Purging the Recent Items list on the Start menu is easy. Here is how to do it.
If you don’t like the recent items list, hack_vista has already shown how one can prevent items from ever appearing there.
However, if you were just viewing that questionable photo and want to clear your Recent Items list, here is how to do it.
1. Left-click the Start Orb to open the Start menu
2. Right-click on Recent Items
3. Select Clear Recent Items List