Flush the Windows XP Prefetch log!

[polonus]

Hi malware fighters,

Cleaning up the Win XP Prefetch file can be advisable for better performance, and freeing some space on your HD. There is a special tool to do this:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2495.html

Tool for flushing the Prefetch log and controlling the Prefetch Parameters.

Prefetch is available to load websites faster.

polonus

[Vlk]

I'd recommend against doing this.

[DavidR]

Flushing the Prefetch log could initially have a detrimental effect as it will take at least three boots to rebuild the layout.ini file.

If you are concerned about the size of the prefetch folder, you can restrict the files that it monitors, mine is set to only monitor files that run on boot. Currently my prefetch folder is a huge 0.97MB so no space overhead at all.

[polonus]

Hello Vlk and DavidR,

Good we have that cleared then. I had this program and info  from a reliable site as I have experienced "Majorgeeks"to be. The only consideration was privacy related, but as this farfetching crapcleaning bears stability risks as you two so aptly informed, we'd better not tamper with it then. Point taken, lesson learned! But that actually is one of the big advantages of this here webforum to get at and behind the facts. And everybody can be aware of that now. Again thanks for your reaction,

polonus

[bob3160]

Cleaning up the Win XP Prefetch file can be advisable for better performance

Unfortunately, doing this has just the opposite affect. It will adversely affect your performance.
This is also a subject we've discussed on several occasions and not always on a nice and friendly basis..... :'(

[essexboy]

The only time that I would clear prefetch is after a serious malware infection.  More as a tidying up exercise than anything else, so that anti-spy tools don't latch onto the old files and give the misleading impression of malware still active

[Gene J]

I went into the registry a couple of years ago and turned prefetch off. I find it a bit slower when I click "back" since it has to load the page each time from scratch. When loading a new page of course it makes no difference. If I had Win98 or a slow comp on dial-up I would still have prefetch on. Remember, If you do a repair install it automatically turns prefetch back on. This is another topic on which each person seems to have their own preference.

Edit: I found this excellent article in MSDN Magazine by Mark Russinovich and David Solomon that explains how prefetch works in WinXP. I have now started up prefetch. I stand corrected. Thanks guys.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/12/XPKernel/default.aspx

DavidR: You are right, prefetch does not affect webpages. Since it is now loading pages (and going "back") faster now that I have enabled prefetch, I assume that browser settings are prefetched however. Thank you for getting me thinking about prefetch.

[timcan]

Hi, I use ccleaner like so many people do,and it cleans 'old prefetch data' by default.I've never noticed any problems using this.So is it adviseable to uncheck this option in ccleaner?

[DavidR]

I went into the registry a couple of years ago and turned prefetch off. I find it a bit slower when I click "back" since it has to load the page each time from scratch. When loading a new page of course it makes no difference. If I had Win98 or a slow comp on dial-up I would still have prefetch on. Remember, If you do a repair install it automatically turns prefetch back on. This is another topic on which each person seems to have their own preference.

Gene the prefetch we are talking about has nothing to do with your browser, back button or cache. It registers the location on the HDD of programs that run on boot and after depending on settings. Since the location of the file on the HDD is known it loads it doesn't have to search for it.

[bob3160]

timcan,
I have that unchecked in my settings for Ccleaner.
Only because I don't consider the prefetch log crap and therefore don't want it cleaned.

[RejZoR]

Flushing prefetch data is only recommended after very long periods of time (2 years for example). And even here i think Windows clean old stuff automatically anyway...

[Lisandro]

And even here i think Windows clean old stuff automatically anyway...

Are you sure...? I think the entries of the prefetch folder stay there forever..., even programs that no long exist anymore 

[bob3160]

And even here i think Windows clean old stuff automatically anyway...

Are you sure...? I think the entries of the prefetch folder stay there forever..., even programs that no long exist anymore 

Tech,
Maybe this will give you a better insight:
http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000743.html

[Lisandro]

Maybe this will give you a better insight: http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000743.html

I've read this there:

If you never run the program again, that .pf file never gets used, and in fact it gets deleted eventually.

But I did not find any technical answer: how, when, why... Windows delete a .pf file 

I've also found this:

Windows cleans out old files here automatically, and it uses the current information simply as instructions to help load programs more efficiently. If you delete a program, its layout and trace files go unused and are deleted within weeks.

I'll have to believe, although I can't understand how it's being done...

[bob3160]

Guess that's something you'll have to ask Microsoft about.
The article however does poin't out that the prefetch log should NOT be deleted or cleaned out.