How to stop WMP from automatically scanning removable storage devices?

[Chintan Gohel]

One irritating feature with windows media player is that when it is playing, and you insert a removable storage such as a flash or external hard drive, the program starts scanning the storage for songs and will just keep on scanning. So the storage is always blinking and you cannot safely remove it unless you close windows media player.

Is there a way of disabling this in media player? Or other means?

 

[Maurizio Troso]

One irritating feature with windows media player is that when it is playing, and you insert a removable storage such as a flash or external hard drive, the program starts scanning the storage for songs and will just keep on scanning. So the storage is always blinking and you cannot safely remove it unless you close windows media player.

Is there a way of disabling this in media player? Or other means?

I use WMPfor watching FullHD movies but I remember I disabled somewhere in settings everything like Catalog auto update etc

 

[Chintan Gohel]

I use WMPfor watching FullHD movies but I remember I disabled somewhere in settings everything like Catalog auto update etc

can you check the exact location? I would appreciate it. I'll try searching for that too when I get home in a few minutes

 

[Maurizio Troso]

Organize -> Manage Catalogues -> Select each submenu at once (Music. then Oictures, then etc.)-> Select and Remove any folder you don't want to scan

 

[Chintan Gohel]

Organize -> Manage Catalogues -> Select each submenu at once (Music. then Oictures, then etc.)-> Select and Remove any folder you don't want to scan

I got to that point but it didn't show an option to skip removable drives - or does it only work when a removable drive is inserted?

 

[Maurizio Troso]

I got to that point but it didn't show an option to skip removable drives - or does it only work when a removable drive is inserted?

I assumed you left plugged all removable you don't want to scan

 

[Chintan Gohel]

I assumed you left plugged all removable you don't want to scan

I guess I wasn't clear on that one :grincry:

If you use Kaspersky, it has an option to not scan removable drives when inserted or always scan them when inserted. I was hoping that WMP would have something similar so that I can just set it to off and it won't do anything when inserting a flash drive or hard disk

But I can try your method - I don't have that many removable drives and the main one was the external hard drive

 

[tdebaets]

Are you still struggling with this issue? If that's the case, in WMP, please go to Tools - Options - Devices (press Ctrl+M if you don't see the Tools menu). Double-click the device in the list and tick or untick Create folder hierarchy on device, then click OK.

Changing this or any other setting in Sync Options should cause WMP to create a WMPInfo.xml file in the root of the drive. The presence of such a file should prevent WMP from automatically scanning the drive the next time it's inserted.

 

[Chintan Gohel]

Are you still struggling with this issue? If that's the case, in WMP, please go to Tools - Options - Devices (press Ctrl+M if you don't see the Tools menu). Double-click the device in the list and tick or untick Create folder hierarchy on device, then click OK.

Changing this or any other setting in Sync Options should cause WMP to create a WMPInfo.xml file in the root of the drive. The presence of such a file should prevent WMP from automatically scanning the drive the next time it's inserted.

I've tried, and it works. Thank you so much for that. You're a genius

I'll try with flash drives too