Browsing History

Factual Questions
1

I am keeping a daily journal using Microsoft Word for purposes all my own and I don’t want to make it available for anyone else to read. I keep it in a “hidden” folder and I religiously change folder options to “Don’t show hidden folders” every time I’m finished working with it. It is also password protected. But the title of the document shows up in the Browsing History and it would be so much more simple if it did not.

I have the Browsing History set to keep document titles for “0” days as is but IE interprets that to mean 24 hours even if the damn computer is shut down and restarted. Firefox, on the other hand, will quite nicely loose titles from the Browsing History anytime it is exited and re-started.
Is there anyway at all to prevent titles of documents from showing up in the Browsing History?

2

Can’t you simply clear the history manually before you exit?

Tools -> Internet Options -> (General tab) Delete Files.

3

Yeah, that’s what I do now—but I sometimes forget and I sometimes get questions: “What’s this? Why can’t I see it? What’s the password, I want to read it?” See what I mean?

4

Why not just use Firefox anyway?

5

Don’t open it through IE?

I guess I’m some kinda weird - I’ve never used IE or Firefox to browse my own computer.

6

I don’t have it handy, but ISTR that TweakUI has a setting to clear history on closing the browser.

7

Tools / Internet Options / Advanced / Security / Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed

8

That would’ve been my solution.

9

I don’t open the thing through IE. I keep the journal itself as a Microsoft Word Document; the document lives in a folder named Journal. Whenever I open the damn document, IE tracks that opening in Browser History. In other words, IE is NOT open when I open the document. BUT, when IE is opened, the document is shown under Browser History. THAT is what I’m trying to avoid. I am NOT using IE or Firefox to browse my computer.

10

This works just fine for Firefox but I can’t find similar instructions for IE; if I could, it would probably work just as well.

11

I do use Firefox exclusively but my wife insists on using IE; if she looks at the Browser History, the title of the document I don’t want her or anyone else to see is shown. If she elects to click on that title, she is prompted for the password, which I will not give her.

12

That is different that how things work on my PC. I open word documents all the time and I do not see them show up in IE history. What version of word and IE are you using?

13

MS Word is from Office2000; IE is latest version if my automatic update is working properly. OS is Windows XP Home.

14

I am seeing this at home now. I have IE 7 at home and IE 6 at work that may be the issue. Sadly no good advice for you.

15

Thank you; at least now I know I’m not alone in seeing this.

16

It’s from IE7. That’s what I have.

17

I have IE 7 and still have no idea what you guys are seeing.

18

Okay; I didn’t go far enough. The Empty temporary files folder when IE is closed box was already checked. I’ve closed IE and restarted the computer several times this morning and the dern thing persists in recording the document in the browsing history; I guess I’ll just have to remember to manually empty it----unless someone comes up with a cure. It now seems obvious that something is preventing IE from following instructions but I have no idea what that might be.

19

If you have MSWord, open a document and then close it. Then check the History of IE7; I see the document name in my history box. Please let me know if you see yours or not. Thanks.

20

Good Lord! Yes, this is happening on my pc. Under History, Today, My Computer I get a list of files I have opened today - not just MSWord but Excel and other applications - arrgg! why does IE7 do this?