AutoComplete history cannot be cleared

[Guest]

I am very familiar with the autocomplete checkboxes and "Clear Forms" button
at Internet Options> Content > Autocomplete Settings as the boxes have been
unchecked for 2 years and the 'Clear Forms' button has been 'pushed' numerous
times.

This does not clear the entries.

Ever so often I would look through postings trying to find out a remedy and
either nothing has worked or else I was unsure what was being suggested. I
have just about decided to live with this aggravating (to me) and unwanted
(by me) option.

That is, unless someone who reads this knows of a foolproof way to clear the
autocomplete history. I would appreciate any suggestions, foolproof or
otherwise.

 

[KrazE]

Typically because this is stored in a file called index.dat & its not
'deletable' in windows. I'd suggest a program called Window Washer by
webroot to clean up. You can get the trial & give it a shot.

 

[Tosca]

Hi

This didn't work for me. I've had problems for several months and have
posted questions on several unrelated Newsgroups about this but none of the
proposed solutions have worked for me. I've resorted to turning
Autocomplete off!

I'll watch this thread with interest, just in case someone comes up with
something that I've not tried.

 

[Don Varnau]

Hi,
This isn't the history for the Google (or another) toolbar, is it?
http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/answer.py?answer=9271

Did you delete the History folder for that user?
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm

You might try (freeware)
CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/
MRU-Blaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.html

Don
[MS MVP- IE/OE]

 

[Guest]

Don,
I don't have any toolbars other than the default IE.
I am the only user.
CCleaner did not clear the AutoComplete history.

Oh well, thanks anyway.

Hi,
This isn't the history for the Google (or another) toolbar, is it?
http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/answer.py?answer=9271

Did you delete the History folder for that user?
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm

You might try (freeware)
CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/
MRU-Blaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.html

Don
[MS MVP- IE/OE]

I am very familiar with the autocomplete checkboxes and "Clear Forms" button
at Internet Options> Content > Autocomplete Settings as the boxes have been
unchecked for 2 years and the 'Clear Forms' button has been 'pushed' numerous
times.

This does not clear the entries.

Ever so often I would look through postings trying to find out a remedy and
either nothing has worked or else I was unsure what was being suggested. I
have just about decided to live with this aggravating (to me) and unwanted
(by me) option.

That is, unless someone who reads this knows of a foolproof way to clear the
autocomplete history. I would appreciate any suggestions, foolproof or
otherwise.

 

[Guest]

One other thing that may not have been picked up in my original post.
I am not as luck as Tosca, I can't turn the thing off. All the boxes have
been unchecked on the AutoComplete Settings page for nearly two years and it
is still doing it's autocomplete thing.

Hi,
This isn't the history for the Google (or another) toolbar, is it?
http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/answer.py?answer=9271

Did you delete the History folder for that user?
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/delcache.htm

You might try (freeware)
CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com/
MRU-Blaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.html

Don
[MS MVP- IE/OE]

I am very familiar with the autocomplete checkboxes and "Clear Forms" button
at Internet Options> Content > Autocomplete Settings as the boxes have been
unchecked for 2 years and the 'Clear Forms' button has been 'pushed' numerous
times.

This does not clear the entries.

Ever so often I would look through postings trying to find out a remedy and
either nothing has worked or else I was unsure what was being suggested. I
have just about decided to live with this aggravating (to me) and unwanted
(by me) option.

That is, unless someone who reads this knows of a foolproof way to clear the
autocomplete history. I would appreciate any suggestions, foolproof or
otherwise.

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

I am very familiar with the autocomplete checkboxes and "Clear Forms" button
at Internet Options> Content > Autocomplete Settings as the boxes have been
unchecked for 2 years and the 'Clear Forms' button has been 'pushed' numerous
times.

This does not clear the entries.

Give an example. Your responders so far have been giving you
instructions about AutoComplete for Web Browsing (aka AutoSuggest).
That affects the Address bar dropdown list which you can see as you
start typing in the Address bar. Is that the problem?

If the problem is information appearing in form fields that you have
previously entered, is there a dropdown list when you start typing in it?
Can you delete one of the entries? E.g. select one and press Delete?

If not it probably isn't AutoComplete but it might appear that way
if you have Cookies propagating such details. If that seems likely
and you don't want it to continue delete any Cookies associated
with that site. You may also have to delete any pages from it
which are cached in the TIF.

Etc. Give an example if you need more help.


Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle
---

 

[Don Varnau]

Hi,
What's being filled in by Autocomplete?
URLs in the Address Bar?
URLs via File> Open?
Usernames / Passwords?
Search terms?

Don
[MS MVP- IE/OE]

 

[Guest]

Don and Robert,

The problem is information appearing in form fields that I have previously
entered and not with URLS in the address bar. AutoComplete clears the URLs.
AutoComplete does not clear my search terms as in Google and other search
engines nor does it clear my username, address, etc as at Amazon, Barnes and
Noble.

There is a dropdown list when I start typing in the field.
I can delete the entries in the drop down list by selecting each entry and
pressing delete.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jon Kennedy]

These are the keys involved, but as you will see they are encrypted.

AutoComplete, User Names and Passwords on Forms:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\IntelliForms\SPW

AutoComplete, Web Addresses:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Protected Storage System
Provider\<user name or windows logon name>

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

Don and Robert,

The problem is information appearing in form fields that I have previously
entered and not with URLS in the address bar.

Thank you for clarifying that point finally.

AutoComplete clears the URLs.

Was that some kind of typo? Clearing History clears (most of)
the URLs from the Address bar drop down list (aka AutoSuggest).
The only URLs that AutoComplete clears would be ones that you
have entered into forms fields, e.g., when you use its Clear Forms
button.

AutoComplete does not clear my search terms as in Google and
other search engines

Can you be more explicit with your examples please?
In particular is there a publicly available URL which you can cite
and which allows you to see the source of its page?

nor does it clear my username, address, etc as at Amazon,
Barnes and Noble.

Do all those fields have dropdown lists? Can you delete the stored
values from them that way? Only then should you imagine that they
occur as a result of you enabling AutoComplete for Forms or Usernames.
In the case of Usernames there must also be a password field which
is related to the Username field.

If not, a likely scenario would be that you have some Cookie data
which is causing all such information to be pulled out of a database
somewhere. Etc.

Again, having a specific example to discuss would help us help you.

There is a dropdown list when I start typing in the field.
I can delete the entries in the drop down list by selecting each entry and
pressing delete.

Then the Clear Forms button in the AutoComplete Settings dialog
should have the same effect globally on such fields (but not on any
other preserved data for form input fields).

To give it the best chance of succeeding I would do it while
iexplore.exe is not running (e.g. clear using control inetcpl.cpl)
or even during a safe mode boot (in case you normally have
something else running that may be interfering somehow
with that operation.) Some think that disabling AutoComplete
features before using their Clear functions may make the
clearing more complete.

It's a bit late to be asking but what OS are we dealing with?
Have you tried a repair? (Ref. KB194177 or KB831429
and KB870700 and KB813444 -- the last three combined
have more coverage for XP than the first one used to for
other OS.)


HTH

Robert
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