Hi fhben,
I use both PCs and Macs extensively and have never purchased a Mac CD
that had something like the Windows Autorun. Usually Mac cds will open
the folder automatically and the user will then double click on the
“Installer” or Application.
Researching into this for you, I surprisingly found that there is
indeed a Macintosh equivalent of the Windows Autorun. The feature is
called “AutoStart”. You should be warned that it does not appear that
many Mac users are fond of this feature, and will already have
disabled it. There are numerous viruses going around that spread using
AutoStart (one example is here:
http://antivirus.about.com/library/virusinfo/blautost.htm)
Also, it does not work like the Windows Autorun, and you will
therefore have to change the structure of the CD and to accommodate
the Macintosh. You should also be prepared with a Help File or
instructions for users who have disabled the AutoStart feature,
because many Macintosh magazines have recommended users disable the
AutoStart feature. While AutoRun is an operating system feature in
Windows, AutoStart is a feature of Quicktime 2.0 and above (but all
Macs come preinstalled with that).
Actually getting this done should not be a problem, but you will
require enough room on the CD to burn the data twice. You will need to
make a PC Partition and a Mac partition on the CD-ROM (at least that
is how I understand the process).
I found an article on MacDisk.com that talks about creating AutoStart
Macintosh CD-ROMS on a Windows Machine:
“How to Produce an Autostarting Macintosh CD-ROM on a PC?
MacImage allows to install such an autostarting feature on the HFS
view of the hybrid CD-ROM.
Hybrid CD-ROM
Create a project for a hybrid CD-ROM in the default mode (Project
Mode). In the HFS view, select the file you want to use and do a right
click. In the context-sensitive menu, select Properties. In this big
dialog box, check the Autostart checkbox. Compile your project to
produce the hybrid HFS/ISO 9660 image. Burn it. That's all. It could
not be more simple.”
SOURCE: http://www.macdisk.com/cdstarten.php3
You will probably find that reading the entire article above will be
useful. I do recommend you get the MacImage utility and use it to
create the CD-ROM if you are still planning on using the Autostart
feature, as it appears to be the easiest way to go about doing this.
You can read more about it here: http://www.macdisk.com/macimgen.php3
In addition, I will list more products that I found at the end of this
answer.
The MacImage software sells for $73.26US and you can download it
immediately upon payment: http://www.macdisk.com/tarifen.php3 You
could be able to pick up a discount though as they offer resellers 30%
of the public price list, and resellers can even order single units to
get this discount: http://www.macdisk.com/reventeen.php3
Now if you already have a good CD-Burning program, you might want to
check the manual or help files for instructions on creating a HFS
(Hierarchical File System) as this is what you will need. Because you
do not have a Mac readily available, you might want to look into
getting the above program.
Products That Burn Both AutoStart and AutoRun:
Product Name: CDEveryWhere
More Info: http://www.i2rd.com/CDEveryWhere/manual/en/autorun.shtml#Macintosh
Price: $195.95 or $295.95. There is a personal edition for $39.95 but
has limited features and may be used for personal use only (not
business, work or government). (See warning below)
Product Name: AutoFlash and AutoFlash Builder
More Info: http://www.autorun-autoplay-tools.com/
Price: $133 ($89 for limited features).
Product Name Toast (Mac Product)
More Info: http://www.roxio.com/en/support/toast/index.jhtml I found
the instructions for this product rather confusing, and you will need
a Mac to run this software.
Price: ?
Instructions: http://www.keiserphoto.com/resources/cdauto.htm
After finding this thread:
http://lists.evolt.org/archive/Week-of-Mon-20010618/035129.html some
alarm bells started to go off, and apparently the best product to make
closs-platform CDs are Macintosh burner programs like Toast. The
article was written in 2001 however, and the problems with the
CDEveryWhere software have most likely been ironed out by now. You may
want to consider trying the MacImage software however, as they seem to
be very user friendly.
Finally, if you are a Guru, you might be able to figure out how to do
this natively using the technical info available from Apple:
http://developer.apple.com/qa/qtpc/qtpc12.html
I hope this information will be helpful in helping you create the
cross platform CD that will have both a working AutoRun and AutoStart.
Please let me know if you require any clarifications regarding this
answer and I will do my best to further assist you. All the best,
tisme-ga
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