What in the Windows Prefetch folder. Directory Prefetch: What a folder and why it is needed

The topic of Windows optimization is presented with most users very important and, probably, it is because so many myths are connected with it. In one of these myths, it is argued that increase the place on the disk, as well as speed up the operation of the system and applications, by producing certain manipulations with the folder Prefetch.. Let's figure out whether it really is for what the folder is needed. Prefetch..

In Windows Catalog Prefetch. Plays the same role as cache in browsers. So that the system or applications run faster, Windows automatically saves part of their code into special trace files. When the user starts, for example, a resource-intensive application, the system first refers to the contents of the folder Prefetch., reads saved and "part" Memory programs, as a result of which the latter starts faster.

In Windows Folder Prefetch. Closely related to the service Superfetch. and component ReadyBoost.So all sorts of actions can affect her work, and not for the better. So, turning off the service Superfetch. It may entail a decrease in system performance on most PCs, with the exception of either old machines with a volume of RAM 1 GB and less or, on the contrary, very powerful - with the RAM of more than 16 GB. Also Superfetch. can be disabled if used as a system disk SSD. .

What will remove the contents of the Prefetch folder to optimize? Nothing, it will only be worse. First, the time required to load the system and some programs will increase, secondly, files PF Will be new, to which the system will again have to highlight some of the memory resources. Besides the removal of the catalog Prefetch. Night will not add space on the disk, as this folder weighs usually a bit, and the number of files in it is always limited 128-Yu.

If you already want to manage content Prefetch., it is necessary to do it correctly, namely through the registry.

Open the command regedit. Registry editor and deploy this branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CURRENTCONTROLSET \\ CONTROL \\ SESSION MANAGER \\ MEMORY MANAGEMENT \\ PREFETCHPARAMETERS

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

Most likely it will be 3 . This value includes accelerating the launch of applications and systems. If you want to completely disable them, change the value to 0 . To speed up only applications, install 1 , to speed up the download only to install 2 . To change the changes, restart the computer.

A little less common is the myth that programs can be accelerated if you add key to their label / Prefetch: 1 . This action allegedly adds the selected program to the folder. Prefetch.. Actually adding a key / Prefetch: 1 The link to the object does not affect the object to work, create or create trace files solves the service Prefetcher. which is clearer which application needs to start optimizing, and which is not.

Now about another useful feature, her name prefetch.
This feature is designed to optimize the download of the applications that you download. What would be loaded faster at the next boot.
If I remember it right.

It would seem why we need to touch her?
The fact is that with time in the Prefetch folder accumulates a lot of files from those applications that you started. And if in addition, something set and deleted, then files in Prefetch from remote programs remain. And it starts to slow down the system.
Since when booting a Windows system, it is trying to find all the files that mean in Prefetch.

There is no definite opinion that someone advises to remove this folder to delete this folder with each download, someone cleans once a week, most of the user advises to turn off at all.
But this function is definitely useful.
The only thing to clear it is if you have a property to put and delete different programs every two weeks.
If you just use the already set programs, you can sometimes clean when remember. :)
These same files, rather, their some common denominator - file \\ windows \\ prefetch \\ layout.ini - is then used by a defragmant to optimize the location of the files on the disk, which further reduces the download time.

If you are not confused yet, Prefetch is a built-in optimization function.
What she does?
This feature is designed to reduce application download time, those that are loaded at the start of the system and what you often use.
So in Prefetch contains files from the most frequently downloadable programs, sometimes not from frequently downloadable. By what kind of Windows principle, I do not know them. Maybe God put on the soul.
And then Windows is waiting for you while you leave your computer and go to smoke, drink a seagull, etc. I do not remember exactly what time, in my moments after 20 - 30 of the inaction of the car.
Windows According to the Prefetch folder, it starts mixing the program to start a program that is often used for their faster download.
Just as I mentioned it optimizes the loading of programs, in addition to their movement.

But often optimizing its system, users involuntarily disable this feature.
The point is to normal work, these services are needed three things that are often disconnected. Rather, two of them are turned off.
1. Built-in defragentiary
2. Task scheduler
3. Dr. Watson (although I don't remember exactly).

It is advisable to remember this.

So we can still do.

1. Delete either all files from this folder or files from those programs that are already missing by car.

2. Find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CURRENTCONTROLSET \\ CONTROL \\ SESSION MANAGER \\ MEMORY MANAGEMENT \\ PREFETCHPARAMETERS \\
There is a key EnablePrefetcher. (REG_DWORD)
Values \u200b\u200bare applicable to it (0, 1, 2, 3)
0 - Disabled (recommended for low-power computers)
1 - Recommended for computers with RAM to 256MB (programs only)
2 - For those who have on board from 512MB and more (programs and system libraries)
3 - this is already calculated for the super-duper of powerful (minimum RAM 512MB, although during LargeSystemCache \u003d 1 perfectly works on 256MB RAM.
I recommend EnablePrefetcher \u003d 3

"Enable" \u003d "Y"

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SOFTWARE \\ Microsoft \\ Dfrg \\ BootoptimizeFunction
"OptimizeComplete" \u003d "YES"

There is one legend walking via the network.
What in Windows Vista all applications will run, and work 15% faster than in Windows XP. So you do not need to wait for the release of Windows Vista to feel all the charms of this cartoon, because They are already laid in WinXP SP2 !!! ONLY PREFETCH left (Super Prefetch) to enable. This cartoon works only under Windows XP SP2!

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CURRENTCONTROLSET \\ CONTROL \\ SESSION MANAGER \\ MEMORY MANAGEMENT \\ PREFETCHPARAMETERS \\
1. Create a type parameter
DWord.
Value Name: EnablesUPERFETCH
Value: 1.

2. Someone says you need to create a separate section.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CURRENTCONTROLSET \\ CONTROL \\ SESSION MANAGER \\ MEMORY MANAGEMENT \\
Create a section Prefetcher.
Create a type parameter
DWord.
Value Name: EnablesUPERFETCH
Value: 1.

Opinions are divided, there are comments about the myth of this parameter, there are those who noticed an increase in productivity.
In any case to check. You do not lose anything and do not acquire anything other than an extra entry in the registry.

P.S. If someone has a beta version of Vista, be kind, do branch export HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CONTROLSET \\ CONTROL \\ SESSION MANAGER \\ MEMORY MANAGEMENT
And send me if you do not mind.

Folder Prefetch. You can detect in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 on the next path: C: \\ Windows \\ Prefetch - it is a component of the operating system and speeds up the starting process of the OS and frequently used programs. For the first time, this technology was applied to Windows XP, and starting with Vista was supplemented by Superfetch and ReadyBoost technologies. The launch of the OS or application is accompanied by reading data from memory, often to the same file you have to handle several times, which is very irrational and takes a lot of time. Windows optimizes the code load, saving in the Prefetch folder the trace files that processes in its own way.

To configure the Prefetcher folder, we will need a registry editor. Immediately I would like to duplicate the warning from the Microsoft website: "Incorrect use of the registry editor can lead to serious problems requiring reinstalling the operating system. Registry editor you use at your own risk."

Press Start - execute And introduce regedit.. In the registry editor we find the following section: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CURRENTCONTROLSET \\ CONTROL \\ SESSION MANAGER \\ MEMORY MANAGEMENT \\ PREFETCHPARAMETERS

We are interested in the parameter EnablePrefetcher.. It can take the following values:
0x00000000 - Component Disabled
0x00000001 - Accelerating Application Start
0x00000002 - System Download Acceleration
0x00000003 - Acceleration of the launch of applications and loading systems

In the way that disable Prefetch. need twice by parameter twice EnablePrefetcher. and in the dialogue window specify the value 0 . The default is 3 - to quickly launch applications and boot Windows. The need to disable Prefetcher often occurs when working with Windows 8 - many new laptops are equipped with a non-traditional HDD hard disk, but a super-fast SSD drive, which are still characterized by a high cost and a small amount of memory.

With the SSD installed, the Windows 8 drive must independently disable the Prefetcher service, but if this does not happen, you can remove the prefetch yourself. In the above section of the registry for parameters EnablePrefetcher. and EnablesUPERFETCH need to set the value 0 , that is, turn off them. Restart the computer.

System files and Windows folders have many myths, did not exception and the service under consideration. Often you have to hear questions: Is it possible to delete the prefetch folder how to disable or enable Prefetch. But the most interesting misconception is that adding a key / Prefetch: 1 The link to the object in the "Label" tab speeds up the application loading, since the OS, seeing this key adds the program to the Prefetch folder. Adding / Prefetch: 1 to the address will not lead to anythingAnd the myth is based on the fact that the same key is present in the Windows Media Player launch row.

Often asked if you can delete files from the Prefetch folder? Allegedly, it allows you to free the hard disk space. The answer is unequivocal: no. First, when you delete these files, the OS boot time and some programs will increase, and trace files will be created again. Secondly, Prefetcher himself manages these files without the need for third-party intervention. In addition, Microsoft has limited the number of trace files by 128 pieces so that they just occupied too much space on the disk.

Hello, dear friend! More recently, we considered the topic about deleting temporary folders. There I told about various folders, including TEMP, in which garbage accumulates over time. These garbage files must be cleaned. and published, but as it turned out not everything. I found the folder interesting, which many have seen, but they were afraid, to remove something in it. This folder is called "Prefetch" and is inside the Windows folder. What a folder and why do you need you know below.

What is prefetch?

Let us turn to the global knowledge repository - Wikipedia. She says:

Prefetcher.- Component Microsoft Windows operating system, accelerating the starting boot process, as well as the reduction time of the program startup. Prefetcher first appeared in the Windows XP operating system. Starting with Windows Vista, it was complemented by Superfetch and ReadyBoost technologies.

It turns out that this system is watching what programs you most often use and records them in a special folder: C: \\ Windows \\ Prefetch

Files there are stored all sorts of different with incomprehensible extensions like this.

Well, in general, the Windows bootloader analyzing these records, charts in advance to RAM in order to speed up the answer to your appeal.

Entries in the prefetch folder by default are not only systemic, but also minor applications, and it slows down the download. It is necessary to make it so that only information from system files is recorded in the folder.

The hot combination of Win + R activate the command input window and enter the regedit.

In the registry editor, we are looking for such a branch:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CURRENTCONTROLSET \\ CONTROL \\ SESSIONMANAGER \\ MEMORY MANAGEMENTER \\ PREFETCHPARAMETERS

In the right window, we need to change the parameter EnablePrefetcher..

PKM choose "Edit ..".

The default is a triple. "3" says that both system processes and various kinds of applications are launched. If you put 2, then we will launch only system processes. If 1 is only applications, and 0 - I generally turn off.

Put two!

By pressing the "OK" key, confirm the changes.

Let's summarize

Here are such simple manipulations, we at least at least optimized our "WINDOVS"!

In windows xp key / Prefetch: 1 The default is added to the file address in the properties of the Windows MEDIA Player launch icon. What is prefetch? The word prefetch the translation into Russian sounds like "preliminary sample".

The meaning of this feature is with Windows XP as a whole. It creates files in the Prefetch folder containing information about the paths to these hard disk programs.

On sites in the top of Yandex on request "Windows Prefetch" You can find some disinformation about this function in Windows XP. In particular, on Netler and IZCity sites, the authors support the myths that to speed up the program downloads, you need to add to the address lines of their / prefetch: 1 to speed up, and that to speed up the system loading, you must periodically delete all PF format files from the folder prefetch..

In Windows XP. folder Prefetch It is usually located at C: \\ Windows \\ Prefetch. In it are pREFETCH files With the * .pf extension are file lists for download, so-called hash files. Their names are generated when the EXE files are hashing after downloading. Each time you run EXE files, there are their hash and check, whether there are corresponding name.pf files in the Prefetch folder, And if yes, these files are loaded. If the relevant prefetch files do not exist, the system tracks which files will use when running the EXE program creates this.PF file and saves paths to these files.

So, first, it is not a good idea - clean the prefetch folder, as some computer sites offer. The system will simply create all these files anew, in any case, if, of course, you do not guess how to disable Prefetch.
Secondly, Windows automatically deletes the prefetch files from this folder if there are more than 128 pieces. By this, clearing this folder, you not only speed up the download of programs, but also temporarily worsen the performance of your computer.

The next moment ...

Some "specialists" began to add key / Prefetch: 1 when running programs. Many have noticed that in automatically created shortcuts for Win Media Player there is a key, and its value varies depending on the functions performed. For example, the WMV file label, which you twice click to view the video, is assigned one parameter of the prefetch key, the autorun label for playing or copying music that appear when you insert an audio CD - other parameters.

Some experts suggested that the / Prefetch: 1 key turns on the process. pre-sample. And they immediately began to add it to each executable file and recommend doing this to others on different sites and forums. And thus this myth was formed. Other experts wrote on their sites that this is a complete bullshit, and put forward the theory that this key is specific only for WM Player, having seen links to the Prefetch files in the Windows Driver Subsystem.

In general, neither neither other norifiga guess.

The operating system looks at the / prefetch parameter: # when it creates the process and makes it only with one sole purpose. She adds serial number to hash. What for?

WMP has many different functions. The libraries and the code that it uses when playing WMV is very different from libraries involved in playing DVD, copying a CD, listening to a shoutcast-stream or any of the Windows Media Player features. If only one hash was for WMP, then preliminary sample It would work correctly only for one of its functions. When reading incorrect data from file prefetch There would be no fatal error - the file.pf would simply be loaded into memory and was not used. Nevertheless, it would be counterproductive.

Parameter / Prefetch: # with different numbers for each function Windows Media Player. Allows each function to create a separate hash file, and thus pre-sample is performed correctly. These parameters prefetch are characteristic not only for WMP. The same thing is done for any other application.

Parameter / Prefetch: It is taken into account when the first thread is created in the process, but not deleted by the CreateProcess function from the command line, so any application that does not enact unknown command line parameters will not work with it. That is why so many people noticed that, for example, Kazaa and many other programs issued errors or simply refused to start with Windows Prefetch. And WMPlayer certainly knows that the key can be specified in the parameters, and simply silently ignores its existence.

All that does the key / Prefetch: # - changes the hash number. The operating system loads the program with it in the same way as without it, simply saving the data on the preliminary sample in other .PF file.