Disable Recent Document History.

[UID=0]

Disable short-cuts being saved, to recent documents folder locations.

There are many applications, that give you the option, to delete the shortcuts form the recent documents folders,
as the PC either starts up, or shuts down.

This is a simple guide, about how to completely disable recently opened files, from being saved as shortcuts at all,
to the 2 main temporary folder locations, where they are kept.

Another possible advantage to this, apart from the obvious privacy related consideration,
is that it may also improve upon system start-up and shut-down times, considering the system doesn't have to calculate these short-cut links any longer.

It's a 'do it one time, and forget about it' type of thing.

Once again, this is written with Windows XP in mind, but it may work for Windows Vista and Windows 7.

[Note: - Before making any changes to the Registry at all, you should export/save a backup copy of it first to your HD.

If you would like to completely disable this usage tracking of the recently used documents folders with a simple registry tweak, this is how to do it.

Click on Start, then select Run and type regedit and Click on OK.

Go to the following folder:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.

Right click on the folder icon for Explorer, select New and then DWORD Value.

Once it has been created, right click on it and select Rename.

Rename it as:

NoRecentDocsHistory.

Then double click on it and make sure that the Base is set to Hexadecimal - [Default].

Then set the Value data: to 1 to enable the prevention of recording the history of recently opened documents.

To make doubly sure of this, you could also go to the following folder:

[I found this location out myself and just tried it].

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.

Once again, right click on it, select New and then DWORD Value.

Right click on it and select Rename.

Rename it as:

NoLocalSettingsHistoryTodayMyDocuments.

[I made this name up myself after noting the folder location, but it seems to do the job.
Maybe it would have worked anyway, but I don't think I tried the first value on it's own, to see if that alone would work].

Once again, double click on it and make sure that the Base is set to Hexadecimal - [Default].

Again, set the Value data: to 1 to enable the prevention of recording the history of recently opened documents.

You may have to reboot the PC to see it working, but I didn't, as with Windows XP Pro - SP3,
it worked as soon as I had done it.

To check this, just open up a few text files, then go to both of the following folders, for example, to confirm that they are both empty.

C:\Documents and Settings\YourPC.YourName\Local Settings\History\Today\My Computer.
C:\Documents and Settings\YourPC.YourName\Recent.

Your folders will be named after either your PC name and/or your log on name.

The result: No more recording by the system, of recently opened documents that are usually saved as shortcuts in the recent documents folders,
meaning greater privacy, for those that require that type of thing, and a possible enhancement, of start-up and shut-down times.

I always hope that this may have been useful for some people.

[Elektrisk]

Thanks. I've never use "My Recent Documents", so this was helpful to me Keep the Windows tutorials/tweaks coming; I really enjoy them.

[Apache Server]

the simplest of all of this is disable the recent documents history

[UID=0]

Thanks. I've never use "My Recent Documents", so this was helpful to me Keep the Windows tutorials/tweaks coming; I really enjoy them.

Thanks for the positive feedback! I shall try my best.

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the simplest of all of this is disable the recent documents history

I don't understand what you mean by that.

This is the way to do it, with a registry hack.

Unless you know another way?

[Skill]

Thank you for the guide, it was really helpful.

[UID=0]

Thank you for the guide, it was really helpful.

You're very welcome!

[cheeseburger]

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Thanks for the positive feedback! I shall try my best.

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the simplest of all of this is disable the recent documents history

I don't understand what you mean by that.

This is the way to do it, with a registry hack.

Unless you know another way?

I understand what he means..I just have it disabled. You don't need to "hack" the registry to disable it.

Right click on the Taskbar>Properties>StartMenu>Customize>Advanced>

Scroll down to "My Documents" and check don't display this item. Then remove the tick from the box "List my most recently opened documents"

Press the "Clear List" button, then press ok.

[UID=0]

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I don't understand what you mean by that.

This is the way to do it, with a registry hack.

Unless you know another way?

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I understand what he means..I just have it disabled. You don't need to "hack" the registry to disable it.

Right click on the Taskbar>Properties>StartMenu>Customize>Advanced>

Scroll down to "My Documents" and check don't display this item. Then remove the tick from the box "List my most recently opened documents"

Press the "Clear List" button, then press ok.

Thanks, that's fair enough, now it is much clearer to me.

I think that I probably have seen this before, as I have looked all over the taskbar properties, but I must have overlooked it, otherwise, I may not have posted this registry hack at all.

But having said that, having some skills in editing the registry, is quite valuable imo, seeing as the registry, contains every single detail of what is on your PC and how all of the applications work.
For example, if you can do the same job, that an application might perform, by editing the registry, then that's a worthwhile skill to have.

I wouldn't recommend messing about with the registry though,
if you don't feel comfortable with it, as it would only take a small change in there, in the wrong place, to possibly cause you some problems.