Deleting "Most Recently Used" files lists
When Windows XP offers you a box to type in information, it often displays a drop-down list of your most recently used files, documents or commands. That lets you choose a recently accessed item for convenience sake. You'll see those items listed in three places:- The Start menu's My Recent Documents entry
- The drop-down list in the Start menu's Run box
- Recently typed addresses in Internet Explorer's Address bar
- To remove a single entry, simply right-click it and choose Delete from the pop-up menu.
- Right-click the Start button and choose Properties.
- Click the Customize button.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- To clear the list, click the Clear List button.
- To stop Windows XP from keeping the list, clear the checkmark in the "List my most recently opened documents" box.
- Click the OK buttons to close the windows.
Many Windows programs also keep their own "Most Recently Used" file lists. Some are easier to delete than others. Look in the programs menus for an "Options" or "Preferences" area; they might let you delete them.
Deleting recently played files in Media Player
Windows XP's Media Player makes it particularly difficult to delete its list of your most recently played files. The easiest way is to download this program to Clear Media Player's Recent File List from Doug Knox's Web site.Be aware that files played in Media Player also show up in Internet Explorer's History, so you might want to delete that as well.
Feel free to muddle through Microsoft's official Media Player Privacy Statement.