Start/Run...

[uncle]

Hello -

Is there a way to make entries in the Open dialog box 'permanent'/remembered?

Again my thanks.

[HansV]

Can you provide more details? It's not entirely clear to me what entries you mean...

[stuck]

From the tile of the post I guess he means " If I click the 'Start' button, then click on the 'Run' option, and then I type in a command, say 'regedit', is there a way of making the entry I typed stick?" If so, then all I can say is that when I do that on my XP machine I always find that what I ever I last typed into 'Run' is always there when I go back again. It's always been like that and I don't know how to change it's behaviour. I think, that's how Win 9x behaved as well but I'd have to crank up my old Win 98 box to find out. I don't know how Vista or Windows & behave though.

However, we'll have to wait and see what uncle really means...

Ken

[Leif]

There are a few suggestions at START/RUN remember last entry? - CNET Windows XP Forums which may help...

[Argus]

Hello +
Since the Run dialogue box entries are related to IE and its settings (typed URLs, Auto Complete etc. but it's possible to disable for example Auto Complete, I have) it could happen that it is cleaned every now and then; there are also some maintenance programs or "tweak software" that may clean the run box when you log off, same if you clean recent documents.

So, are you using such software, Tweak UI, CCleaner etc. or settings in the OS?
If not there could be a setting, policy, that cleans the list at log off time, mentioned at the page Leif linked to; the ClearRecentDocsOnExit value, if set to 1 (could have been set manually or with some software such as Tweak UI).

Can you clarify the subject a bit; the Run box, known as RunMRU in the registry; do you want to keep it static, always the same entries? I think that would be difficult, it is volatile, and I think the max number of entries for RunMRU is 25, even though I have 26 at the moment. Hmmm. Perhaps 25 plus 1. Anyhow it's volatile, first in first out.

[uncle]

Thank you all for responses.

Stuck – that is exactly what I mean and what I experienced in the past and what I want back.

Argus - Yes, I do use Ccleaner- perhaps once every 3 weeks and I have not noticed in the past that it affected the drop-down entries in the run dialog (under Browse the entries would be there).

ClearRecentDocsOnExit value is 0000 01 00 00 00

Not static, but to see the last few entries.

Thank you.

[stuck]

CCleaner will wipe Start|Run, see screen capture. Untick the box and all other things being equal the last entry should stick.

Ken

[Argus]

Argus - Yes, I do use Ccleaner- perhaps once every 3 weeks and I have not noticed in the past that it affected the drop-down entries in the run dialog (under Browse the entries would be there).

ClearRecentDocsOnExit value is 0000 01 00 00 00

Not static, but to see the last few entries.

I assume you are not, or have not been, using Tweak UI for Windows XP, since it has a setting for this.

You say that you have been using Ccleaner but not noticed this earlier; I often do an uninstall/install of Ccleaner, and then I have to check the settings for Windows, applications etc. and one could perhaps miss one checkbox and it would clean the run dialogue.

However, that would be the equivalent of cleaning the RunMRU key. I don't think Ccleaner enables a policy, it's a one time use, and since you have the ClearRecentDocsOnExit value...

Before we move on, just out of curiosity; are you using My Recent Documents on the Start menu, if so, what do you see? If you are, it would be cleaned, I think, with this value set to 1. Anyhow, if we are talking about:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

And the value ClearRecentDocsOnExit, try changing it to 0 (or delete the value). Should be a DWORD value.

But that doesn’t explain what created the policy.

BTW, thinking about my earlier comments on a "static" run box, since the entries are stored here:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU

One could of course export that key, and then merge it with the registry when one wants to cover one's... no, I mean, when one want to populate the run box with some commonly used tools.

[uncle]

Changing the ClearRecentDocsOnExit value to 0 (zero) seems to have fixed this. Thank you ALL for your input!

[Gloria E]

Argus - Yes, I do use Ccleaner- perhaps once every 3 weeks and I have not noticed in the past that it affected the drop-down entries in the run dialog (under Browse the entries would be there).

ClearRecentDocsOnExit value is 0000 01 00 00 00

Not static, but to see the last few entries.

I assume you are not, or have not been, using Tweak UI for Windows XP, since it has a setting for this.

You say that you have been using Ccleaner but not noticed this earlier; I often do an uninstall/install of Ccleaner, and then I have to check the settings for Windows, applications etc. and one could perhaps miss one checkbox and it would clean the run dialogue.

However, that would be the equivalent of cleaning the RunMRU key. I don't think Ccleaner enables a policy, it's a one time use, and since you have the ClearRecentDocsOnExit value...

Before we move on, just out of curiosity; are you using My Recent Documents on the Start menu, if so, what do you see? If you are, it would be cleaned, I think, with this value set to 1. Anyhow, if we are talking about:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

And the value ClearRecentDocsOnExit, try changing it to 0 (or delete the value). Should be a DWORD value.

But that doesn’t explain what created the policy.

BTW, thinking about my earlier comments on a "static" run box, since the entries are stored here:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU

One could of course export that key, and then merge it with the registry when one wants to cover one's... no, I mean, when one want to populate the run box with some commonly used tools.

Argus, I was searching through this post hoping to find my version of the same problem with Run. The difference between the problem here and mine is that I found RunMRU in the registry, on the right hand side I only see: Name: Default Type: REG_SZ
Data: (value not set).

What do you suggest that I do next?

Gloria E

[Argus]

What is your problem? (It isn't necessarily the same as uncle's.)

Where did you find a RunMRU value? (RunMRU ought to be a key (or sub key) as mentioned above, and not a value.)

The reference to the RunMRU key above was a sidetrack in the discussion; the "run entries" are stored there, but it isn't part of the solution to any problems (usually).

So if you see a RunMRU key to the left and a REG_SZ value with no data to the right; your run box ought to be empty. Not a problem per se, if one has run some cleaner etc. But the solution, if there indeed is a problem, isn't in that key.

Finally, what OS are you talking about?

[HansV]

There is nothing to do. What you see in RegEdit means that there are currently no Run commands stored in the registry.