Internet Explorer History of Visited Sites

[tanman4u]

I'm having a problem getting rid of the history of sites visited in my IE 6.0. I know how to use Tools:Internet Options:Clear History, and that clears out every visited site except one, M4M4Sex.com Not one that I care to have on my laptop that other people occasionally use. Every other site is cleared when I clear the history. But if I start typing http://www.m, as soon as I get to the "m" two m4m4sex.com sites show up. I tried every other alphabet letter to see if any other sites were there but none were. Cookies are all cleared and I use a service to only allow chosen cookies to be placed on my computer. Does anyone know how to clear those two visited sites???

Thanks

[+ Hoover42]

To clear those entries in the address list, you need to run regedit.exe, then delete the entries under the key:

 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\TypedURLs

 

Let me know if you need more detail.

 

...Hoover

[Guest random]

Sounds as if you have autocomplete enabled. Go to tools, options, content tab then autocomplete. You can clear all password and url history saved there and make sure you have autocomplete disabled.

[OneFinger]

Since this is NOT cleared by "normal" means, I suspect your machine may have been affected by a "spyware" program. Unfortunately, these are rather common on sex-related sites.

 

I would also be very careful about using the regedit suggestion. Unless you're familiar with regedit, you can really cause problems with your computer.

 

I highly recommend that you download two free programs to detect and delete spyware. The first is Spybot. It will remove things from your registry without having to do regedit. The link for Spybot is:

 

http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10194058.html?tag=lst-0-1

 

The other program I regularly run is Ad-aware. It usually catches those tracking cookies and data miners that sites use to track your interests and preferences. Their link is:

 

http://www.lavasoft.de/

[tanman4u]

Hey guys thanks for your help. I kinda modified the advice you all gave me by using the Tools:Internet Options:Content:AutoComplete and just chose to "Clear Forms". It's no longer there (and I'll be anxious to see if it reappears when I got to their site again. I didn't unclick the Autofill option as I'm way to lazy and surf the same sites a lot.

 

I've messed with RegEdit before but couldn't find the exact path that Hoover suggested.

 

I'm well protected against SpyWare through a really bad experience with KaZaa and I already use both of the utilities suggested for that.

 

So my problem is fixed, I can clear that registery out when I've been traveling and using M4M4Sex (it just occurred to me that a lot of you are gonna think this is just a cheap way of promoting that website but "trust me" I just use 'em don't own 'em.)

 

Now I just need to figure out how to make my (well the company's) website become a fixed portion of everyone's browser like M4M4Sex did.

 

Thanks again for the help from all three who responded. Have a great week

[Guest Just Mike]

Hey guys. I don't have the same problem, but a similar one. I have been able to clear history and it seems to have worked just fine. But I haven't figured out how to delete the auto-complete for search engines like Yahoo and Google. When I start a search, a drop down box appears with everywhere I have been recently. How do I delete these entries? Thanks.

[HardnThick]

I don't know if my problems are the same or different but I sure would appreciate some help. When I clear the history, it doesn’t STAY cleared.

 

I do the Tools / Internet Options / Clear History (I even delete cookies, files and settings). The history goes away. However, if I shut down Explorer and restart it, the history is back.

 

By the way, thanks for the “turn off auto complete” suggestion. That worked just fine. But, now, how do I clear the history and keep it cleared. Since I’m not a technophile, I’m afraid to mess with the registration. I’ve heard bad stories resulting from that.

[JamesK840]

Like is said above:

 

Sounds as if you have autocomplete enabled. Go to tools (menu in IE), (Internet) options, content tab then autocomplete. You can clear all password and url history saved there and make sure you have autocomplete disabled.

 

--Clear the forms history in that window.

[JamesK840]

What happens if you set 'days to keep...' to zero then clear the history? Sounds kind of strange.

[HardnThick]

I already have "days to keep pages in history" set at 0. I also rechecked that AutoComplete is disabled. When I clear the history, it goes away.

 

However, if I close IE and restart it again moments later, the history is back.

 

This could make for an embarrassing moment. Anybody know how to solve it?

[Huey]

>

>However, if I close IE and restart it again moments later, the

>history is back.

 

Just wondering what history is back? The history you deleted or the history file?

 

Not sure if you know that the history file will always return even if you keep history set to 0 days and delete the contents.

 

If you are telling us that the entire hisotry that you deleted is returning, YIKES , that would be very odd. I tried to duplicate your problem and can't.

 

I'm sure someone here will know the answer it is a diverse bunch .

[JamesK840]

We may be getting confused, by history, do you mean the drop-down that shows, say, this site if you type http://www.m in the address bar, or what you get when you click the thing that looks a sundial in the icons at the top in IE (this is the real IE history, and is also responsible for showing links having been followed, for example when I go to craigslist...)? Both *should be* cleared with clear history in on the first page in 'internet options'. The delete files above it is also a good idea if you're worried about somebody snooping around on your computer, (this may not protect you at work at all, BTW). Then on the content tab, in the AutoComplete settings, you should click the Clear Forms button, and Clear Passwords while you're at it, and uncheck Web Addresses, Forms, and User names at the top...

 

Please let us know which history you mean. Also, you may try deleting what's in C:\Documents and Settings in each user name, (especially 'all users') under Local Settings\History and see if that clears it.

[HardnThick]

By “history,” I mean the sundial icon at the top of IE. The drop-down arrow menu (part of the URL address line) clears and stays cleared.

 

I’ve checked and rechecked:

-- Cleared forms and passwords.

-- Unchecked Web Addresses, Forms and User Names.

-- Deleted history.

 

Another strange thing: I explained that when I clear history, it does clear but returns if I close and reopen IE. However, it does not clear at all unless I have already clicked the sundial icon and the history is visible on the left of the screen. If the history of visited sites is showing, it will clear when I delete history (at least, until I reopen IE). If I have not clicked the sundial and, thus, the history is not displayed, it does not delete even while IE is still running.

 

Talk about maddening!

 

I really appreciate you guys trying to help!

[JamesK840]

Did you try the last thing I suggested, to delete where the history seems to reside in documents and settings? Be sure to go to the tools menu in a standard (non-IE) window, choose folder options, view tab, and click the show hidden files and folders icon. Then in your Documents and Settings folder make sure to check the path below under every 'user name', especially All Users and Default User

user name\Local Settings\History

 

See if that makes any difference.

[Sparky12]

>Hey guys. I don't have the same problem, but a similar one.

>I have been able to clear history and it seems to have worked

>just fine. But I haven't figured out how to delete the

>auto-complete for search engines like Yahoo and Google. When

>I start a search, a drop down box appears with everywhere I

>have been recently. How do I delete these entries? Thanks.

 

Justmike, position your cursor in one of those search boxes. Type nothing, but click once. You should get a drop box opening with everything you've typed in that box before. Hover over the first entry (again, do not click), it will be highlighted. Hold down the delete key on your keyboard and they'll all get erased, one by one

 

Hope this helps,

 

Sparky

[HardnThick]

James,

 

I’m sorry but I couldn’t find the places you mentioned: “Documents and Settings, user name, user name\Local Settings\History.”

 

Would you please give me simple directions to find these places? When it comes yo computers, I need turn signals and a simple map.

 

Thanks for your patience!

[JamesK840]

Open My Computer, somewhat hidden in XP but is should be in the start menu. Inside the window for my computer go to the tools menu, folder options, view tab, and click the show hidden files and folders radio button, hit OK. Double click on you C drive, then you may have to hit show files on the left to see anything. Then there should be a Documents and Settings folder.

 

If it's not there, did you upgrade to XP from 98/ME? You are running XP, right?

[HardnThick]

James,

 

I'm running ME.

[JamesK840]

Ah, that makes more sense. ME was the worst OS from MS since the days of 3.1...

 

I thankfully don't use it often, but I think the history folder is in the windows directory somewhere. It's important you do the show all files and folders thing I posted, then do a search of the C drive (right click on it in my computer, search should be an option) for history Remember you want to delete the crap in it, not the folder itself.

 

The best solution for Windows ME problems is unfortunately backing up your data, putting in an XP disc, and reformatting/re-installing everything. It's so bad a simple upgrade doesn't rid you it's contamination entirely...

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

And Remember

 

Some people here said the MAC OS is "easy to use" because much of the functionality and user control is hidden. Seems to me that ease of use would be an improvement over functionality and control that either does not do what you expect it to do or for which you need to know where to locate and fix software defaults that are not in the end users best interest.

 

Just my two cents....

[Guest Just Mike]

Thanks Sparky!:-)