Disable autorun.inf in Windows 7 using policies

When you insert a software CD/DVD with autorun commands stored in autorun.inf file, Windows executes the instructions in autorun.inf. This poses a great security risk. There are viruses which make use of this default Windows behaviour to infect your computer. You can disable auto-running of the instructions stored in autorun.inf by using a local system policy. This is how :

  1. Press the key combination Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type gpedit.msc in the Run dialog and press Enter. This would start the Local Group Policy Editor.
  3. In the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Explorer as shown

  4. Scroll down the list on the right side pane and find Default behavior for AutoRun.
  5. Double-click on Default behavior for AutoRun and choose Enabled.
  6. From the drop down list choose Do not execute any autorun commands as shown

  7. Click OK to save the settings.