Clearing Recently Viewed Documents List

Windows XP monitors all of the files that you open on your computer so it can construct the recently opened document list. This is designed to allow you to easily open up files that you have been working on. All types of documents are listed in this list. Every time you open up a Word document or a digital image, an entry is created within the list. Although this feature exists, I never find myself using it and the only value that it adds to my computer is a privacy concern.

Clearing the recently opened document list every once in a while is a good idea, so your documents are kept confidential and your privacy high. Clearing the list is very easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Right-click on Start button and select Properties.

2. Then click on Customize button next to the Start Menu radio button.

3. Once the Customize Start Menu window appears, click the Advanced tab.

4. Under the Recent Documents section, click the Clear List button.

5. Once you have cleared the list, click the OK button to close the Customize Start Menu window.
6. Then, click OK once more to close Taskbar and Start Menu Properties.

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Clearing visited Web sites history

Internet Explorer, by default, is configured to record all of the Web sites that you visit for a 30-day period. If you are concerned about your privacy, your browsing history should be cleaned frequently and history settings configured best for privacy. Doing so will ensure that any user of your computer will not be able to easily see what you have been doing. Keep in mind, however, that if you get rid of the browser history, you will eliminate the ability to use the history to go back to Web sites for which you might have forgotten the URL.

That use is really the only reason I can think of that makes the browser history useful. If you can live without that convenience, then follow these steps to clear your history from your PC:

1. Open up a copy of Internet Explorer by using either the icon on the desktop or on the Start panel.

2. Once Internet Explorer is open, click the Tools menu bar item and select Internet Options.

3. Then, just click the Clear History button.

4. Your history will now be cleared. Because you still have Internet Options open on your screen, adjust the amount of days that your browsing history is stored.

5. As mentioned earlier, the default setting for this value is normally 30 days. Highlight the number in the days to keep pages in history box and type in 0 to maximize your privacy.

6. Then, click OK to save your changes and exit the Internet Options screen.

After you have cleared your browser history and modified the history setting, your privacy will be much easier to protect.

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