i want what i had in xp: a. i want recent items to show a list of, well, recent items, eg docs, pics, etc., b. i DON'T want them listed elsewhere (eg, taskbar, start menu, whathaveyou), nor the bloody programs i've used 'recently'. is this possible? tia leslie

You can customize your Start Menu by right-clicking on the Taskbar and select Properties > Start Menu > Customize and place a check next to your desired items.Carey Frisch

but you can't! i simply want my recently open docs to show under recent items. they don't. ticking either / both boxes under privacy don't either. and yes, i have ticked 'recent' thanks leslie

Hi, I would like to know if any item is listed in Recent items. Do you mean only docs do not show in it? To troubleshoot this issue, you can try clear this list: Click the Start Button, right click on Recent items and choose Clear Recent items list. after that, open docs and check if it is listed. If the issue persists, you can try creating a new account: Create a new user account====================1. Click the Start Button, type User Accounts in the start search pane and press Enter.2. Click Manage user accounts. 3. Click Create a new account, and type the name. 4. Choose account type as Computer administrator. 5. Click Create Account. 6. Log off and log on with the new account. Hope it helps.Vivian Xing - MSFT

hi, and thanks for the interest.... nothing shows in recent items. i did as you suggested - to no avail. nothing shows. i also tried enabling / turning it off, etc., and all combinations of things - still nothing showing in it. tried new user account - still the same. are there any reg entires i can 'refresh' or something? again, thanks for your time leslie

Hi, How about resetting the Recent Items folder as below:1. Click the Start Button -> Computer.2. Go to C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows folder.3. Right-click Recent items folder (if exists), and choose Delete. Click Yes when prompted.4. Click the Start Button, type "shell:recent" (without quotation marks) in the Start Search box and press Enter.5. Restart the computer.Hope this helps!Vivian Xing - MSFT

hi vivian, thanks for your time and patience, i went to recent folder, but a. it's not a folder like the others that is, it's a graphic looks like an intray with a clock in the background, and b. there's no delete capability to it? i then went on to your "shell:recent" ran that and two folders have now appeared under 'recent folder' > automatic destinations and custom destinations this has 4 entries one, as an example - 337ed59af273c758.customDestinations-ms. re-booted. still no recent items..... life's like that i suppose....... again, many thanks, leslie

Hi, You said that two folders have now appeared under 'recent folder' > automatic destinations and custom destinations this has 4 entries one, as an example - 337ed59af273c758.customDestinations-ms. Would you capture a screenshot for it? Please upload it to the http://skydrive.live.com/ using your Live ID and I will check it: Screenshot ======== 1. Press the Print Screen key (PrtScn) on your keyboard. 2. Click the "Start" menu, type "mspaint" in the Search Bar and Press Enter. 3. In the Paint program, click the "Edit" menu, click "Paste", click the "File" menu, and click "Save". 4. The "Save As" dialogue box will appear. Type a file name in the "File name:" box, for example: "screenshot". 5. Make sure "JPEG (*.JPG;*.JPEG;*.JPE;*.JFIF)" is selected in the "Save as type" box, click Desktop on the left pane and then click "Save". If any security program (anti-virus, firewall) is installed, please disable them. In addition, please try it in Clean Boot mode. If the issue persists, perform the following steps: 1. Click the Start button, type REGEDIT in the Start Search box and press enter. 2. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer If any value such as NoRecentDocsHistory is listed in the right, please delete it. NOTE: Please right click on Explorer key and click Export it before deleting. Hope it helps.Vivian Xing - MSFT

sorry for the delay ingetting back..... went to take screenprint, but today the files are not there? and there is no entry in registry for NoRecent..... boy, is this a pain or what ;-) thanks leslie

How about performing an In-place upgrade to repair the corrupted files? In-Place upgrade (Repair install) =========== 1. Start the computer by using the current Operating System. 2. Insert the Windows 7 DVD in the computer's DVD drive. 3. Use one of the following procedures, as appropriate: If Windows automatically detects the DVD, the Install now screen appears. Click Install now. If Windows does not automatically detect the DVD, follow these steps: a. Click the Start Button, type Drive:\setup.exe in the start search box and then click OK. Note: Drive is the drive letter of the computer's DVD drive. b. Click Install now. 4. When you reach the "Which type of installation do you want?" screen, click Upgrade. Whats the result?Vivian Xing - MSFT