AutoRun
AutoRun, a feature of Windows Explorer (actually of the shell32 dll) introduced in Windows 95, enables media and devices to launch programs by use of command listed in a file called autorun.inf, stored in the root directory of the medium.
Primarily used on installation CD-ROMs, the applications called are usually application installers. The autorun.inf file can also specify an icon which will represent the device visually in Explorer along with other advanced features.
The terms AutoRun and AutoPlay tend to be interchangeably used when referring to the initiating action, the action that detects and starts reading from discovered volumes. The flowchart illustration in the AutoPlay article shows how AutoRun is positioned as a layer between AutoPlay and the Shell Hardware Detection service and may help in understanding the terminology. However, to avoid confusion, this article uses the term AutoRun when referring to the initiating action.
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