Make media button on keyboard open Winamp instead of WMP

On Windows 7 (and since Windows ME apparently) these enhanced keyboard keys can be handled directly by Windows using the APPCOMMAND system.

The associations for these keys are stored in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\AppKey.
(It can be overridden, per user, by adding it in HKCU as well I think).

AppKey 16 is the "Media Launcher" key (APPCOMMAND_LAUNCH_MEDIA_SELECT). By default it has an association with .cda (Audio CD's).

So which ever program you have set as the program to handle Audio CD's will be what opens when you hit the Media Launch key.

I have Winamp currently set to control .CDA files (Winamp-->Options-->Preferences-->General Preferences-->File Types), and it opens when I hit the "Music note" key on my Logitech with no additional drivers installed.

This is the real thing you have to do to make anyprogram be default of media button: Startmenu-> Control Panel-> All Control Panel Items-> Default Program-> Associate a file type of protocol of program -> ... find .cda, click on it and click "Change program..." -> Choose any media program you want like Jetaudio or Winamp -> OK

Then you can instead open your program by pressing media button.

In Windows 8.1

• Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs - Set program access and computer defaults
  
• expand "custom"
  
• in "Choose a default media player" select "winamp"