Making a CD or DVD more attractive and functional is something that can easily be achieved using a program such as AutoPlay Menu Builder. This application lets you create autoplay menus with no programming skills required. Moreover, it includes a variety of options that allow you to customize your menus but also some built-in templates to get you started.
Installation & Requirements
AutoPlay Menu Builder offers the user various install modes, as well as the option of manually selecting individual components. Unless you know exactly what you’re doing it’s best to choose one of the predefined install types available, namely Standard or Minimal.
Other than that, only standard options are available during the setup process which will complete in a matter of seconds. Concerning system requirements, AutoPlay Menu Builder will need 35 MB of free hard-disk space, 166 MHz or better CPU and at least 32 MB of RAM. The program runs on all 32 and 64-bit versions of Windows. The trial version of the program doesn’t have a time limit, but all the created projects will display a nag splash screen.
Interface
AutoPlay Menu Builder has many features and options, but they are fairly easy to spot in the program’s clean, well-organized UI.
By default, the New Project dialog pops up, allowing users to create a blank menu or use one of the built-in templates as a starting point for their autoplay menu. After choosing the type of menu, the program offers the user to set a password for their newly created project so others won’t be able to modify it. Moreover, users can easily create their own templates from any project.
Every button, text, background image and other aspects of the menu can be easily resized, recolored and other editing actions. Various tools are offered on the left side of the screen such as labels, text, images, flash movies…etc. and the application has built-in galleries for the main components of a menu (button, image, background, music, sound, cursor and icon).
The Actions panel enables users to set up an action for any clickable menu element, such as launching a program, sending an e-mail, displaying an image, opening a document or URL and others. The Test button offers a simple way of testing the menu without leaving the program’s interface.
Pros
– Well-organized UI allows effortless access to the features.
– Simple solution for creating autoplay menus with no programming knowledge required.
– Users can easily add, remove and edit project items.
– Menu testing can be done without leaving the program’s interface.
– Multiple options for customizing menus such as background images & music, displaying splash screens, adding actions to buttons, embedding flash, Internet Explorer, Adobe Reader and Windows Media Player…etc.
– Support is enabled for menus with multiple pages.
Cons
– None worth mentioning.
Conclusion
AutoPlay Menu Builder is not very cheap (business license is 99.95$ and personal license is 49.95$) so occasional users might not want to purchase it, just to get rid of the nag screens. Even so, if you frequently need to create autoplay menus, AutoPlay Menu Builder is not just easy to use, but also includes numerous features and options that allow creating both stylish and functional menus for CDs and DVDs.
