Windows 7 "Recent Places" link is always empty

[gylf]

I've spent a lot of time searching for a solution and I'm hoping someone can give me some fresh ideas on how to tackle this annoying issue.

My "Recent Places" link is always empty. Looking at ..\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent reveals that items edited (so called "Recent Items") are tracked fine, but folders are not. Recent Items show up normally in the start menu. Whatever is responsible for putting the folder shortcuts into the "Recent" folder for explorer's "Recent Places" link is not doing it.

I know the "Recent Places" link is displaying the proper "Recent" folder in AppData and filtering out items. The reason I know is if I go to the Recent folder and delete files, I can then go to "Recent Places" and hit Ctrl-Z and get an undo warning prompt. So the link is right; there are just no folders shortcuts being created to display.

I'm running x64 Windows 7 on a SSD; I moved my Users directory to a secondary HDD and manually changed all the paths in the registry, created all the default junctions by hand. Unsure how this may have affected it but I'm sure it's probably related somehow.

I've tried:

* Checking and unchecking the "record recent changes" boxes in the start menu properties box

* uninstalling/reinstalling internet explorer

* deleting/restoring the "Recent" folder numerous times by force deleting at the command prompt and both downloading a clean Recent folder, and another time by letting the system restore itself after a restart.

* deleting/restoring the Links folder

* manually verifying the proper junctions are in place in my Users directory (e.g. Recent <=> X:\Users\user-name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent)

* manually verified all registry entries are correct for Explorer Shell

* run sfc /scannow more than once, no corrupted files found


I'm really at a loss - I'm curious if there isn't a service that's supposed to be running to track and record the saved-in folder trail?

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you've already tried several troubleshooting steps to fix the issue with the "Recent Places" link being empty in Windows 7. Since you've extensively checked different aspects, let's explore a few more ideas that might help in resolving this problem:
1. Windows Search Service:
- Check if the Windows Search service is running properly. This service is responsible for tracking and indexing recent items. You can do this by:
- Press Win + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
- Look for the Windows Search service in the list and ensure it is running. If it's not running, right-click on it and choose Start.
2. Shell Hardware Detection Service:
- Another service that might be related to tracking folder shortcuts is the Shell Hardware Detection service. Make sure this service is running as well.
3. Resetting Recent Items List:
- You can try resetting the Recent Items list by following these steps:
- Right-click on the taskbar and select Properties.
- Go to the Start Menu tab.
- Click on Customize.
- Scroll down and find Recent Items. Set the number of recent items to display to 0.
- Click OK to apply the changes.
- Reboot the system and then go back to the same settings and re-enable the display of recent items.
4. Check Group Policy Settings:
- There might be Group Policy settings affecting how recent items are tracked. You can check this by:
- Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter.
- Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
- Look for policies related to recent items and make sure they are set correctly.
5. Check User Account Control (UAC) Settings:
- User Account Control settings could also impact the display of recent items. Ensure that UAC is enabled and set to an appropriate level.
6. Check System Integrity:
- Run a full system scan using a reliable antivirus program to ensure there are no malware or software issues affecting the tracking of recent items.
These steps might provide some additional insight or resolve the issue you are facing with the "Recent Places" link on Windows 7. Let me know if you need further assistance or if you have any updates after trying these suggestions.