Using AutoRun with a USB Flash Drive / USB stick (Article from SamLogic)Using AutoRun with a USB Flash Drive (USB stick)The in Windows is oftenused to start programs and open menu interfaces on a CD or DVDautomatically. But it is possible to do the same with a USB flash drive(USB stick)? Can the AutoRun technology be used with a USB flash drive?In this article we will answer these questions.AdvertisementNote: The textbelow is also true for Windows 8 and Windows 10. And for Windows XPand Windows Vista ifyou have downloaded and installed a special update from Microsoft that reducesthe AutoRun support for USB flash drives. You can read more.USB flash drive /USB stickMostof us have a USB flash drive (sometimes also referred to as a USB stick,USB memory stick or a thumb drive) that we use when we want to store datatemporarily.

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They are small and lightweight and are very practical whenyou want to move files from one computer to another. Previously we oftenburned our data to a CD or DVD, but using USB flash drives are fasterand they are easier to handle and they can store more data, and they areso small that you can easily store them in your pocket.USB flash drives are often used whendata is moved between home and office. They are also often used whendata is moved inside an office, for example when moving data to/from acomputer that is not connected to a network.

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They are also practical ifyou want to run small special programs that don't need installation andwhich are not normally located on a computer.Nowadays, companies have also startedto distribute software, documents, movies and music via USB flashdrives. One reason is that they are very fast - they are faster than CDsor DVDs. Programs that are placed on a USB flash drive start immediatelyand large documents are shown very quickly. But when distributingprograms, documents etc. On a USB flash drive, the same question thatwas common with a CD or a DVD also arises. How can the end-user quicklyfind the program or document he/she wants to open?With CDs and DVDs the AutoRuntechnology in Windows was used to start a particular program or open aparticular document automatically.

But is this also possible with a USBflash drive?Using AutoRun withUSB flash drivesIf you place an Autorun.inffile in the root folder of a CD or DVD and the Autorun.inf filecontains an OPEN command pointing to aprogram file (e.g. OPEN=MYAPP.EXE), the program is launchedautomatically when you insert the CD/DVD in a drive. But if you placethe same Autorun.inf file and program file on a USB flash driveand plug the drive into a USB port in a computer, the program will notstart automatically. Instead is a Windows menu shown, whichcontains a list of actions (options) that you can choose between tohandle the USB drive.The AutoPlaydialog box in WindowsThe dialog box that is shown when youinsert a USB stick in a computer is called the AutoPlay dialog box. Thissame dialog box is also shown when you insert a CD/DVD with no Autorun.inffile in a computer's disc drive.With a CD or DVD this dialog box canbe suppressed if an Autorun.inf file is placed on the disc.Unfortunately this is not possible, by default, with a USB flash drive.In Windows 7 this is not possible at all.In Windows XP and Windows Vista it ispossible for the user to change the behavior of a USB flash drive bychanging settings in Windows, and there are programs available that can dothis automatically.

By changing some settings the user can make Windowsto run the Autorun.inffile instead of showing the AutoPlay dialog box for USB flash drives.However, for security reasons this is not recommended and in Windows 7,with its tightened security, this possibility is completely removed.So, how to launcha program on a USB flash drive?Using Autorun.inf toautomatically launch a program on a USB flash drive seems not to bepossible in the same way as with a CD or DVD. So what to do instead? Arethere any alternative ways?Well, the answer is yes and no. Itdepends of the version of Windows. Below we will explain how to handlethis in different Windows version.How to launch aprogram in Windows XP and Windows VistaAs described above in this article,an AutoPlay dialog box is shown when the user plugs a USB stick into a USBport. This AutoPlay dialog box contains a list of actions (options) thatcan be performed on the USB flash drive, for example view a slideshow ofpictures on the drive (if there are any) or open Windows Explorer.

InWindows XP and Windows Vista it is possible to add your own action item(option) to the AutoPlay dialog box. This gives the USB flash drivealmost AutoRun capability.

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The item is placed as the first option in theaction list, and is selected by default, so the user only needs to pressEnter or OK to launch the program. Not as automatic asusing pure AutoRun, but almost.To add this action item to theAutoPlay dialog in Windows, a command calledACTIONmust be placed in the Autorun.inf file.

This command will displaya user-defined text row in the AutoPlay dialog box (as the first textrow) and it will co-operate with the OPENcommand in the Autorun.inf file. The OPENcommand specifies the filename of the program to execute. We willexplain theACTION command with more details below inthis article, but first some words about Windows 7.How to launch aprogram in Windows 7In Windows 7 it is not possible touse the ACTION command and theOPEN command together with USB flash drivesanymore.

Microsoft has removed this support for security reasons. Thesecommands are still available for CDs and DVDs in Windows 7, but not forUSB sticks.Specifying your own label and iconfor the USB flash drive via the Autorun.inf file is stillpossible, but it is not possible to allow a user to execute a program onthe drive via the AutoPlay dialog box. And automatically executing aprogram on a USB flash drive by turning off AutoPlay and only usingAutoRun is not possible either. The OPENcommand is not supported at all for USB flash drives in Windows 7.To execute a program the user mustopen Windows Explorer and manually run the program. Luckily an option tostart Windows Explorer is always shown in the AutoPlay dialog so it iseasy to start Windows Explorer.

But to make it also easy for the user tofind your program on the USB flash drive (the program you want the userto start when plugging in the USB stick) you should always place theprogram on the root folder of the drive and give it a descriptive namesuch as 'StartMe.exe', 'Autorun.exe', 'Menu.exe' etc. This program fileshould also be the only executable file in the root folder, otherwisesome users might start the wrong program by mistake.More information about the changedbehavior for AutoRun and AutoPlay in Windows 7 can be read in thefollowing article on our Internet site:.Using the ACTIONcommand in an Autorun.inf fileThere are still a lot of users of Windows XP and Windows Vista so adding anACTIONcommand to the Autorun.inf file is still a good idea. It is alsosimple to add this command and below we will show an example of how thiscommand can be used:AutoRunOPEN=MYAPP.EXEICON=MYAPP.EXEACTION=Start my applicationIn this example, theACTION command places the text 'Startmy application' in the AutoPlay dialog box in Windows XP and WindowsVista. The item with this text will be placed as the first item and itwill also be selected by default. Next to the text, the icon specifiedby theICON command is shown. And when the userchooses the selected item, the program file specified by theOPEN command is launched.If you use Notepad to create theAutorun.inffile, you should enter the following in Notepad:How to give theUSB flash drive a label (title)It is also possible to give a USBflash drive its own label (title). This will work in all Windows versionssince Windows XP, including Windows 7.The label text will be shown inWindows Explorer and in the AutoPlay dialog box.

To specify this text, acommand with the name LABEL can be used inthe Autorun.inffile. Below we show an example of how to use theLABELcommand (the last line in the example):AutoRunOPEN=MYAPP.EXEICON=MYAPP.EXEACTION=Start my applicationLABEL=My DriveIn this example the USB flash drivehas been given the label 'My Drive'. This label is displayed before thedrive letter in Windows Explorer and as a dialog box title in theAutoPlay dialog box. Below we show how the AutoPlay dialog box will looklike in Windows XP when using the Autorun.inf file above:Specifying your own icon for a USB flash drive is also possible.

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Inthe example above we tell Windows to get the icon from the MYAPP.EXEprogram file by using a command named ICON.Instead of an.EXE file you can also use an.ICO (icon) file, forexample as:ICON=MYICON.ICOMore information about theLABEL and ICONcommands, and other commands mentioned in this article, can be read onthis page at Microsoft's web site. A short commands reference is also available onthis page on our web site.Adding a menuinterface to a USB flash driveThereare different reasons why a specific program should be run immediatelyafter that a USB stick has been inserted into a USB port. One commonreasonis to start a general setup program. Another is to show a menuinterface. This menu interface can for example contain buttons to startinstallations, show documents or show movies.As described above in this article,different methods must be used in different Windows versions to start aparticular program, for example to start a menu interface program. InWindows XP and Windows Vista the menu program can be launched almostautomatically - just press Enter or OK - but in Windows 7the menu program must be started manually by the user from Windows Explorer. Tohandle this in the best way you should do the following:1.

Give the program that should bestarted a descriptive name2. Create an Autorun.inf file that adds an action item to theAutoPlay dialog box in WindowsYou can for example name the programfile to 'START-MENU.EXE' and then create an Autorun.inf file withthe following contents:AutoRunOPEN=START-MENU.EXEICON=START-MENU.EXEACTION=Show MenuLABEL=My MenuThis file must be placed in the rootfolder of the USB flash drive. Also the menu program ('START-MENU.EXE')must be placed in the root folder, otherwise the Autorun.inf fileabove will not work. It is possible to place the menu program in a subfolder (then you must add a folder path to theOPENand ICON commands) but it is notrecommended as users will then have more difficulty finding the program.Software that cancreate a menu interface to a USB flash driveAlthough it is not complicated tocreate an Autorun.inf file, it is more time consuming to create amenu interface. There are many products on the market that cancreate menu interfaces for USB flash drives and some of them can alsoautomatically create the necessary Autorun.inf file that isneeded to add an action item to the AutoPlay dialog box in Windows. Atour company we have a product named, which can be used to design and build menuinterfaces for CDs, DVDs and USB flash drives.Do you want to read more articlesand tips?If you want to readmore articles and tips about AutoRun and related topics you canfollow us onor, or subscribe on our.

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You can also read our.Related products:Other articlesMore articles are available from the.USBFlash Drive MenuCreate a menu interface for aUSB flash drive.Related Articles.