simplify configuration greatly by using 8.3 names for your files on the CD. (ie. The name part on the left 8 or less and the extension on the right 3 or less) You can use long names but the possibility of errors and mis-matches is increased greatly.
Here are some common errors in setting up the Autoplay Pilot
a) Using a long name in the AUTOPP2.INI and the name is shortened on the CD.
b) Using FILENAME.HTML in the wizard and FILENAME.HTM on the CD or the opposite
c) Using totally different name in the wizard and on the CD
d) Not putting all of the files on the CD. You need the AUTORUN.EXE, AUTOPP2.INI, AUTORUN.INF and your HTM files.
e) Not burning the CD properly.
1. Does the computer running the CD need to have Acrobat Reader installed?
No, Acrobat Reader does not need to be installed on the target computer. The GST AcroPDF Launch2 will detect the absence of Acrobat Reader on the user's computer if it is not there. The user will then be presented with a dialog offering an opportunity to install Acrobat Reader. You can configure the message and the method of installation. You can package the install EXE from Adobe on the CD or direct the user to the Adobe website.
1. Does the computer running the CD need to have PowerPoint installed?
No, PowerPoint does not need to be installed on the target computer. GST Power Launch 2 will place the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer on the CD for you.
2. When I autorun my presentation using the Powerpoint Viewer some parts of of it work different like sound and animated GIFs.
Power Launch 2 uses the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer.
Power Launch 2 gives you the option of selecting the 97 viewer or the new 2003 viewer.
97 Viewer
Don't rule out using the PowerPoint Viewer 97 just because there is a newer one available. Here are some advantages to the 97 Viewer.
| It works better with presentations created before PowerPoint 2003 |
| It works on a wider base of Windows versions |
| Embedded music, MPEGs and AVIs seem to work better with the 97 viewer than with the 2003 viewer especially with presentations created before the PowerPoint 2003 version. You may need to experiment and try both versions of the viewer with your presentation and see which viewer works best for you. The GST Power Launch allows you to configure your CD either way easily. |
Here is some information about the new 2003 viewer.
| This new viewer has been engineered to support a number of new features from the last few releases that were missing in the PowerPoint '97 Viewer. Specifically, they added support for the new animation effects, simultaneous animations, and transitions. |
| The new Viewer supports all new animations and transitions introduced with PowerPoint 2002, however, it does not support ActiveX. |
| The PowerPoint 2003 Viewer plays PowerPoint presentations on Windows 2000, XP and 2003 with full fidelity - on Windows 98 SE and ME, the Viewer provides limited fidelity. |
| You must prepare your presentation with PowerPoint 2003 to take advantage of most of these improvements. |
General
In summary, we have two ways to view PowerPoint on a CD. 1) having PowerPoint installed and seeing all the features. 2) not having it installed and using the viewer with some limitations.
This may require a fine tuning of your presentation to remove some of the unsupported features to make it work on a wider base of computers.
You may also need to try both versions of the viewer with your presentation and
see which viewer works best for you
You can use Power Launch 2 to set up a CD with option 1 if you know the user will have PowerPoint.
3. Not all of my links work on my presentation when I use the autorun CD.
Make sure when you prepare your presentation that you save it to a folder and then use that same folder for everything that you link to. Also use the relative paths (no drive letter or path, just the file name) in your links.
Then when you are ready to make the CD, copy all of the files in this folder to the root directory (folder) of the CD.
4. My presentation will start OK if I double-click on it but the PowerPoint viewer won't start it automatically. By the way the name has a space in it.
The PowerPoint viewer will not work with files with a space in the name. Solution: rename your presentation to something without a space like mydemo.pps. It is also best to use 8.3 notation (name 8 or less & extension of 3) when working with files for a CD like mydemo.pps.
1. Can the GSTAction Development Kit play MPEG movies instead of AVIs?
MPEG is not supported in the GSTAction Kit. It will work most of the time, but it won't play on all computers.
Send mail to support@autorun-autoplay-tools.com with questions about autorun or any products on this web site - - but first check the (FAQ)Frequently Asked Questions page. Your question might be answered there.GSTMenu Development kit, GSTAction Development Kit, GST Autoplay Easel, GST
AutoFlash, GST AutoFlash Builder, GST AcroPDF Launch, GST Power Launch, GST
DigiCardCD Builder, GST Autoplay Pilot, GST MacEasel Menu, GST Mac
Autoplay Pilot, GST Mac Power Launch and GST Mac AcroPDF Launch Copyright ©
2002
GS Technology Works LLC dba GS Technologies
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