Windows prefetch what folder. Prefetch: what is this folder and can it be deleted

Some users who like to rummage through the system directories often come across the Prefetch directory. What kind of folder is in front of the user in this case, not everyone knows. Let's try to fill in the gaps in knowledge about what this directory is for and what data it contains.

Prefetch: what is the folder

Consideration of the issue will begin with the presentation of theoretical material. At startup, the operating system monitors the boot process, saving all data about it to speed up the subsequent launch in the Prefetch directory. What is the folder in front of us?

In fact, on the computer's hard drive, containing up-to-date data, parameters and components of the full cycle of system boot and launch of the most commonly used programs.

In order not to load all the components from scratch next time, Windows uses the data stored on the hard drive. Some users, however, claim that for each subsequent start of the system, the information stored in the Prefetch directory becomes outdated. Therefore, from their point of view, from time to time it is necessary to clean up the Prefetch directory. What is the Prefetch folder, a little clear. But not all cleaning enthusiasts know that the data in it is overwritten automatically after each start or launch of the application.

Let's look at the practical side of the issue of deleting its contents. A little later, it will be said how to disable the use of the download acceleration function, if this bothers someone too much.

Prefetch folder in Windows 7 and above: should it be cleared

Deleting data from this directory does not make any critical changes to system operation or installed programs won't call.

But all those who claim that after deleting information from this directory, system boot and application launch will become faster are absolutely wrong. Quite the contrary, because the system or program will have to re-run its own modules, placing them in the operating system or computer device, and this takes time. Using data from the Prefetch directory reduces the time spent on these processes significantly. Therefore, by and large, it is undesirable to deal with cleaning, all the more so - deleting the folder itself.

It is important to understand here that during subsequent downloads, process data will still be saved. So the cleansing and removal will turn out to be what is commonly called "Sisyphean labor."

Managing Prefetch Catalog Content

If someone does not need this service, you can get rid of it. To do this, you must enter the editor system registry(command regedit in the "Run" menu, called by the combination Win + R).

Here you need to select the HKLM branch, and then through the system catalog (SYSTEM) and the settings for the current control parameters (CurrentControlSet) go down to the memory inspection section, where the desired PrefetchParameters directory is located. It contains keys of the format 0x0000000z, where "z" can take four possible values:

• 0 - complete shutdown;
• 1 - acceleration of only the launch of programs;
• 2 - optimization of Windows boot only;
• 3 - activation of the function in full (both for the system and for applications).

The same settings can be made in the editor. group policies or in the Computer Administration Toolkit.

It remains to add that the directory is located in the system partition along the Windows/Prefetch path. What kind of folder and what it is for, I think, is already clear. As a last word of advice, it's best not to clean up the contents of a directory or change the default service settings on your system.

Topic Windows optimizations seems to most users to be very important and, probably, that is why so many myths are associated with it. One of these myths claims that you can increase disk space, as well as speed up the system and applications, by performing certain folder manipulations. Prefetch. Let's see if this is really the case and why a folder is needed at all Prefetch.

AT Windows directory Prefetch plays the same role as cache in browsers. To make the system or applications start faster, Windows automatically saves some of their code in special trace files. When a user launches, for example, a resource-intensive application, the system first accesses the contents of the folder Prefetch, reads the stored and "part" programs into memory, causing the latter to run faster.

On Windows folder Prefetch closely related to the work of the service Superfetch and component ReadyBoost, so any actions with it can affect their work, and not for the better. Yes, disable the service. Superfetch can lead to a decrease in system performance on most PCs, with the exception of either older machines with 1 GB of RAM or less, or, on the contrary, very powerful ones - with RAM over 16 GB. Also Superfetch can be disabled if system disk used SSD .

What will deleting the contents of the Prefetch folder give for optimization? Nothing, it will only get worse. Firstly, the time required to boot the system and some programs will increase, and secondly, the files PF will be created anew, for which the system will again have to allocate part of the memory resources. In addition, deleting a directory Prefetch will not add any disk space, since this folder usually weighs a little, and the number of files in it is always limited 128th.

If you already want to manage content Prefetch, you need to do this correctly, namely through the registry.

Open by team regedit registry editor and expand this branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

In the right column of the editor window, find the parameter and see its current value.

Most likely it will 3 . It is this value that includes the acceleration of application and system launch. If you want to disable them completely, change the value to 0 . To speed up applications only, install 1 , to speed up system boot only install 2 . Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Slightly less common is the myth that programs can be sped up by adding the key to their shortcut. /prefetch:1. This action supposedly adds the selected program to the folder Prefetch. In fact, adding a key /prefetch:1 to a reference to an object does not affect the operation of the application in any way, it is up to the service to create or not create trace files Prefetcher , which shows you which apps need launch optimization and which don't.

Answers:

Vladimir:
AT Temp folder temporary files are stored. You can safely remove it from there. In the Prefetch folder - I don’t remember exactly what is stored there, but you can also delete files from there, there will be no problems.

Leshiy:
The Prefetch folder contains programs that are loaded when Windows startup, with the aim of quick start these same programs. It is not only possible to delete, but also necessary, otherwise there are too many of them and this slows down the launch and operation of Windows itself. See what you really often use, and the rest - in the basket!

Markiz:
Regarding Prefetch, here's what I found. The prefetch folder (.pf extension) contains inf. about frequently opened programs. and services, for their faster subsequent loading. You can remove everything from it, the system will boot faster, and the programs (for the first time) will be slower. Then the files are generated again. Can be cleaned, even needed sometimes.

Mamluk:
The prefetch folder also contains information about downloaded viruses. Therefore, with manual cleaning, it is not surprising to re-infect. Therefore, it is necessary to clean, and even better, set the mode not to write anything to the folder.

SHiKiGAMY:
I no longer have such a folder. Made a function \"don\"t prefetch\" Use special programs to remove \"garbage\" from \"tempo\"s\" and prefetch. For example Ace Utilites or WinXP Manager.

Ivan:
Windows XP creates the %systemroot%\\prefetch folder by default. It is used to speed up the launch of recently used programs, which greatly slows down the system boot. If system boot speed is more important, follow the steps below. To disable this feature: HKEY_LOCAL_MASHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\Session Manager\\Memory Management\\PrefetchParameters set the EnablePrefetcher parameter to 0.

Removing unnecessary files

You know, I never understood the purpose of the Temp folder in Windows. I mean, I don't know why it is needed and what it does. For example, if the installation of the program failed, then some files are copied to this folder that are not needed later, you can simply delete them without causing any harm to the system. If a failure occurs, be sure to check the Temp folder, you will probably find a lot of files in it that take up precious space on your disk.

The Temp folders are located in two locations: C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\LocalSettings\Temp. By default, the Local Settings folder is hidden, so to see this folder, you will have to enable the corresponding option. Now go to these folders and delete all content.

If you have not opened these folders before, you will probably be shocked by what is going on in them.

What is Prefetch Folder

The Prefetch folder is located in the system Windows folder it contains information about frequently opened programs for quick access to them. Used to speed up downloads operating system and launch programs.
When you start your computer, Windows monitors the boot process. After that, the received information is stored on HDD in the Prefetch folder. The next time you start, this information is used to speed up the loading of the operating system. The same thing happens when you start any program.

Clearing the Prefetch Folder

The developers at Microsoft decided that the Temp folders take up too little of your disk space, so why not create another folder that does the same thing? Thanks a lot! No, really, thanks.

We probably have very few folders that just eat up free disk space. Now, in addition to the Temp folder, we have a wonderful Prefetch folder. This folder functions differently than the Temp folder, but like the Temp folder, it can hold junk for centuries if you don't manually delete it. Therefore, I advise you to periodically clear this folder (C:\Windows\Prefetch). And do not worry, the system will not suffer from this. Any deleted files, which are needed by Windows, will be automatically recreated.

In the process of studying Windows 7, 8, 10, or troubleshooting problems that have arisen, you will be faced with the need to get acquainted with the components and purpose of the OS folders. In this material, we will analyze the following questions: Prefetch - what kind of folder, can it be deleted, and where is it located.

Prefetch Folder Location and Functions

Every time you turn on your computer, Windows keeps track of how your PC starts up and what programs you frequently open. Windows saves this information as small files in the Prefetch folder. The next time you turn on your computer, the OS references these files to speed up the startup process.

The Prefetch folder is located in the OS directory, the full location looks like this:

C:\Windows\Prefetch. In your particular case, the volume label may be different.

Navigating to the folder, you will see the ReadyBoot directory and files mostly with the pf extension. For example, OS boot is traced to a file called NTOSBOOT-B00DFAAD.pf. All other elements are traces of launching programs and service components. The files are named executable file, its hexadecimal path hash, and an extension such as EXCEL.EXE-53A22446.pf.

The Prefetcher component does the job of generating trace files, but without a functioning job scheduler, Prefetcher will not work correctly. Data received from Prefetcher is processed by the task scheduler and then written to the Prefetch folder.

You should also pay attention to the Layout.ini file. It is created every 3 days and stores data (a list of files and folders) that are used when starting the system and programs. Data from Layout.ini is used by the disk defragmentation utility to rationally allocate files on the hard disk.

Myths about deleting the contents of the Prefetch folder

It is often claimed that deleting the Prefetch folder results in faster load times and more free memory. Some experts believe that Windows loads information from the Prefetch folder for all programs that have ever run on a PC into , thereby filling it with unused data (this is not true). These experts recommend deleting regular basis the contents of the Prefetch folder to save memory from unused data.

The Prefetch folder is self-maintaining, there is no need to delete or clear its contents. Windows maintains a certain number of entries in Prefetch and automatically cleans up redundant data to prevent folder growth. If you empty the contents of the folder manually, then Windows and programs will take longer to start up the next time you turn on your computer. Deleted data will be recreated, resulting in long loading times. It makes no sense to delete the Prefetch folder or its contents from the point of view of freeing up memory on the hard disk, since it weighs little. In our case, this is about 40 mb.

Managing SuperFetch and Prefetch Components

By Windows default 7, 8, 10 disables SuperFetch and Prefetch automatically when it detects system boot from SSD. For SSD, these technologies are of no value and completely slow down the startup processes, with unnecessary operations. If the OS did not automatically disable these components for the SSD, then read the instructions below.

SuperFetch is a service that predicts which applications you will launch next and preloads that data into memory. Windows allows the user to change settings or disable SuperFetch and Prefetch through the registry and OS services. If you are using a traditional HDD, then it is not recommended to disable these features.

Important! To avoid mistakes, do backup registry or system restore point.

8.10. In the registry, go to the PrefetchParameters section (path at the bottom of the screenshot). Pay attention to 2 parameters EnablePrefetcher, EnableSuperfetch.

Values ​​for EnablePrefetcher:

• 0 - disable;
• 1 - Enable to launch applications;
• 2 - Power on to start the system;
• 3 - Turn on to launch applications and system.

The default value is 3, change it to 0 or 1, 2. Click OK after changes.

Values ​​for EnableSuperfetch:

• 0 - disable;
• 1 - Enable for boot files;
• 2 - Enable for applications;
• 3 - Enable for boot files and applications.

Now you know what the Prefetch folder is, whether it can be deleted and what OS components control it. It is better not to touch the contents of the folder, it serves itself, there is no need for user intervention. It is better not to disable the SuperFetch and Prefetch functions on the HDD, this will slow down the system as a whole.