
The memory storage capacity of these devices ranges between 32 MB and 64 GB. Get a list of similar software here.Autorun Menu for USB Flash Drives USB Flash DriveĪ USB Flash Drive (also known as a USB stick) is a data-storage device that connects directly into the computer's USB port. Since the sub-folder ”con” can’t be deleted, its parent folder autorun.inf can not be deleted by virus as well.Īlternatively you can get Bitdefender USB Immunizer or Panda USB Vaccine to do the job for you. The only other way to delete such a folder is to format the entire drive. ”con” is one of the MS-DOS reserved words and as such a folder with the name ”con” can not be created or deleted without using command prompt. Again with the make directory command, we create a sub-folder named con. With the cd (change directory) command we enter inside the newly created folder autorun.inf. “attrib +h +r +s +a autorun.inf” command makes the folder hidden(+h), read only(+r), system folder(+s) and turns it into an archive(+a), so that it is not easily targeted for deletion by virus. With the mkdir (make directory) command we created a folder named autorun.inf in the root of pen drive so that virus can not create a file with the same name. Press Enter key and close the command prompt. Type your flash drive letter, for example if it is E:, type ”E:” without quotes and press enter.Ĥ.

That’s why immunizing your pen drive(s) becomes essential. It’s not like you can go around messing with others belongings. They are continuously passed on, hopping from one computer to another. Flash drives are meant for sharing with friends and people in your life. Now, of course you could disable autorun on your computer, but what about all the other computers you don’t own. When this flash drive is plugged into another computer, the virus launches automatically and infects the computer. When you plug a USB flash drive into an infected computer, the virus copies itself to the pen drive, while creating an autorun.inf file in the process. It is a file which contains settings for the Autorun feature.

However, when Microsoft introduced this feature with Windows 95, it opened gates to a horde of malware which could now easily replicate itself using the Autorun.inf file. Autorun.inf is not a virus in itself. Autorun is a Windows feature which allows automatic installation of applications from CD/DVD, USB flash drives, external hard disks or any other removable storage media.
