A bug in Microsoft Vista executes programs in the Autorun.inf file when the Autorun feature has been disabled via the NoDriveTypeAutoRun registry value. If you've set the value NoDriveTypeAutoRun in the Windows Vista registry, delete the value and follow the steps below to really disable autorun in Vista.

Note: the steps below involved editing the System Registry. For tip and how-to guides on using the system registry, view the Windows System Registry Tutorial.


Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 5 minutes

Here's How:

1. The easiest and most effective means to truly disable autorun can be done via this simple autorun registry hack:
   REGEDIT4
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\IniFileMapping\Autorun.inf]
   @="@SYS:DoesNotExist"
   
2. The above method nulls any request for autorun.inf and works on XP Home or Pro, as well as Windows Vista.
   
   If you opt to disable autorun using any other method, you will first need to install an autorun patch from Microsoft that allegedly resolves issues that cause autorun to run even after it's been disabled (using methods other than the above recommended method).
   
3. The following steps apply to Windows Vista users only. See: How to Disable Autorun in Windows XP.
   
4. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and browse to the following key:
   HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom
   
5. In the right pane, right-click Autorun and select Modify.
6. Enter 0 for the Value data. Click OK, then exit the Registry Editor
7. Click Start, type autoplay and press enter. If prompted by User Access Control (UAC), click Continue.

1. Remove the check from 'Use AutoPlay for all media and devices'
   You may also wish to change each individual item to 'Take no action'
   
2. Click Save and the Autoplay window will close.
3. The following steps involve using the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). This feature is not available in Windows Vista Home or Windows Vista Home Premium editions.
4. Click Start, type gpedit.msc and press enter. If prompted by User Access Control (UAC), click Continue. The Group Policy Object Editor will open.
5. In the left pane under Computer Configuration, double click Administrative Templates, then double click Windows Components.
6. In the right pane, double click AutoPlay Policies and select (double click) 'Default Behavior for AutoRun'.
7. In the Default Behavior for Autorun Properties dialog, select Enabled. In the Default Autorun Behavior field, select Do not execute any autorun commands
8. Click Apply, then click OK and close the Group Policy Object Editor.