"prefetch" folder

[mohamed]

what about "prefetch" folder? I found this folder in the
system folder (C:\windows) and I know nothing about it!

 

[dev]

mohamed said:

What about "prefetch" folder? I found this folder in the
system folder (C:\windows) and I know nothing about it!

It is designed into XP to make programs load more efficiently. Ignore it.

 

[S.Sengupta]

Hello Mohamed!
Windows XP monitors the files that are used when the computer starts and
when you start applications. By monitoring these files, Windows XP can
prefetch them. Prefetching data is the process whereby data that is
expected to be requested is read ahead into the cache. Prefetching boot
files and applications decreases the time needed to start Windows XP and
start applications.

However, after a period of time, just like the registry, obsolete
entries begin to build up. You can safely clear these invalid files and
regain system performance by doing the following.

1. Navigate to Windows\Prefetch folder.

2. Delete all files with a *.pf extension.

3. Reboot the system.

with regards/
ssg/pronetworks.org

 

[Alex Nichol]

what about "prefetch" folder? I found this folder in the
system folder (C:\windows) and I know nothing about it!

When a program is loaded, a record is put, or updated, in the
corresponding file in Prefetch, detailing what files it uses, in what
order. Boot of the system has such a record, too

From that two things happen.

One - when a load is started in future, the system arranges to get the
expected files into RAM straight away, without waiting to be asked, and

Two - every three days, a sort of semi-defrag run is done in a quiet
period, which arranges files so that such sets will be able to load as a
smooth stream without need to hunt around the disk for them. The boot
side of this speeds load of the system: the Bootvis program does a
preliminary optimisation of their layout, but it will take place, and
better, through the automatic process.