Windows Scripting Host

Eventually I hope that this page will contain a number of scripts for use with the Windows Scripting Host (WSH) along with some tips and tricks, and other items to do with scripting Windows. At the moment, it only features a VB script that I wrote to purge the Explorer Run Dialog MRU List.

Are you a Run junkie?

I know I am. Why muck around with the Start menu or a desktop full of icons when you can press the Windows key and 'R' key together and invoke a program by it's name.

i.e. Try this at home: press the Windows key and 'R' key together and type 'sol' (no quotes) in the dialog box, then hit the Enter key.

The trouble with doing this is that the list of items in the dialog will quickly build up. You can invoke any program on your path. Not all programs have an obvious name though: Outlook Express is 'msimn', Microsoft Word is 'winword', FrontPage is 'frontpg'.

Screen shot of Explorer Run Dialog

If you are familiar with the Windows Registry, removing any/all of these items from the list is fairly trivial (they are all kept under the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU\" key).

Screen shot of registry showing the Run dialog MRU list

If you are lazy like me, you can create a script to do it for you. :) NT/2000/XP users who are super-lazy and have Admin rights can also set the script to run as a log-off script (thus removing the need for any effort to run the script).

But enough gossiping, here is the script:

' Simple WSH Script to purge the Windows Explorer "Run" list.
' See http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q244675&
' for details of using the WSH with the Windows Registry.

On Error Resume Next

' Create a WSH Shell Object.
set theShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

sKey = "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RunMRU\"

ListOfEntries = theShell.RegRead(sKey + "MRUList")

If ListOfEntries <> "" Then

For i = 1 To Len(ListOfEntries)
CurrentEntry = Mid(ListOfEntries,i,1)
theShell.RegDelete(sKey + CurrentEntry)
Next

theShell.RegDelete(sKey + "MRUList")

End If

How does that work? I hear you ask. It's very simple really. First it obtains the list of values from the MRUList value under the key. Then it works through the list deleting each value, finally deleting the MRUList value.

For more information on using the WSH to perform actions on the registry, see the following page: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q244675&

You can download a ready to run version of the script by clicking here.