3

Jun

Windows 7 enable Recent Items via group policy

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There is a confirmed bug with Windows 7 / group policy around this setting. The scenario is as follows:

  • Windows 7 disables Recent Items in the Start Menu by default
  • You want to enable Recent Items via group policy
  • You configure ‘User configuration\Policies\Administrative templates\Start menu and taskbar\Remove recent items menu from start menu’  and set this to ‘disabled’
  • Even though you have implemented the above setting, Recent Items still doesn’t show up

This is a bug and the workaround is to add a registry entry HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Start_ShowRecentDocs and set this REG_DWORD value to 1.

I choose to use Group Policy Preference to replace this registry value on our Windows 7 machines:

 
 

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4 users responded in this post

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ultrafris said in June 9th, 2010 at 8:33 pm

I had to change/add the following entries to make it work on a Windows 2008 terminal server:

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Start_ShowRecentDocs and set this REG_DWORD value to 2

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Start_TrackDocs and set this REG_DWORD value to 1

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pcvchriskmg said in July 15th, 2010 at 8:31 pm

yeah, the HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Start_TrackDocs and set this REG_DWORD value to 1

is key.

That’s all I needed to change.

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mderoos said in February 24th, 2012 at 10:45 pm

THX! Works for me.

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Andy said in May 9th, 2012 at 12:45 am

Thank You for this tip. After searching serveral hours in my group polices I found You posting on the microsoft forum and the link to this blog.

Now it works!
Greetings, Andy

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