I burned a CD with mp3's in 10 separate folders and it plays fine on set top and on the computer using a player. When I tried to view the files the other day they showed up as .cda files. Today they are viewed as cd-mp3 and I can double click and play them. Not sure what happened before. Is there any drawback to burning folders of mp3's as opposed to all mp3's on the root of the CD. Sorry for the elementary question but better to do it right from the beginning. Thanks

Unless you are using the disks on a hardware player that is too primitive to handle folders, I can't think of any disadvantage of using folders. There might be some Microsoft nonsense with Media Player or whatever other (probably as obnoxious) programs(s) they wrote to play audio but staying away from Microsoft applications is always virtuous.

Amazing how some folks never miss an opportunity to bash. Wow. For the record, I've had no problems playing MP3 CDs in WMP 8 (which was the last time I played an MP3 CD). But then again, few people do that on PCs any more nowadays.

@ tubeless: I don't see any problem with folder burning either.

Probably just a glitch, it happens sometimes. (especially with windows! couldn't help it)

It depends how autorun/autostart/auto insert notification is being handled. This won't happen if you leave it enabled.

Personally I don't consider this a glitch. That said, I have little use for this dangerous and invasive "feature" of Windows.

Just make sure you boot into Windows with an empty (CD/DVD) drive when you have autorun disabled.

That autorun feature can be a pain sometimes. Even when I have it disabled there are times when media player insists on autoplaying music CD's. I think it happens when media player is allready open.

Remember there is more than one registry setting that affects this feature.

Also, the window that pops up asking you what to do when you insert different types of media is practically useless when it comes to telling Windows to do nothing.

There is Autorun/Autoplay, and there is CD Insert Notification.

The first one will pop up a dialog box asking you what to do with an inserted CD, and an Audio player may set the registry forcing windows to play an audio CD with it.

The second one will notify *active* programs that have some business with the CD, e.g. Explorer. If it is disabled, then when you insert the CD you have to F5 to refresh the display.

Disable the latter, and the former will die. But you may cause trouble with programs expecting CD insert notification.

Edit:
I personally kill the first, letting the second active. The best way IMO is to use Microsoft's TweakUI PowerToy. Skunk around the tree structure, and there's a page allowing you to enable/disable Autorun/Autoplay for CD's, or for Removable disks, or both.

Then when you put in a disk on which someone (a big manufacturer, most likely) has put an executable that installs crippling changes to your OS, it will all be accomplished before you have any idea what is happening.

...or you go start/run/gpedit.msc
click on user congif/admin templates/system
In there, you'll find "Turn off autoplay".
Double click, enable, and click 'apply' and 'ok'.

Thanks for that, audio2u! Nice little tool.

No wukkas.