How to Disable the Most Recently Used MRU List and Delete MRU Entries in Windows XP

This article briefly walks readers through the steps in disabling the MRU list in Windows XP, and further deleting the already existing MRU folder entries, provided there are any.

Data privacy is becoming a big issue nowadays. Chiefly with shared computers, it becomes important to include some plan of keeping private data secure and inaccessible. Thanks to of this, many operating systems already offer built-in security measures that can create separate password protected accounts for different users, or yet simply password protect particular files or folders. Most internet browsers also offer the option of clearing private data accumulated from browsing sessions, such as website history, cookies, and so on.

However, there is another, less obvious way of sneaking a peek at private information: MRU or most recently used lists. These lists are implemented by copious programs, and cache track of which items have been most recently accessed on the computer. While this was intended to simply be a convenient feature to grant manifest access to recently used items, they besides represent a moderate vulnerability. That is, these MRU lists, if left filled, enable other users to possible double o at the details of what one has been working on, what documents have been accessed recently, and so on.

For those who do not employ these MRU lists and would like to disable them, the ahead step is to stop the creation of new entries on these lists. In Windows XP, this can be done by editing the registry. (A note of caution: editing the registry incorrectly may intention serious problems for the operating system. Be sure to double research each course of the process, and be extra careful whenever working with the registry.)

Click Start, then Run, and type "regedit". After clicking OK, the Registry Editor will open. Glance for the entry

"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Comdlg32". If this entry is not found, thought that it does not all the more exist, create it by clicking to the Policies key. Then moxie to the Edit menu, hire Just out (then grip Key), type in "comdlg32" and press Enter.

Once the "Comdlg32" key is created, go to the Edit menu and select New again. This time, select DWORD Value. In the entry box that pops up, type in "nofilemru" and click OK or press Enter. Finally, birr to the Edit provisions again, catch Modify, type in 1, and press Enter. Then the registry editing is finished, and no more new MRU entries are going to be created.

For those entries that have already been created and are already on the MRU list, it is necessary to download MRU deletion utilities. There are several options available on the internet for download, of varying sizes and feature packages. Some of these utilities would also be able to detect and delete browsing histories, browser caches, and cookies, along with MRU items. Others are smaller and to the point, deleting only MRU entries for specific programs. Depending on one"s particular need, one should select the proper MRU deletion software. The manipulate of these programs is typically described either in an online benefit list or within the program itself, while it is running.

Use of these MRU deletion programs, after disabling the MRU data in the registry , testament ensure that no information would be available to others through MRU items.

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