Windows AutoPlay or AutoRun has been around for quite awhile now. From the early days when you’d load a CD and the installation process would commence automatically, or an audio CD begins playback in your media player, to attaching a digital camera and having your photos transferred right into the application of choice. On the surface, this functionality is incredibly useful for the novice user – it’s very Apple-like where things just work with minimal interaction by the user. As with many things though, it’s impossible for Microsoft to appease everyone; savvy users are apt to quickly alter or outright disable the functionality entirely.

Truthfully, the AutoPlay is only as helpful as it fully can be when it’s properly fleshed out and configured. Without much configuration, the AutoPlay in Windows 7 is more auto-prompt than auto-play – in that the dialog window will only suggest to the user the process they may want to kickstart. If you are repeating a similar task a dozen times in a row, it quickly turns quite tedious repeating the same question/answer sequence every time.

Detailed configuration is available within the Control Panel by searching for the term autoplay. Access the link item titled Change default settings for media or devices.

If warranted, here you can fully disable the AutoPlay functionality with a single click.

Otherwise, the action for each media or device can be tuned further by choosing the appropriate drop-down option. A few available options can include: Take no action, Ask me every time, or opening a particular application for the specified media type.

It’s important to realize that the drop-down options are populated dynamically – therefor you want to ensure all devices are connected to the PC before completing your AutoPlay configuration.

AutoPlay tends to get a bum wrap but it actually can improve your workflow if a bit of setup time is dedicated before hand.