Disable Auto-Run and Auto-Play of U3 Smart Drives Launchpad
If you have bought a USB flash drive that comes with U3 Smart Drives platform, such as Kingston U3 DataTraveler, SanDisk Cruzer Micro or Titanium, Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go U3 Smart Drive, Memorex Mini TravelDrive U, which enables users to install and use software, carry and transfer data beside share information seamlessly between multiple computers. However, not every U3 smart drives flash disks owner would like to use the features of U3, and U3 Launchpad application is not necessary to utilize the main function of a USB flash drive or thumb drive - that’s as mass data storage device.
You can always easily remove and uninstall U3 Launchpad that comes preinstalled and embeded in the USB flash drive or pen drive with U3 Launchpad Removal Tool. However, the problem is that, once you uninstall and remove the U3 Launchpad from the USB U3 smart drives storage device, it’s not possible to download the U3 Launchpad to install the U3 Launchpad into the ‘used-to-be-U3-smart-drives’ USB flash drive again.
So if you’re unsure or in doubt whether you will use the features and functionalities of U3 Launchpad in future, it’s better that you just disable the U3 Launchpad by preventing and stopping U3 Launchpad to automatically start when the U3 smart drive is inserted into the computer. Users can prevent the U3 Launchpad from automatically running each time the U3 flash drive is inserted by holding down the SHIFT key while inserting the U3 smart drive. Keep holding the SHIFT key until Windows has properly detect and enable the USB flash disk drive, indicating with the USB device started sound. Now the U3 smart drive has been recognized by Windows operating system as a normal USB mass storage device, which can be used and accessed just like a normal USB storage disk or memory key. If you want to start the U3 Launchpad after suppressing it, locate and right-click on the U3 smart drive’s CDROM drive letter in Explorer, and select AutoPlay.
U3 Launchpad emulates itself as a virtual CD drive in the Windows operating system and uses the built-in Autorun and AutoPlay features in Windows to start the U3 Launchpad automatically. If you feel that pressing the SHIFT key everytime during insertion of U3 smart drive is troublesome and forgetable, then you can disable the auto-run or auto-play features in Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating system. To disable automatically running CD-ROMs and Audio CDs, users must edit the registry value:
- Click Start -> Run.
- Type RegEdit in the Open text box, then press ENTER.
- In the Registry Editor, locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CDRom
- Modify the value of the Autorun to 0 (zero) so that CD-ROMs and Audio CDs do not run and start automatically when inserted.
- Next navigate to the following registry subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
- Modify the value of the NoDriveTypeAutoRun entry to 0xb5 value to turn off the AutoRun feature for CD-ROMs by right-click NoDriveTypeAutoRun and then click Modify to type B5 in the Value data box. Select Hexadecimal, and then click OK.
- Quit Registry Editor.
- Restart your computer.
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Entries (RSS)
November 17th, 2006 03:35
[...] Because of the size of my collection, I could never get any music players to effectively manage the entire thing. Whether it was using Media Player, iTunes or Winamp, every system seemed unable to respond after I would import the collection into their software. To make matters worse, everytime my computer crashed, I could never prevent my external drives from trying to autoplay the entire collection everytime I restarted. [...]
February 26th, 2007 22:50
[...] Disable Auto-Run and Auto-Play of U3 Smart Drives Launchpad
March 30th, 2007 02:37
Thanks for the great write up This was a necessary thing to do on my end, because the Memorex 2GB Mini Travel drive U3 launchpad does NOT work in Vista. So I’m stuck using it only as a regular thumb drive. And often time, prior to fixing this AutoPlay function, it would try to automatically boot the U3 Dashboard, and just freeze up, staying on my screen, and making the drive itself un-usable even as a regular drive.
Wish they would hurry and make an update for this drive.. I know Kingston has one, as well as Verbatim, that updates the drivers to work with Vista, but sadly, memorex does not!!!
July 26th, 2007 14:35
Hi for all
thank you befor
I have problem i deleted my u3 inside my smart drive and now can’t open my flash or define it in computer.
How i do pls?
September 13th, 2007 07:13
Hello and thank goodness for the tips on how to unistall the appalling U3 software. It crashed or bombed almost every PC I used it on. Imagine the joy of using it to load a presentation at a client and spending the next 1/2 hour trying to recover. It’s bad bad bad
November 27th, 2007 00:28
I have a better & easier solution than the above…
I made the mistake of buying one of these. I’m an IT professional, but I wasn’t aware of this U3 nonsense. I just needed a device to move files, not some monolithic app that interrupts me every time I plug the USB stick in. If you’re reading this you’re probably like me…
Unfortunately this solution is not good for me since I use it quite promiscuously …but as a simpler/elegant solution to the above:
Disable the virtual CD in your device manager by:
1) Plug in the U3 drive
2) Start->Run compmgmt.msc
3) Go to device manager under CD/DVD Drives
4) Right click on Verbatim/Memorex CD ROM and select disable.
5) Unplug U3 drive, and test again!
This is will prevent plug and play from re-detecting the virtual CD drive that boots U3. This leaves you with just a regular old stick, provided its not your first time on the computer.
U3 is like a solution looking for a problem. Why on earth is this software not simply installed by choice on first run? Not everyone needs help maintaining a portable profile.
December 12th, 2007 21:56
I found this really nifty replacement which has more apps and doesn’t require an extra drive and all sorts of nonsense that U3 comes with. PortableApps U3 is really annoying with the way it operates.
January 10th, 2008 22:15
This is so not true!
“once you uninstall and remove the U3 Launchpad from the USB U3 smart drives storage device, it’s not possible to download the U3 Launchpad to install the U3 Launchpad into the ‘used-to-be-U3-smart-drives’ USB flash drive again.”
February 10th, 2008 11:48
Protect your data! Deactivate USB storage…
Nowadays, USB storage is very popular and cheap. No doubt USB thumb drive give us many convenience, but it can also be used by data thieves to leak sensitive information. Worst case is others might
spread virus into your computer without your knowledge…
March 17th, 2008 21:40
how do i install the U3 into my cuzor flash drive, i kind of lost it..