As a beginner, I'm trying to understand whether disabling Autoplay is a good idea. I know that if I connect an infected device, like an SSD, to my PC, it could potentially infect my system even if I don't open any files within that device. I've learned that I can go to Settings, navigate to Devices, and turn off Autoplay for all media and devices. By doing this, am I ensuring that nothing runs from the connected device unless I open it? However, when I do need to access that device, what's the best practice? Should I be scanning the device's contents with Microsoft Defender first? Is turning off Autoplay overkill, and if not, why isn't it set to off by default?
1 Answer
Just to clarify, Autoplay is mainly for media like DVDs and CDs; it won’t automatically run anything from USBs anymore—that's what Autorun used to do, but Microsoft removed that feature. So, with Autoplay, you’re pretty safe. Just remember, it’s still smart to check any device with antivirus software before diving in, especially if you’re unsure about it!
Thanks for clarifying! So, Autoplay won’t launch anything dangerous on devices? That’s good to know!