On the Windows 2000 default cd player is the options button hit that then the preferance button and then advanced audio you can make and change your default drive from there.

Where is the options button located?

It's on the bottom left hand corner above the internet button of the windows default cd player it's self, you can't miss it !

OK, this works when you want to listen to an Audio CD from a specific drive ... but it doesn't seem to work like the "select default Audio CD drive" in the Win9x multimedia setting ...
 
Because games seem to ignore whatever I select in the CD-Player, it seems that those options have not much to do with the "default audio cd drive" settings, more like an option to select a different volume setting/audio mixer for different CD drives ...
 
The only way to get CD-audio in games was to connect the audio cable back to my first CD drive.
 
hmmm, this gives me another idea ... maybe when I just change the driveletters of the drives ... ?
I'll try that later today since I'm at work right now.
 
I don't want to use my CDROM for audio CD's since it makes an audible hiss while accessing CDROM's (like installing stuff). I don't have this prob on my CD-R.

Here the follow up:
 
Yes, my idea has proven correct.
Win2000 defaults the audio CD player to the CD drive with the lowest driveletter.
 
Now I can use my CD-R again as my default audio CD player (driveletter lower then CDROM).

How did you swap drive letters w/ out swapping the physical drives?