TSGL: Prefetch

[The Computer Whisperer]

I think there may be purpose in clearing out the preftech now and again,
especially if your the type of person that uses computers in an "outside of
the box" nature.

ie.... installs programs to try them out then uninstalls them...

etc etc etc

Doesn't it have something to do with the order in which things load also?

Justin

-- 
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On 07/12/06, Don Penlington <deepend at tpg.com.au> wrote:
>
> For the uninitiated, my understanding of the Prefetch function in XP is
> that Windows holds a folder called Prefetch containing duplicates of the
> most commonly used drivers and .dll files in your system. The theory is
> that whenever you open a program, Windows will look first in the Prefetch
> folder to load those files instead of hunting around in the Program Files
> folder or other places.  Some experts recommend clearing out this folder
> occasionally, because if it gets too large, that defeats its purpose of
> speeding up the system.
>
> What do readers think about the supposed advantages of Prefetch in
> XP?  I've never been really convinced that it has any noticeable effect on
> a modern fast computer. Maybe it depends on your setup.
>
> To my thinking,  the time taken to find program files on a modern
> reasonably fast computer is negligible.  Maybe it might make a difference
> if you have thousands of programs, ---but then you'd also end up with
> thousands of entries in Prefetch, so it would sort of cancel out any
> supposed benefits.
>
> Like a good lad, I occasionally empty the Prefetch cache, which usually
> contains about 110 items.  One would think that you would see a slight
> drop-off in performance after doing this, while the cache builds itself up
> again. But it doesn't happen.
>
> Is it a coincidence that my Program Files folder also has about 110
> program
> folders in it?  Is this a lot of software by most standards?
>
> John has suggested that having Task Scheduler disabled will also disable
> Prefetch.  Though I can't figure out any logic in this, I've had Task
> Scheduler enabled/disabled at various times, but it doesn't seem to have
> made any noticeable difference to performance one way or another.
>
> Have any readers played around with Prefetch to see if it really does make
> a difference? Is it dependant on your type of computer use?
>
> It's not a problem, I'm just curious.  Can Prefetch be disabled?
>
> Don Penlington
>
>
>
> From the Beach at Surfers Paradise in sunny Queensland.
> Computer tutorials, local scenery,  and other things at my website:
> http://users.tpg.com.au/deepend/index1.html
>
>
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