HandyCd is a cd audio player much like Microsoft's Flexicd only with a lot more options and a far more user friendly interface. It sits in the icon tray (next to the clock) and allows you to play or pause cd's and skip to next or previous tracks with a single mouse click. The menu offers you direct access to all the tracks on the cd and, for instance, gives the possibility to edit the cd properties. Skipping forward or backward within a track is also supported.
HandyCd is freeware.
Installing HandyCd
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Just copy HandyCd.exe to a directory of your choice.
Uninstalling HandyCd.exe
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Delete HandyCd.exe.
Delete HandyCd.ini from your Windows directory.
Run the registry editor (c:\windows\regedit.exe) and delete the key 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lester is slank! producties\HandyCd'. If you don't use other products of Lester is slank! producties (and chances are that you don't, I'm afraid) you can also delete the key 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lester is slank! producties'.
Functions
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Most functions of HandyCd are pretty clear, but there are some which need a little explaining so here goes:
Show cd info - Open the menu (by right clicking on the HandyCd icon). Click on the name of the cd currently playing or (if available) the name of the artist. The cd info window disappears when you click it.
Edit cd properties - Select the menu item 'Edit cd properties'. In the form which appears now you can enter or edit the cd information. This information is stored in the 'cdplayer.ini' file used by the Windows CD Player and completely follows the format used by CD Player.
View favorites - Select the menu item 'View favorites'. You'll see a window with all the cd's you ever played with HandyCd and how often you played them. This information is stored in the file 'HandyCd.ini' in the Windows directory.
Skipping within a track - Select the menu item 'Enable skipping'. A track bar appears. Move the slider to skip forward or backward. You can make the track bar disappear by clicking the 'X' on the right of the bar or by selecting the menu item 'Disable skipping'.
Setting HandyCd options - Select the menu item 'Options'. Now you can set various options. If you have more than one cd-rom drive HandyCd will initially select the cd-rom drive with the lowest drive letter. If this is not the drive you use for playing audio cd's then you can select the drive you want to use in the Options window. HandyCd will write this information to the registry and use it from then on.
For information on the 'Set distance in pixels for single-click track selection' option see 'Selecting a track without using the menu' further on in this file.
Stop playing - Select the menu item 'Stop' if you want the cd-rom player to really stop playing and seek to the beginning of the cd instead of pausing somewhere in the middle. You might find this a useful function to select before shutting down your computer.
Selecting a track without using the menu - You can pause and play an audio cd by clicking the HandyCd icon in the icon tray. Furthermore you can select the previous or next track by a single mouse click. To do this press the left mouse button while pointing at the HandyCd icon. Now move the mouse (while still pressed) to the left for previous track or to the right for next track and then release the mouse button (make sure you're still above the icon). This will only work if the distance in pixels between the point where you pressed the button and the point where you released the button is greater than the value of the 'Set distance in pixels for single-click track selection' option, which you can set in the options window. The distance defaults to 5 pixels.
Comments about HandyCd
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All comments, feedback and criticism is very much appreciated and can be send to 'jmulder@cs.vu.nl'.
