How to stop all Autoplay on USB drives?

groundless

D-A-L Newbie

I have a number of external USB drives and various computers. When I plug them in Windows (working correctly) starts scanning 250-500 GB of files and asking me what I want to do with Music, Pictures, Mxied Content, etc.

I know I can turn off Autoplay in the Properties of the individual drives with each computer I connect them to. However, I would prefer just to plug them in and have them wait until I go to the files I want.

So is there a global setting in XP that will just stop all autoplay of an external drive? I'm familiar with regedit if that's the way to get to it.

I'm sure this has been asked before but searching things like "disable Autoplay" yields about a zillion posts, so thanks for putting up with what may be redundant.

grimerz

Tech Rank 1/5

Hello groundless

Click on Start/Run and type gpedit.msc
This will take you to the Group Policy frame.
D.Click on the Admin Templates.
Click on 'System' and in the Right-Hand pane, Double-Click 'verbose vs normal status messages'
This brings up 'Properties of V vs N status.
Click os 'Disable,' and 'Apply.'
Hopefully this will stop it?

regards

grimerz

Majin

Tech Rank 2/5

Actually there is a option in group policy to turn off autoplay here is a screenshot on how to get there.

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groundless

D-A-L Newbie

Thanks to both of you for the replies. Unfortunately, my group policy pane doesn't show System under Administrative Templates--just Windows Components, which in turn shows Windows Media Player and Windows Update.

I am the Administrator, and I just un-hid system files (thought I had done that already), but I still don't see System.

Is there something else I need to tweak so I can see System under Group Policy?