Where is the prefetch folder located in Windows 7. How is the Perfetch folder used by Windows?

Removing unnecessary files

You know, I never understood the purpose of the Temp folder in Windows. I mean, I don't know why it's needed or what it does. For example, if the installation of a program fails, then certain files are copied to this folder that are subsequently not needed; they can simply be deleted without causing any harm to the system. If there is a malfunction, be sure to check the Temp folder; you will probably find a lot of files in it, taking up precious space on your disk.

Temp folders are located in two places: 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 appropriate option. Now go to these folders and delete all the contents.

If you haven't opened these folders before, you'll probably be shocked by what's going on in them.

What is the Prefetch folder

The Prefetch folder is located in system folder Windows it contains information about frequently opened programs for quick access to them. Used to speed up the loading of the operating system and launch of programs.
On startup Windows computer monitors the download process. After which 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 launch any program.

Clearing the Prefetch folder

Microsoft decided that the Temp folders were taking up too little of your disk space, so why not create another folder that does the same thing? Thank you very much! No, really, thank you.

We probably have very few folders that simply eat up free disk space. Now, in addition to the Temp folder, we have a wonderful Prefetch folder. The functions of this folder differ from the functions performed by the Temp folder, however, as in Temp folder, it can hold debris for centuries if you don't remove it manually. Therefore, I advise you to periodically empty this folder (C:\Windows\Prefetch). And don't worry, the system won't suffer from this. Any deleted files, which are required by Windows will be automatically recreated.

Folder Prefetch can be found in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 in the following path: C:\Windows\Prefetch - it is a component of the operating system and speeds up the process of booting the OS and frequently used programs. First this technology was used in Windows XP, and starting from Vista it was supplemented with SuperFetch and ReadyBoost technologies. Launching an OS or application is accompanied by reading data from memory; often the same file has to be accessed several times, which is very irrational and takes a lot of time. Windows optimizes code loading by storing trace files in the Prefetch folder, which it processes in its own way.

To configure the Prefetcher folder, we need a registry editor. I would immediately like to duplicate the warning from the Microsoft website: “Incorrect use of the Registry Editor can lead to serious problems requiring reinstallation of the operating system. You use the Registry Editor at your own peril and risk.”

Click Start - Run and enter regedit. In the Registry Editor we will 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 is disabled
0x00000001 - acceleration of application launch
0x00000002 - system boot acceleration
0x00000003 - acceleration of application launch and system boot

In the way that disable Prefetch you need to double click on the parameter EnablePrefetcher and in the dialog box specify the value 0 . The default is 3 - for faster application launch and Windows boot. The need to disable Prefetcher often arises when working with Windows 8 - many new laptops are equipped not with a traditional HDD hard drive, but with an ultra-fast SSD drive, which are still characterized by high cost and a small amount of memory.

At installed SSD Windows drive 8 should automatically disable the Prefetcher service, but if this does not happen, you can remove Prefetch yourself. In the above registry key for the settings EnablePrefetcher And EnableSuperfetch need to set value 0 , that is, turn them off. Restart your computer.

Windows system files and folders have many myths, and the service we are considering is no exception. We often 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 in the link to the object in the "shortcut" tab speeds up the loading of the application, since the OS, seeing given key, adds the program to the Prefetch folder. Adding /prefetch:1 to the address will do nothing, and the myth is based on the fact that a similar key is present in the line Windows startup Media Player.

People often ask, is it possible and necessary to delete files from the Prefetch folder? Supposedly, this allows you to free up space on your hard drive. The answer is clear: NO. Firstly, when these files are deleted, the loading time of the OS and some programs will increase, and the trace files will be created anew. Secondly, Prefetcher itself manages these files without the need for third-party intervention. In addition, Microsoft limited the number of trace files to 128 pieces so that they do not take up too much disk space.

As you continue to explore your computer for different folders and files, you may discover many interesting things. Often the same folders arouse genuine interest for the simple reason that the files in them sometimes take up a lot of space on the hard drive, which raises the question of whether these files can be deleted. Today we'll talk about the Prefetch folder.

The Prefetch folder is located in the Windows folder (usually C:\Windows\Prefetch). It is used as one of the components for loading the Windows operating system, thanks to which the OS loads faster and the time spent launching programs is reduced. The component itself is called Prefetcher and first appeared on Windows XP.

How does Prefetcher work? The loading of the operating system is accompanied by processing large quantity files. In this case, some files are opened many times to read different segments. This process can take a lot of time, so it is much more convenient and productive to access each file only once, loading information into RAM before it is needed. Prefetcher allows you to accumulate this information in trace files to optimize the loading of code and data on subsequent launches by observing what code and data is loaded during the startup of the operating system and applications.

Prefetcher settings are stored in the system registry. You can change the Prefetcher settings.

Click on the keyboard shortcut WIN+R. The Run window will appear, enter the word regedit and click OK. This will open the .

Once the editor is open, navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters.

Select the EnablePrefetcher option.

Double-click on it. A window will appear in which you can set one of the values:

0x00000000 - component is disabled

0x00000001 - acceleration of application launch

0x00000002 - system boot acceleration

0x00000003 - acceleration of application launch and system boot

You need to enter not the specified parameter, but only the number at the end of it, for example, 0, 1, 2 or 3.

And be careful when working with the registry. If you don’t understand something, don’t change anything, because one careless move can lead to problems with the operating system!

Is it possible to delete the Prefetch folder?

There is a legend according to which files that require deletion are collected in the Prefetch folder. This is wrong. The files are temporary and the system automatically deletes them if necessary, which is why, by the way, the folder size is so small. So you should not touch the files in the specified folder.

If you do delete the files, nothing will happen, but application loading speed may drop. In this case, the files will be re-created automatically.

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

Prefetch: what is this folder?

We will begin our consideration of the issue by presenting theoretical material. At start operating system monitors the download process, saving all data about it to speed up subsequent launches in the Prefetch directory. What kind of folder is in front of us?

Essentially, on the computer’s hard drive, containing current data, parameters and components of the complete system boot cycle and launch of the most frequently used programs.

To avoid loading all the components from scratch next time, Windows uses the data saved on the hard drive. Some users, however, claim that for each subsequent system startup, the information stored in the Prefetch directory becomes outdated. Therefore, from their point of view, it is necessary to clean out the Prefetch directory from time to time. It’s a little clear what the Prefetch folder is. 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 aspects of the issue of deleting its contents. A little later we will talk about how to disable the use of the loading acceleration function if this bothers someone too much.

Prefetch folder in Windows 7 and higher: is it worth emptying it?

Removing data from this directory does not make any critical changes to the operation of the system or installed programs will not cause.

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

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

Managing the contents of the Prefetch directory

If someone doesn't need this service, they can get rid of it. To do this you need to enter the editor system registry(regedit command in the “Run” menu, called by the combination Win + R).

Here you need to select the HKLM branch, and then through the system directory (SYSTEM) and the settings of 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 program launch only;
2 - optimization of Windows loading only;
3 - activation of the function in full (for both the system and applications).

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

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

Subject Windows optimization 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 manipulations with the folder Prefetch. Let's figure out whether this is really so and why the folder is needed at all Prefetch.

IN Windows directory Prefetch plays the same role as cache in browsers. To help your 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 saved and "Part" programs into memory, causing the latter to start faster.

IN Windows folder Prefetch closely related to the work of the service SuperFetch and component ReadyBoost, therefore any actions with it can affect their work, and not in better side. Yes, disabling the service SuperFetch may lead to a decrease in system performance on most PCs, with the exception of either older machines with RAM of 1 GB or less, or, on the contrary, very powerful ones - with RAM more than 16 GB. Also SuperFetch can be disabled if as system disk used SSD .

What will deleting the contents of the Prefetch folder do for optimization? Nothing, it will only get worse. Firstly, the time required to load the system and some programs will increase, and secondly, 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 little, and the number of files in it is always limited 128th.

If you already want to manage content Prefetch, this needs to be done correctly, namely through the registry.

Open with command regedit Registry Editor and expand this branch:

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 be 3 . It is this value that includes acceleration of application and system launch. If you want to disable them completely, change the value to 0 . To speed up only applications, install 1 , to speed up loading of the system only, install 2 . For the changes to take effect, restart your computer.

A slightly less common myth is that programs can be speeded up by adding the key to their shortcut /prefetch:1. This action supposedly adds the selected program to the folder Prefetch. In reality, adding a key /prefetch:1 to a reference to an object does not affect the operation of the application in any way; the service decides whether to create or not create trace files Prefetcher , which knows better which applications need launch optimization and which do not.