LostInTechnology

How To Change AutoRun Settings in Windows

Posted on 07. Jul, 2009 by UzEE in How To, Windows

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AutoRun has been a major feature in Microsoft Windows from the days of Windows 95. It was included as a simple user experience enhancement aimed at the non-technical and novice users which executed some pre-programmed code whenever they inserted removable media (CDs back then) into their computers. It usually allowed them to do some common tasks like install a software program or read support documentation. The feature has evolved since then and has expanded to support multiple devices like USB Flash Drives, Hard Drives, and Memory Cards etc.

This expansion has its drawbacks too however – it gives malware an easy path to infect an unprotected computer. To prevent this, the users can constrain the functionality of AutoRun or disable it altogether. This article will cover a couple of effective techniques to do both those things.

Configuring AutoRun Through AutoPlay

While people mostly confuse AutoRun and AutoPlay, they are two separate features of the operating systems.  While AutoRun triggers the AutoRun script placed in the media, AutoPlay scans the contents of the drive to determine which other actions could be performed like playing music on the device.

You can configure what actions are available to you for different devices. There are different ways to do this depending on your version of Windows.

For Windows XP

You can configure the AutoPlay options per device in Windows XP. You would have to connect each device to the computer to be able to configure it for the first time however.

1. Connect the device to the computer.
2. Goto My Computer in Windows Explorer and right-click the device you want to configure, and select properties from the context menu.
3. In the properties dialog, click the AutoPlay tab.

You can select various options here depending on the device you connected. You can choose which event handler to trigger when the device is connected or you could also turn off AutoPlay for this device.

For Windows Vista and Windows 7

You cannot set AutoPlay features on a per device basis in Vista. You only have the option to set global properties which apply to all devices in that specific category. The AutoPlay configuration settings are available in the Control Panel. You can enable and disable it on a global level and choose specific options for media and devices in different categories like Audio CDs, Picture Discs, Blank Media, or Software or Games discs etc.

You can also configure the settings per device on Windows 7. The devices that you have connected appear under the Devices list in the AutoPlay Configuration Dialog. You can enable/disable AutoPlay on specific devices or set default handlers for each one.

Disabling AutoRun

While you can easily disable the AutoPlay functionality in Windows, this still wont prevent the AutoRun scripts from execution, and allow malicious code to infect your system. While the security features in Windows Vista and Windows 7 are very tight (UAC), there are still risks of infection if you leave AutoRun turned on.

Thankfully, Microsoft has decided to take back the functionality from non-write protected media (like USB Flash Drives, DVD-R/RW, Hard Drives etc) allowing only trusted vendors to utilize the AutoRun features in Windows. This would be delivered as a future update to all versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows XP onwards. In the mean time, there are two very straightforward ways of disabling AutoRun in Windows.

Keyboard Shortcut

The most simple way to prevent AutoRun from executing is by pressing and holding the SHIFT key on your keyboard while inserting the device. This will suppress the AutoRun (and AutoPlay) for that instance only however. You can still trigger it to run by double clicking on the device in Windows Explorer or from the right click context menu.

Group Policy Editor

If you have administrative rights on your computer, then you can disable AutoRun by modifying certain group policy keys. This can be done simply from the Group Policy Editor in Windows. Here is what you need to do:

1. Log in from an Administrator account.
2. Press Windows Logo key + R to bring up the Run dialog.
3. Enter gpedit.msc to launch the Group Policy Editor console.
4. The next step depends on your operating system.
   • Windows XP: From the Policy Tree on the left, expand Administrative Templates under Computer Configuration, and select System. Scroll down until you see the Turn Off AutoPlay/AutoRun item. Double click it, select Enabled and choose All Drives from the drop down menu below. Click Ok and close the Group Policy Editor.
   • Windows Vista/Windows 7: From the Policy Tree on the left, expand Administrative Templates under Computer Configuration, expand Windows Components, and select AutoPlay Policies. Double Click Turn Off AutoPlay/AutoRun item. Select Enabled and choose All Drives from the drop down menu below. Click Ok and double click Default Behavior for AutoRun. Select Enabled and choose Do not Execute Any AutoRun Commands from the options menu. Click Ok and close the Group Policy Editor.
5. Press Windows Logo Key + R again to bring up the run dialog.
6. Enter gpupdate.exe /force to force the Group Policy Changes without restarting your computer.

Other Techniques

Lots of third party tweaking applications allow you to modify hidden windows settings, like Tweak UI for Windows XP by Microsoft. You can try those too and if you have any simpler technique to do this, then do let us know via comments.

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Tags: 7, autoplay, autorun, Change, disable, How To, settings, vista, Windows, xp