How Do I Turn on Recent Places in Windows 7?

How do I get my recent places back?

Method 2: Make a Desktop Shortcut to the Recent Items Folder

1. Right-click on the desktop.
2. In the Context Menu, choose New.
3. Select Shortcut.
4. In the box, “type the location of the item”, enter %AppData%MicrosoftWindowsRecent
5. Click Next.
6. Name the shortcut Recent Items or a different name if desired.
7. Click Finish.

Why is recent items empty on Windows 7?

Tried enabling option from start–>properties–>privacy 2 options(store and display recently opened program/items).. Removes Recent places folder and Restored favourite link. Tried a Hkey root registry fix to remove Recent places from favourite and re enabled.