Autorun.inf Does Not Work In Windows 7 Anymore

Microsoft has removed the autorun.inf feature from Windows 7. This means that when you insert the USB drive, the programs will not automatically start up. So is this good news or bad news? Spoiler Alert: It is good news!

First lets talk about the good aspects. With autorun.inf you could assign which programs should run automatically when USB drive is inserted, thus, making it easier for the users. This also saves them plenty of steps if the file/program is located deep inside some directory.

For every upside there is an equal downside. But in this case, it seems like autorun.inf has more downsides than upsides. One of the biggest problem of autorun.inf is the virus itself.

If a USB is infected by a virus, the moment you insert it in your computer, your system will get a virus too. The whole process is like a chain reaction. Autorun.inf virus is quite deadly and should not be taken lightly.

So how do we benefit from removing Autorun.inf feature? Lets suppose that you insert a USD drive in your computer running Windows Vista/XP, it will automatically catch the virus since the program(that is infected) will open automatically(if it is configured to open with autorun.inf). Now when you insert the USB drive in your computer running Windows 7 the virus will not come to your computer unless you don’t manually open the drive. Therefore, you will have a chance to scan the drive and clean all viruses before opening it.

Kudos to Microsoft for taking a good step here. We have covered countless ways to prevent Autorun.inf virus, but now thankfully Microsoft have saved the day. This is one of the many improvements Microsoft have made to make Windows 7 more secure.

Note: If your computer is infected with Autorun.inf virus, try Autorun Eater to remove it.

Update: Remember that Autorun will still work on CD/DVDs, it has just been removed from USB drives. Thankskaloskagatos!