How to disable auto recover?

try this:

  1. kill all your sessions of excel (make sure by eliminating any excel.exe processes in task manager)
  2. start a new session of excel
  3. load your workbook
  4. make your setting
  5. save your workbook
  6. close excel
  7. start a new excel session
  8. open your workbook
  9. verify the setting has persisted.