No more auto-run

JustinW

JustinW

Super Moderator
Staff member
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/28/microsoft_windows_retires_autorun/

RC2 for Windows 7 well no longer give you the usual auto-run prompt like you'd expect when you plug in a removeable device. Apparently, XP and Vista well eventualy get the upgrade as well.

What does this mean? For one, greater security. Autorun is a feature taken great advantage of for malware distribution. So in a few months when you no longer see auto-run or your folder for your USB device doesn't pop up automatically, you'll need to manually access the device from than on from "Computer".
 
I've always turned it off, right from the days of W95, so I shan't miss it at all.
 
Don't you mean Win 98? UPnP didn't come out I believe until 98SE. Don't think auto-run would've been around before than.

I disable auto-run on all my computers as well. Not that anyone else uses them, its just with usb drives going anywhere I go I never know when one of the networks i'm on has been compromised.
 
There was no USB that far back, but CDs still autoran as soon as they came ready on W95.
I skipped 98 and moved to ME to get AGP/USB support when I upgraded the hardware.
Autorun's even more intrusive now that it happens every time you move a flash-drive, but it was still around on CD players even in 95.
 
Oh yeah, thats right (I can barely remember but I had installed a game once on W95 and its installer poped up automatically).
 
Well its ovbious at the moment but I think I better correct myself here. Autoruns to stop working in W7 RC1 not RC2 like I had posted. As far as I know MS hasn't announced an RC2 as of right now.
 
win7autorun.png


Funny that looks like RC1 and that looks like a AutoRun to me....
 
False information I guess, unless thats a u3 or other usb device with a cd-rom virtual partition. Oh bummer if its not true than. I was looking forward to seeing auto-run die.

Edit:

Did a little searching on the topic. You're right Alex, autoplay/autoruns not going away, its just that they've changed its behavior. See here under the section entitled: "Improvements to AutoPlay".

Basically to sum it up here, unless whats been inserted is optical media you well still get an autorun/autoplay prompt, but only the installed default actions of the system well be displayed to you. Unfortunately, they're keeping it the way it is for optical media due to user habit of expecting the installer for their software or their dvd to start playing immediately when they insert a disc into their systems.

Regardless its still exciting to know you wont haft to worry about somebody's latest usb infection unless these u3 drives and what have you become more popular. They already are I suppose, but its going to only get worse. Really we need to start training users to manually find the installers on thier discs or launch thier favorites movies with the programs they want to play them in, so MS can put an end to autorun/autoplay for good regardless of what type of storage device it is.
 
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Mine was just a USB ThumbDrive that i have some portable apps on and some Removal stuff on. Nothing with U3 as i know nothing about it and dont really need it. It isnt made to be bootable either.

Autorun is just like Anti-Virus software. It is there for convience cause many users are to lazy to take the appropriate steps. :tongueout:

I havent installed a firewall in years. I only have a AV cause i visit some shady sites trying to do support. So i want to make sure that i am protected. But the point is, with the right protection you dont have to worry. When you have Script Blocking on with Ad blocking and Flash Block there isnt much left of a site to view that can harm your system.

So even my AV may be going the way of the Dino soon since i have 2 browser which have that much security.
 
Hows autorun relate to browsing habits and browser security?

I guess if you're talking about it in the sense of script blocking I guess thats what they're essentially doing here. If the device isnt optical media (or virtual optical media) it well disregard any autorun files that could display seemingly harmless actions to the user.
 
I am not saying that AutoRun is related. My point is that people dont understand security.

AutoRun is not a bad thing, if you know what you are doing. Just as browsing isnt bad if you know what you are doing.

But you get those people who just dont pay attention and just click away at everything that comes up and that is where these issues come in.

It shouldnt be on Microsoft to eliminate AutoRun. It should be on the user to stop and actually think and read what is popping up on their screen.
 
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