How do I remove the list of recent items from my Vista start menu? I don’t want to remove the whole, thing, just clear the list of items so it can start again fresh.

Thanks, Ginger

Dear Ginger,

The “Recent Items” menu on your Vista start menu displays a list of the files that you have used recently. This makes it easier to go back to a file that you were working on, just by going to the recent items list and clicking on that item.

In Windows Vista, you can quickly and easily clear the recent items list. Here is how:

1. Click on the “Start” button.

2. Right click on “Recent Items”.

3. In the drop down menu, click on “Clear Recent Items List”.

You can repeat the steps above as often as you want to clear the list.

If you want to remove the Recent Items from you start menu, you can do so by following these directions:

1. Open the “Taskbar and Start Menu Properties” window by right clicking on a blank spot on your taksbar and clicking on “Properties” in the context menu that appears.

2. Click on the “Start Menu” tab

3. In the “Privacy” section (located in the lower half of the window) find the line that says, “Store and display a list of recently opened files”.

4. Click to remove the check mark from this line, and click the “OK” button at the bottom of the window.

If you want to put the Recent items back on your start menu, just repeat the steps above and click to place a checkmark in front of “Store and display a list of recently opened files”.

Elizabeth