Clearing Recent Document List [Archive]

Wesley Vogel

February 23rd 06, 04:59 PM

Right click the Start button | Properties |
If XP Start menu, Customize button | Clear List button

Clear List button
[[Click to delete the shortcuts displayed in the most frequently used
programs list on the Start menu. This does not delete the program from the
computer. The next time you run a program, its shortcut is displayed on the
Start menu.]]

Right click the Start button | Properties |
If Classic Start menu, Customize button | Clear button

Clear button
[[Removes the list of recently accessed documents, programs, and Web sites
from the Documents menu.]]

Besides the Run MRU (Most Recently Used) list, this also clears...
IE History, AutoComplete, Clear the TIF, Clear the Run MRU, Typed
URL's and Clear List:

How To Display, Use, and Clear "My Recent Documents" on the Start Menu in
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307875

To not show your most recently used documents on the Start menu
1 Right-click the Start button and then click Properties.
2 On the Start Menu tab, click Start menu and then click Customize.
3 On the Advanced tab, UNSelect the List my most recently opened documents
check box.

Using TweakUI

TweakUI
[+] Explorer

Allow Recent Documents on Start menu
[[This check box enables the display of “Documents” on the classic start
menu and enables the “List my most recently opened documents” checkbox on
the Start menu customization dialog.]]

Clear document history on exit
[[This check box will control whether Explorer will clear the recent
documents history, run dialog history and typed-URL history when
you log off]]

Maintain document history
[[This enables the tracking of recently opened documents on the Start menu
and on the file menu of many applications. (Note that some applications do
not respect this setting). ]]
-----
Download TweakUI here...

Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp

Tweak UI
This PowerToy gives you access to system settings that are not
exposed in the Windows XP default user interface, including
mouse settings, Explorer settings, taskbar settings, and more.

Version 2.10 requires Windows XP Service Pack 1 or above or Windows
Server 2003.

Scroll down the right hand side and look for...
Tweak UI
TweakUI.exe

TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe is what you get.

If you have Windows XP without any Service Packs, download Version 2.00.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/
EN-US/TweakUiPowertoySetup.exe

-----

Some good info here...

Tweak UI for Windows XP Guide
http://www.winxpsolution.com/Tweakuixppro.aspx

TweakUI for Windows XP - Tips
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/twktips.htm

TweakUI PowerTips
http://weblogs.asp.net/jkey/archive/2003/08/01/22303.aspx
-----

Registry settings for TweakUI tweaks:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Pol icies\Explorer
Value Name: NoRecentDocsMenu
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 0 or 1
0 = Yes, allow recent docs
1 = No, do not allow recent docs

Value Name: ClearRecentDocsOnExit
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 0 or 1
0 = No don't clear
1 = Yes clear them

Value Name: NoRecentDocsHistory
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Value Data: 0 or 1
0 = Yes history
1 = No history
------

If XP Pro you can use Group Edit...
Start | Run | Type: gpedit.msc | Click OK |
Navigate to >>>
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar\

Remove the Documents menu from the Start menu

[[The Documents menu contains links to the nonprogram files that users have
most recently opened. It appears so that users can easily reopen their
documents.
If you enable this setting, the system saves document shortcuts but does not
display them in the Documents menu. If you later disable it or set it to Not
Configured, the document shortcuts saved before the setting was enabled and
while it was in effect appear in the Documents menu.
Note: This setting does not prevent Windows programs from displaying
shortcuts to recently opened documents. See the "Do not keep history of
recently opened documents" setting.
Also, see the "Do not keep history of recently opened documents" and "Clear
history of recenTly opened documents on exit" policies in this folder.
This setting also does not hide document shortcuts displayed in the Open
dialog box. See the "Hide the dropdown list of recent files" setting. ]]

Do not keep history of recently opened documents

[[Prevents the operating system and installed programs from creating and
displaying shortcuts to recently opened documents.
If you enable this setting, the system and Windows programs do not create
shortcuts to documents opened while the setting is in effect. Also, they
retain but do not display existing document shortcuts. The system empties
the Documents menu on the Start menu, and Windows programs do not display
shortcuts at the bottom of the File menu.
If you disable this setting, the system defaults are enforced. Disabling
this setting has no effect on the system.
Note: The system saves document shortcuts in the user profile in the
System-drive\Documents and Settings\User-name\Recent folder.
If you enable this setting but do not enable the "Remove Documents menu from
Start Menu" setting, the Documents menu appears on the Start menu, but it is
empty.
If you enable this setting, but then later disable it or set it to Not
Configured, the document shortcuts saved before the setting was enabled
reappear in the Documents menu and program File menus.
This setting does not hide document shortcuts displayed in the Open dialog
box.]]

Clear history of recently opened documents on exit

[[If you enable this setting, the system deletes shortcuts to recently used
document files when the user logs off. As a result, the Documents menu on
the Start menu is always empty when the user logs on.
If you disable or do not configure this setting, the system retains document
shortcuts, and when a user logs on the Documents menu appears just as it did
when the user logged off.
Note: The system saves document shortcuts in the user profile in the
System-drive\Documents and Settings\User-name\Recent folder. ]]
-----

Registry settings for gpedit.msc:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\
Explorer

The registry entries are DWORD values. A value of 1 is enabled, and a value
of 0 is disabled.

Policy: Clear history of recent documents on exit
Description: Deletes all shortcuts shown in the Recent Documents menu when
the user logs off.
Registry Value: ClearRecentDocsOnExit

Policy: Do not keep history of recently opened documents
Description: Prevents the system from saving shortcuts to documents the user
has recently opened.
Registry Value: NoRecentDocsHistory

Policy: Remove Recent Documents item from Start Menu
Description: Removes the Recent Documents folder from the Start menu. Also
removes the corresponding checkbox from the Start menu customization CPL.
Registry Value: NoRecentDocsMenu

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In ,
Richard > hunted and pecked:
> I've switched from Windows 98 to XP, and I cannot find t he route to
> clearing the list of recent documents on the new system. Can anyone tell
> me where it is located?