I was already referred to this Microsoft support page in a previous thread:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330135&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

But I seem to have hit a snag. When opening regedit and checking my

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoDriveTypeAutoRun

file, as step 7 suggests, the file is available only in binary, not hexadecimal. (It's labeled as REG_BINARY.) So, I can't edit in a hexadecimal value of 91, as the Microsoft page suggests. The display, when I right-click to modify it, is

0000 FF 00 00 00 y...

I'm not sure where to go from here. Can I somehow this existing NoDriveTypeAutoRun file, or copy a "good" one with a hex value of 91 from my Windows install CD? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm pretty sure this screwed-up reg file is the problem.

Go here to get all the files you need to make a bootable (= autorun) disk
http://www.bootdisk.com/
http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/modboot/

This page shows how to make a bootable W2K CD with slipstreamed Service Packs
http://www.angelfire.com/de2/w2kcd/
The above is just for example sake.

That is not what he asked RBS. Autoplay ( the feature that makes Audio CDs play automatically once inserted for example ) is disbaled & he's tryig to re-enable it. No booting involved.

Isn't it possible to re-activate Autoplay by clicking on your CD-Rom's properties ( from the device manager ) ?

Open Group Policy (gpedit.msc on the Start/Run) and navigate to Computer Configuration\administrative templates\system.
Open the Disable Autoplay Policy, select Enabled and select CD-Rom drives.

The NoDriveAutoRun value is a bitmap in which each bit represents a drive letter, starting with A as the least significant bit (outermost right). Setting a bit to 1 disables Autoplay for the associated drive letter. E.G. if you want to disable autoplay on drives H and I, you set the value to hex 180, which is calculated as follows:
LKJI-HGFE-DCBA (these are the drive-letters (backwards))
0001-1000-0000 = 180 hex.

Complicated but true.

To activate autoplay for all, make all the bits 0 (00 00 00 etc.)

To enter the value 91 as per Microsoft, in Regedit that value now shows (in your PC at least):
0000 FF 00 00 etc.

When you doubleclick on NoDriveAutoRun the cursor will blink between 0000 and FF. Carefully press just ONCE on the Delete-key on your keyboard. The FF will disappear. Now just type in 91 where the cursor is.
Your line will now look like:
0000 91 00 00 etc.
Click on OK and that is it.

This worked like a charm. A frosty pint to you and yours, good sir, I am in your debt. Also, thanks.