What is Autoplay?

Autoplay is a window with the list of possible actions for a drive displayed by Windows when you connect your external device to a computer. Before creating that window, the system analyzes the media and suggests some options of behavior according the drive content. User chooses which action to apply to his drive: to play music in Media Player, to run Explorer and etc.

Microsoft Windows users often confuse Autoplay and Autorun. Unfortunately not only users, even MS Windows developers confuse these two different concepts in their documentation. Autorun is a programs launch at the entrance to the drive in Windows Explorer, whilst Autoplay is a window, which Windows shows when you connect an external drive to a computer.

Pros And Cons

Autoplay is intended to simplify life for an average inexperienced user since it automatically detects what to do with the device and offers a plain list of actions  for the user to select from. However for more advanced users autoplay does not give any advantages and even impedes to work. Because scanning the content of 320 GB (or more) external hard drive is quite long and annoying process, which can hang the system for a few minutes. Moreover to show the Autoplay window is excessive for users who use an alternative file manager to work with files.

How to disable Autoplay?

For Windows Vista and Windows 7 you can uncheck the option “Use Autorun for all devices” in Autorun settings window (yes, exactly “Autorun”, however this option disables the Autoplay!). Also you can disable this option in Zentimo at “Windows Autorun & Autoplay Configuration” dialog.

You can find the “Windows Autorun & Autoplay Configuration” feature through the Local or Global Autorun in Zentimo.

3 Responses to “What is Autoplay?”

  1. […] What is Autoplay? […]

  2. avatar Jon says:

    Disable Autoplay – GREAT idea!
    Am I correct in understanding your information about ‘Windows Autorun’ viruses that the Zentimo ‘Autorun’ is a different process that the virus cannot use?
    Regards,
    Jon, Western Australia