AutoRun and AutoPlay are basically the same. AutoPlay is the successor of AutoRun from older versions of Windows (XP, 2000,..). AutoRun allowed manufacturers of removable storage media (CD, DVD ROMs) to incorporate an autorun.inf file within the device. On this way operating system is informed to lounch some particular application when the storage device is inserted. AutoPlay gives more choices to choose what program the AutoRun feature should call. This allowed extended use od Autorun on USB storage media. We can say that AutoPlay is extended or upgraded version of Autorun. Sometime we need this option disabled on our computers.
Disable AutoRun / AutoPlay Using Local Group Policy Editor
- Run gpedit.msc from dialog box (Win + R).
- Within Group Policy Editor: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > AutoPlay Policies
- Double-click the Turn off Autoplay option, select Enabled, select All
- Restart Computer
Disable AutoRun / AutoPlay Using Registry Editor
- Run Registry Editor.
- Navigate to:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\ – for all users
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\ – for current user
- Edit “NoDriveTypeAutoRun”. If it doesn’t exist, create a new 32-bit DWORD with this name and assign it the hexadecimal value 000000FF (Decimal 255). It will disable AutoRun/AutoStart on all devices.
- Restart the computer.
Edit AutoPlay options
- Click on Start, type “autoplay” to search, start Autoplay from menu, edit defauln for devices.
Suppress AutoRun
- Press the SHIFT key when inserting a USB, CD or DVD drive. Right click on the icon in Explorer and select Explore to access the contents of the drive. This is a one-time action and you have to keep that in mind every time you insert an drive. Never double-click your drive icon in Explorer.
