What is autorun?
AutoRun is a feature of the Windows operating system that causes a certain file to open or a certain program to run automatically as soon as a CD, compact disc is inserted into the CD drive or usb stick is inserted into the usb port. The action taken is determined by a file called AUTORUN.INF. If the file to be opened is a music or multimedia file, the feature is called AutoPlay.
If there is no AUTORUN.INF file on an enhanced CD containing data files as well as music or multimedia files, a computer with Windows will normally start playing the music or multimedia as soon as the CD is inserted. If there is an AUTORUN.INF file on the CD, the computer follows the instructions contained in it.
Why need to diable autorun?
The reason for disabling autorun feature is the security. If you insert a cd or usb stick with a virus in it, you system will automatically start the virus program and get your system infected. So it is highly recommended that you disable the autorun feature. The following are the steps to diable auto run feature:
For windows xp professional:
1. Click Start
2. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
3. Under Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Autoplay Policies.
4. In the Details pane, double-click Turn off Autoplay.
5. Click Enabled, and then select All drives in the Turn off Autoplay box to disable Autorun on all drives.
6. Restart the computer.
For windows xp home or other operating systems:
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following entry in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\
Explorer\NoDriveTypeAutorun
3. Right-click NoDriveTypeAutoRun, and then click Modify.
4. In the Value data box, type 0xFF to disable all types of drives. Or, to selectively disable specific drives by the values in the following table
5. Click OK, and then exit Registry Editor.
6. Restart the computer.
How to selectively disable specific Autorun features?
To selectively disable specific Autorun features, you must change the NoDriveTypeAutoRun entry in one of the following registry key subkeys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\
The following table shows the settings for the NoDriveTypeAutoRun registry entry.
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Value Meaning
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0x1, 0x80 Disables AutoRun on drives of unknown type
0x4 Disables AutoRun on removable drives
0x8 Disables AutoRun on fixed drives
0x10 Disables AutoRun on network drives
0x20 Disables AutoRun on CD-ROM drives
0x40 Disables AutoRun on RAM disks
0xFF Disables AutoRun on all kinds of drives
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