How to Clean the Run Menu List in Windows XP

When typing commands in the run box in Windows XP, a drop-down menu appears listing recently used commands. If you find this annoying, get rid of it by cleaning out the run menu. Windows XP eases this process with a specialty command to clear the recent information in a few steps. Repeat this as often as needed, since Windows XP will continue to remember newly used commands in the run menu after you clear out the information.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Windows XP

1. Right-click on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen on the Windows XP desktop. Choose "Properties" and then select the "Start Menu" tab.

2. Click to highlight the circle beside "Classic Start Menu" and click on the "Customize" button to the right of it.

3. Look for the "Clear" button on the right side of the window. Click on it to clean out all recently typed commands in the run menu, websites visited and documents opened.

4. Click on "Cancel" at the bottom of the window, and then click "Cancel" on the next window. Hitting "Cancel" twice prevents the Windows XP Start Menu from reverting to the classic format if you have the XP Start Menu scheme.

5. Verify you did the cleaning properly by beginning to type into the run menu to confirm that a list does not appear in a drop-down menu. Check that the "Recent Documents" folder also has been emptied of items.

References

• Clear Recent Commands