The 'Prefetch' folder in Windows

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

Ever since I started to run Windows XP Pro (or Home ed.) I was wondering
what useful thing the content in the Prefetch folder is providing. The
contents (file-stamps) are increasing each time I start up my computer
principally by creating a stamp of which processes were started up after
'login'. Is this some kind of a sensitive information to Microsoft so they
can spy on us common users, which programs we are using? Or provide the
file-stamps just an information to myself so I can supervise my own
computer, having the opportunity to track that no suspicous processes were
going on? I usually erase those files periodically and automatically using
the Task scheduler, mainly for freeing the diskspace usually by 5 MB or
more.

--
Ivo Kristensjö

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

Hi,

They are there so that frequently or recently used items/files can be
reloaded into memory faster. It is part of the memory design of the XP
system. Dumping them hurts nothing, though it may slow performance
marginally, but the system will begin creating new ones as you run new
processes afterwards. This behavior is by design, and no one at Microsoft is
spying on your personal information using them.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"Ivo Kristensjö" <ivo.kristensjo@bredband.net> wrote in message
news:OdfU9wtrFHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Ever since I started to run Windows XP Pro (or Home ed.) I was wondering
> what useful thing the content in the Prefetch folder is providing. The
> contents (file-stamps) are increasing each time I start up my computer
> principally by creating a stamp of which processes were started up after
> 'login'. Is this some kind of a sensitive information to Microsoft so they
> can spy on us common users, which programs we are using? Or provide the
> file-stamps just an information to myself so I can supervise my own
> computer, having the opportunity to track that no suspicous processes were
> going on? I usually erase those files periodically and automatically using
> the Task scheduler, mainly for freeing the diskspace usually by 5 MB or
> more.
>
> --
> Ivo Kristensjö
>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

Thank's for the info. Now I will reconcider not to erase those items, at
least not very often.

/Ivo

"Rick "Nutcase" Rogers" <rick@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:emk5V6trFHA.3096@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
>
> They are there so that frequently or recently used items/files can be
> reloaded into memory faster. It is part of the memory design of the XP
> system. Dumping them hurts nothing, though it may slow performance
> marginally, but the system will begin creating new ones as you run new
> processes afterwards. This behavior is by design, and no one at Microsoft
> is spying on your personal information using them.
>
> --
> Best of Luck,
>
> Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
> Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone
> www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
> Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
>
> "Ivo Kristensjö" <ivo.kristensjo@bredband.net> wrote in message
> news:OdfU9wtrFHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>> Ever since I started to run Windows XP Pro (or Home ed.) I was wondering
>> what useful thing the content in the Prefetch folder is providing. The
>> contents (file-stamps) are increasing each time I start up my computer
>> principally by creating a stamp of which processes were started up after
>> 'login'. Is this some kind of a sensitive information to Microsoft so
>> they can spy on us common users, which programs we are using? Or provide
>> the file-stamps just an information to myself so I can supervise my own
>> computer, having the opportunity to track that no suspicous processes
>> were going on? I usually erase those files periodically and automatically
>> using the Task scheduler, mainly for freeing the diskspace usually by 5
>> MB or more.
>>
>> --
>> Ivo Kristensjö
>>
>>
>>
>
>