Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player
October 18th, 2007If you share your computer, you may prefer that your Windows Media Player doesn’t show the names of which files it’s recently played. You can edit your registry so that the most recently played files’ names aren’t listed or stored in your Windows Media Player. (This registry tweak works for Windows Media Player version 8.0+)
How to Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player (Registry Tweak Instructions)
For registry fix “Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player,” you’ll need to:
Backup your system and its important files before editing your registry.
Now, open your registry. You can open your registry by using the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.exe), which is a program automatically included with most Windows operating systems. The Registry Editor lets you view, edit, and search data within the your system’s registry. You can launch your Registry Editor many ways, and the easiest way to is to click the “Start” button, select “Run,” and type “regedit” inthe “Open” box (click here for a sample image of Registry Editor and instructions on how to use Registry Editor).
Locate the user key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Preferences]. Create or find a binary data value called AddToMRU and set its value to “00″ (setting this value to “01″ would leave your Windows Media Player most recent files still listed).
Data Type: REG_BINARY
Value Name: AddToMRU
Value Data: 00
Click here for more about registry settings.
Now you can exit your registry and Registry Editor. You’ll probably need to log out of Windows for this registry tweak to take effect.
Remember:
Modifying your system’s registry can cause serious problems that may require reinstalling your Windows OS. We can’t guarantee any problems resulting from your modifying your Window registry can be fixed. You’re using these manual Windows registry fix or registry repair instructions at your own risk. It’s highly recommended you backup your system and its important files before editing your registry.
Using a Registry Editor to Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player
When you want to perform a registry fix such as Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player, it’s necessary to understand how to use your Windows system’s Registry Editor.
Once you’ve launched Registry Editor - or “REGEDIT.exe” - you’ll notice on the left-hand side of the Registry Editor window there is a tree of folders, and on the right-hand side of the window the contents - or the “values” - of the folder you’ve selected are displayed.
Similar to when you’re using web browser Internet Explorer, when you want to expand a branch of your registry’s folder tree and see the structure of a section of the registry, you simply double-click on the folder or click once on the plus sign (+). To see the contents of a key - or “folder” - you simply click on the key and view the values listed in the right-hand side of the window.
To add a key or value, you’ll right-click the “Edit” menu with your mouse, then select “New.” You can also rename almost any key and any value in about the same way you’d rename a file on your computer: just right-click the registry key or value and select “Rename,” slowly click on the registry key or value twice, or simply press F2 on your keyboard. You can delete a registry key or registry value by clicking on it to select it and pressing “Delete,” or by right-clicking the registry value or key and selecting “Delete.”
You should backup your registry before you make any changes to it. Editing your registry can be intimidating to you if you’re not a computer expert, and when you change or a delete a critical registry key or registry value, there’s a chance you may need to reinstall your entire Windows operating system, or damage your PC beyond repair.
About Registry Settings
Data Type
The “Data Type” refers to the type of data - or data format - of the registry value. Data types are usually:
- REG_BINARY, in which the value is stored in raw binary code.
- REG_DWORD, which is typically used for boolean values in your registry and is a four-byte number. This registry data type might show in your REGEDIT tool as a decimal or hexadecimal format.
- REG_EXPAND_SZ, which is a string of variables that are replaced when this data type is called to action by software.
- REG_MULTI_SZ, which is used for registry values that are composed of multiple values or lists. In this data format, each of these values or lists are seperated by a null character type.
- REG_SZ, which is used for text values and strings.
System Key
“System Key” stands for the location of a Windows registry value. Usually your computer’s system keys can be found under “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE”, and because of this system keys will affect your entire system.
User Key
Your “User Key” in your registry stands for the location of a specific Windows registry value. Typically, your computer’s user keys can be found under “HKEY_CURRENT_USER”, and because of this, user keys only affect the settings of the current Windows system user or account.
Value Data
“Value Data” refers to what data is acceptable to be written to the registry value.
Value Name
The “Value Name” refers to what the name of a registry value that you’ll be creating or editing. Typically, value names are not case sensitive.
Enhance Your Software Through Registry Tweaks and Registry Hacks
Registry hacks and registry tweaks are not limited to improving your WIndows system’s core settings — you can also edit your Windows registry to enhance and improve your computer’s third-party software, and further customize your computer so you’re running the best machine for you.
And learning how to Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player isn’t the only registry tweak for your Windows software –there are various registry tweaks you can perform that will improve your PC’s software. You can edit your registry to change your default email client from Microsoft Outlook, you can tweak your registry so that ICQ doesn’t automatically update, you can edit your registry to get rid of Norton AntiVirus and Norton Utilities splash screen, and so much more.
If you’re a computer expert, you can browse the other security registry tweaks below to improve your Windows software.
Registry Tweaks Related to Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player
» Delete Temporary Files When Quitting Internet Explorer
» Delete the Download Accelerator Plus History
» Hide Recently Played in Windows Media Player
» Open Double-Pane Explorer Window for Network Drives
» Change Your Default Mail Client
» Change the Location of Outlook's .pst and .ost Folders