How to Enable or Disable AutoRun

Turning AutoRun off - A simple manual approach is to hold down the "Shift" key when a disk or USB storage device is inserted into the computer. A better way is to disable the feature entirely by editing the Windows Registry.

If there is a CD-ROM changer attached to your computer, you may want to disable automatically running CD-ROMs (the automatic running of a compact disc [CD] or the automatic playing of an audio CD-ROM). If automatically running CD-ROMs is enabled with a CD-ROM changer, each time that you insert a new CD-ROM into one of the trays, Windows cycles through every tray in the changer.

There is no option to enable or disable automatically running CD-ROMs in the user interface. To enable or disable automatically running CD-ROMs, you must edit the registry:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER.

2. Locate and click the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE System CurrentControlSet Services CDRom

3. To disable automatically running CD-ROMs, change the Autorun value to 0 (zero). To enable automatically running CD-ROMs, change the Autorun value to 1.
   
   Also navigate to
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Policies Explorer
   And change the value to 5.

4. You may have to log out (or restart your computer) and then log back in for this change to take effect.

Note: With this solution, Windows will no longer be notified when you insert a new CD. To make sure the correct icon and title for the current CD are displayed in My Computer and Explorer, press F5 to refresh the window.

It is advised that users disable the autorun facility of Windows so removable devices such as USB keys and CD ROMs do not automatically launch when they are attached to a PC. Any storage device which is attached to a computer should be checked for virus and other malware before use. Floppy disks, CD ROMs, USB keys, external hard drives and other devices are all capable of carrying malicious code which could infect the computers of innocent users.

Updated On: 09.03.27