disable auto-complete URLS in Netscape Communicator?

[notech]

How do I tweak the registry to stop this function? I know how to do it in IE, but it doesn't work in Netscape Communicator!

appreciate it

[riker9999]

Its not a reg. tweak but this is the answer.

As found on http://help.netscape.com/kb/consumer/19971014-27.html (netscape Help pages)

"Disabling the location autocomplete feature in Communicator"

Add the following line to your prefs.js file:

user_pref ("network.enableUrlMatch", false);

To edit your prefs.js file:

1.Close Communicator.
2.Before you edit the prefs.js file, make a backup copy of it. To do that,
right-click it and choose Copy from the popup menu. Give the copy a name
like prefs.bak.
3.Open the prefs.js file in Notepad:
a.Click the Windows Start button and choose Programs, Accessories,
and then Notepad.
b.From the Notepad File menu, select Open.
c.Browse to your Communicator user profile folder. Next to "Files of
type" click the drop-down menu and choose "All Files (*.*)"; otherwise
you'll only see .txt files in that folder.
d.Click once on the prefs.js file and click Open. You should now see the
contents of the prefs.js file displayed in Notepad.
4.Type:

user_pref ("network.enableUrlMatch", false);

Make sure that all the text you type is in the same case as it appears above.

5.Go to the File menu and select Save.
6.From the File menu, select Exit to close Notepad.

Netscape Web help articles are very helpful. Unfortunately, unless you know the exact terminology than you will have to enter a keyword and weed through them. They number about 4200 last time I checked.


riker9999

[notech]

Thanks Rikker! I had checked the prefs.js file first, but didn't see a line to disable there. You are SO right about Netscape. Since they went commercial with their "netcenter", it's impossible to find anything over there. I'll go to the URL and see what else they have in their database. I'd like to know how to clear the existing cache for the auto-URL's also. It's not in index.dat, so I've been trying to track that answer down also.

Appreciate your legwork!

[riker9999]

I think the Auto-complete cache you speak of is just the History(Can be cleared by edit|preferences|Navigator|clear history) you can just delete this file and you will not have a history( nothing to auto-complete) . You can also delete this file when you notice it is corrupt such as when you don't have any previously visited links highlighted. Another possiblity is the contents of the drop down bar This you can delete also in netscape. I think this info may be located in a *.js file or in the registry. Just do a text search in regedit or in find.

riker9999

[notech]

I think you are right Rikker. I searched the KB over at Netscape this morning. Seems the .hst file is the only reference. What was stumping me -- when I view the history through Netscape (Communicator/Tools/History) the deleted URLS are not there. But when I type: about:global in the location box, they are listed.

So it seems, even after individually deleted from the history, they are actually still there. Kind of like ICQ. To permanently remove the deleted msgs in ICQ, you need to open the message center history and clear out the deleted items box.

No such function for Netscape it seems.

thanks for you help

[heald MASTER]

just dont use Netscape
I recomend ridding your system of that cancer ASAP
:)