10-08-2009, 01:59 AM
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.
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.