While access to recent documents through the Start menu is a Windows XP feature designed to make this operating system more convenient to users, several resent this as it allows other computer users to know and read documents that were recently opened. The My Recent Documents folder is one of the options accessed through the Start menu button. This folder contains a list of those recently used files. These files can be opened when it is clicked. Aside from the loss of privacy of computer users, this is also one of the reasons why booting Windows XP might take a long time. Due to the disadvantages previously mentioned, many opt to have this feature disabled.

For those computer users who have certain documents that they often work on, the My Recent Documents folder is one feature they could not live without. After all, this will help them save time since the files can be readily accessed through the Windows XP start menu. Moreover, this can also lead to increased computing efficiency.

One of the ways of disabling the My Recent Documents feature is to edit the Windows registry. The Windows registry is a database or repository of information such as hardware and software settings, user configurations, installed applications or programs and their associated files. In order to access the Registry Editor, the Start button should be clicked. The command "regedit" is then encoded. After the OK button is clicked, the registry editor will appear. Then, the explorer folder is accessed by going to the HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrent VersionPoliciesExplorer. Next, a DWORD value should be created by clicking the right pane of the Explorer folder.

The new DWORD value should be NORECENTDOCSMENU. The new value should be set to 1 and this numerical figure should be encoded in the Value Data. To complete this process, Windows should be restarted. A more simple way of removing recent documents in Windows is to go to the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties by clicking the start button. Then, the Control Panel should be clicked. After, the Appearance and Personalization option should be accessed. Next, the Taskbar and Start Menu are clicked. After clicking the Start Menu tab, go to the option Privacy and clear or remove the files under Store. Another way of removing the My Recent Documents folder in the Windows XP Start Menu is to click the Start button and to click Properties. Using the start menu tab, the customize button should be clicked. Then, go to the Advanced tab and after, uncheck the List option under Recent documents. Next, apply and click OK.

The Recent Document XP feature may be enabled or disabled according to the need of the computer user. This is just one of the many features of this popular operating system that can be customized or tailored to the specific need of a user. Nevertheless, it should be easy to perform certain commands to make computing more convenient.