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How to create a CD-ROM menu?
To create your own CD-ROM menu, you have to walk through the following process. After only six steps you will have created your own CD-ROM menu. Please keep in mind that the visual arrangement of your menu as well as the hyperlink structure is not created using Discstarter. These would be need to be created using your favorite HTML or web editor. The task of Discstarter is to present your CD-ROM menu on Windows PCs using a fully customizable browser window.
- Create HTML pages for your menu
First of all you have to create the HTML pages and the accompanying content such as images or animations for your CD-ROM menu. Therefore we propose that you use your favorite HTML or web editor. These files make up your complete menu. Because Discstarter offers some special features that you should know already when designing the menu, it would be advisable to look into the chapter titled "Special Features".
If you have finished your CD-ROM project, then please save all the required files in a dedicated directory on your computer. This directory is called the Master Directory and it will become the root directory of your CD-ROM. Inside the Master Directory you should create an extra folder that contains all the files that belong to your CD-ROM menu. It is a good idea to move the start page into the master directory. This will allow users that do not have a Windows PC to view your HTML menu using their default web browser and save them trouble of browsing the entire directory structure looking for a starting point for your CD-ROM.
- Create a new project using the Discstarter Designer
Start the Discstarter Designer and create a new project. Please save the project in the Master Directory that you created in the first step. Discstarter Designer will create a file named "autorun.inf" that contains all the necessary configuration data for your project. Furthermore you can copy the file "autostart.exe" from the Discstarter program directory into the Master Directory. This file is the Discstarter Runtime System that displays your menu when the CD-ROM launches. Copying this file to the Master Directory can also be done with the Discstarter Designer by clicking on the appropriate button on the main toolbar.
- Customize your menu using the Discstarter Designer
You can use the Discstarter Designer to customize the menu according to your needs. The different settings are explained the in chapter "Discstarter Designer".
- Optimize your menu for Discstarter
Discstarter offers some very useful features that a normal web browser cannot offer, e.g. copying files via hyperlinks. To use these features you will have to make some minor adjustments to your HTML files. A detailed description can be found in the chapter "Special Features".
- Finalize your project
If you have walked through the previous steps your CD-ROM menu is ready now. If you want your CD-ROM to contain additional files please copy them into the Master Directory as well (e.g. software, etc.). You have now created a complete image of the CD-ROM on your hard disk inside the Master Directory. If you have made any changes to the HTML files of your menu, it might be necessary to open the "autorun.inf" file in the Discstarter Designer once again and save it in order to digitally sign your project. Please refer to the chapter "Legal Licensing" for details on this feature.
- Burn the project on CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
Finally you will have to burn the complete Master Directory on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a burning tool of your choice. The disc created can then be tested in a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive. If the auto start feature of your Windows PC is not disabled, your menu will appear after some seconds and you can test your menu in order to make sure that everything is working correctly.
In the following you find an overview of the files that are required when using Discstarter on a CD-ROM:
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