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How can I Create Autorun DVD?

I want my software to run automatically from a CD/DVD with no user interaction whenever the user puts the CD/DVD into the drive. As far as I know autorun should still work with Windows 7, just not for USB drives.

But how?

Let's say I want to start software.exe, how do I configure autorun.inf ? This, doesn't work.

[AutoRun]
open=software.exe

What is preventing software.exe* from running? How can I run it (automatically)?

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possible duplicate of How can I Create Autorun DVD? - Specifically see This Answer for some help. – techie007 Nov 3 '11 at 18:42
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Also note that many companies disable autorun as an added layer of defense against malware. – Dave M Nov 3 '11 at 18:44
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BTW: Ensure you haven't disabled AutoRun on your test computer. And although I'm not 100%, I think the section header is case sensitive, as all examples tend to show it as [autorun] and not [AutoRun]. – techie007 Nov 3 '11 at 18:53
Consider whether you really want to do this. Autorun is a bad feature that opens horribly bad security holes. – Keith Thompson Nov 3 '11 at 23:49
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closed as exact duplicate by techie007, Dave M, Simon Sheehan, studiohack♦ Nov 9 '11 at 1:28

This question covers exactly the same ground as earlier questions on this topic; its answers may be merged with another identical question. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

1 Answer

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Security built into Windows 7 prevents autorun from running.

(The reason why it won't work is becasuse on Windows 7, the only keys available in the [autorun] section of autorun.inf are label and icon (except for on DRIVE_CDROM drives). Any other keys in this section will be ignored. Thus only CD and DVD media types can specify an AutoRun task (or affect double-click and right-click behavior).

There is a patch available, KB971029 for Windows XP and later, that will change AutoRun functionality to this behaviour.)

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Ok, so what do I have to put in the autorun.inf in order to start xy.exe automatically? – Ian Nov 3 '11 at 19:22
Its impossible without the patch. Once you install the patch, then it'll work. (There is no way to autorun a .exe in windows 7 without the patch.) – wizlog Nov 3 '11 at 20:51
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@wizlog: I think you got a few things wrong here. 1. The OP specifically asks for a solution for optical drives, which - as you said yourself - should still work on Windows 7. 2. The patch is intended for Windows XP, Vista and Server 2003 in order to behave like Windows 7 does. You cannot install this patch on Windows 7 nor would it do any good. – Dennis Nov 4 '11 at 0:06
Just to answer the question directly: "What is preventing software.exe from running?" Answer: Security – Ian Boyd Nov 4 '11 at 0:27
@Dennis Thats right, I'm now wondering if it's possible to autorun an .exe on a CD on Windows 7 after all? That has not been answered so far. – Ian Nov 4 '11 at 8:10
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