# IE history/address bar question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311 "2003-12-11T07:14:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![john31584](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@john31584](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john31584)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311/1 "2003-12-11T07:14:42Z")
When I clear the history in internet explorer, certain sites refuse to go away. If I open the history folder, they’re gone, but when I type them in, they appear in the address bar’s drop down menu. It’s only certain sites that do it. I’ve tried deleting temporary internet files, cookies, etc, and nothing has really worked. any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311/2 "2003-12-11T07:22:05Z")
If you right-click the taskbar, choose properties, Start Menu tab, Customise, and hit Clear, that will not only clear the recent documents in your Start menu, but also the links in your IE dropdown address bar. This is in XP, mind you, I’m not sure about other versions. ---
**Author:** ![john31584](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@john31584](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john31584)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311/3 "2003-12-11T07:25:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*If you right-click the taskbar, choose properties, Start Menu tab, Customise, and hit Clear, that will not only clear the recent documents in your Start menu, but also the links in your IE dropdown address bar. > > This is in XP, mind you, I’m not sure about other versions. \*\* I use xp. Tried it. Didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311/4 "2003-12-11T12:15:13Z")
Weird. It works for me. Maybe you should turn off auto-complete? ---
**Author:** ![aenimiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df788c/32.png) [@aenimiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aenimiac)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311/5 "2003-12-11T15:00:53Z")
I had that problem with Win2K once and never managed to solve it. The only thing that fixed it was reformatting my hard drive. (Which I didn’t do for that purpose alone!) Even just re-installing the OS (again, I didn’t do it just to clear the erroneous addresses) didn’t clear them. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311/6 "2003-12-11T15:35:24Z")
In Internet Options, click on the Advanced tab, and uncheck the box labelled “Use inline AutoComplete”. That should take care of it - I’m pretty sure the sites are being stored by the autocomplete function and not by the History. ---
**Author:** ![dakravel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@dakravel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dakravel)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-history-address-bar-question/218311/7 "2003-12-11T17:45:30Z")
[http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBD/tip1700/rh1763.htm](http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBD/tip1700/rh1763.htm) turned up on a google search for ‘clear cached addresses ie’. Alternatively, you could simply not view pr0n sites on a work/family/public computer :p.