"Prefetch" question

[Tom]

In Windows XP Home edition I have a folder named
C:\windows\prefetch. This folder has many small *.exe
files. The problem I have is some of these *.exe files
are constantly trying to access the internet. Is it safe
to delete these files or maybe the entire folder?

thanks

 

[Christopher L]

Windows XP Prefetch Clean And Control 1.2.0
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2495.html

 

[neil]

The files in prefetch should all be shortcuts not the actual program & yes
you can delete the files, although the program will remain elsewhere on your
PC.

Neil

 

[Crusty \(-: Old B@stard :-\)]

A shortcut is under 1k. Look in "your" prefetch folder and see if they are
shortcuts? They are NOT!

 

[Alex Nichol]

In Windows XP Home edition I have a folder named
C:\windows\prefetch. This folder has many small *.exe
files. The problem I have is some of these *.exe files
are constantly trying to access the internet

They should not be any simple .exe files. There will be a lot of files
of the form
PROGNAME.EXE-123AB4CD56.pf
which are the records held in Prefetch of the way Progname,.exe loads,
so the system can arrange for the files that needs to be loaded more
quickly in future. The .pf files should not be accessing the net -
though of course the program concerned (wherever that is, which will
*not* be in Prefetch) may do so itself. If you do a sort by type and
make sure extensions are visible, do you see any .exe (without the
subsequent .pf) ? If so, they may be virus or spyware elements - run
a virus and a spyware check, and then see what happens if you move the
files into some other folder to isolate them