Web Talk

One of the new features in Windows 7 lets you search folders and files, directly from Windows Explorer, thanks to a handy Search field located on the upper right-side of the window. However, such a feature, “remembers” old history searches and terms, which are also displayed on a drop-down menu while you type the name of the file you are looking for.  What follows is a couple of  quick hacks on how to turn off and delete the search history and its entries from Windows 7.

1. Click Start.
2. In the Search field, type regedit and press Enter.
3. In the Registry, look for this folder  key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ WordWheelQuery.
4. on the right pane, click WordWheelQuery and from the menu, click Delete.
5. If asked to perform such action click Yes.
6. This hack will delete all the search entries. (User will have to apply this hack every now and then to clear the search history since new terms will be saved during future searches).

Alternatively, you may wish to turn off such a feature permanently. Here is the procedure to apply:

1. Click Start.
2. In the Search field, type regedit and press Enter.
3. In the Registry, look for this folder  key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software \Policies\Microsoft \Windows\ Explorer
4. If you can not find the Explorer key, simply create it by yourself. Right click the Windows folder, click New Key and name it Explorer. That’s it.
5. On the right-pane locate (or create) the DisableSearchBoxSuggestions key. Double click it and give it the value 1.
6. Click OK.
7. Close the Registry window.
8. Reboot the computer for the changes to take effect.