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Safe to Delete Unnecessary C:/Windows/Prefetch files

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In the Folder C:/Windows/Prefetch there are many *.pf files.

I was advised to Delete ANY *.pf file (related to any application) that I do not need at boot.

I was also advised to change the value of EnablePrefetcher to 2 in
HKLM\system\CurrentControlSet\\Control\SessionManager\MemoryManagement\Prefetch\Parameters to speed-up my booting.

I am just Double-checking: Is this good advice ???

Thank you very much.

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Clarifications

In reply to Safe to Delete Unnecessary C:/Windows/Prefetch files

Clarifications

You are perfectly safe to delete all your prefetch files …

In reply to Safe to Delete Unnecessary C:/Windows/Prefetch files

Indeed it is a reasonable thing to do every so often anyway. Often the prefetch directory will have entries in it for programs that have since been uninstalled.

If Windows requires a prefetch file that you have deleted it will simply create another one the next time it launches a program.

As to altering the registry value, I don’t see that this will make any difference to boot-up times, but I might be wrong.

How long does your system take to boot up?

Safe to Delete PreFetche Files…??

In reply to You are perfectly safe to delete all your prefetch files …

My Boot time is about 4-5 Minutes !!

Thank you very much.

Check what sits in your system tray when booted …

In reply to Safe to Delete PreFetche Files…??

If you’ve got more than half a dozen then THAT will be part of the reason for a slow boot-up.

Also, if your system has ever been connected to a network, your system may be trying to index a network drive that no longer exists.

You could try running a defragmentation on your hard drive(s) because fragmented files can slow down the boot-up also.

You also MUST have 15% free space on your C: drive otherwise your entire system will slow down during AND after boot-up.

There are many reasons for a slow boot-up but I’d start with counting the icons in your systray and deciding what you don’t need.

A bit of info on Enhanced Write Filter

In reply to Safe to Delete Unnecessary C:/Windows/Prefetch files

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms940847(WinEmbedded.5).aspx

As OM says it is OK to delete the files in prefetch. I run a batch file daily to do it. I have never tried disabling prefetch though I might give it a go.

Disabling ‘Application’ PreFetch works !!

In reply to A bit of info on Enhanced Write Filter

OK, thanks Jacky Howe.

BTW, I did set the value of the EnablePreFetch parameter to “2” (Prefetch Boot Files only).

I did a bunch of other things (CCleaner, Defrag, created 20% Free Space) too, and reduced boot time from 6-7 minutes to 2-3 minutes.

That’s great

In reply to Disabling ‘Application’ PreFetch works !!

half the load time. 😉 Unfortunately the more programs that you install to your system will slow it down. If you have anything installed that you don’t frequently use uninstall it. You can always install it later if it’s required. Run Disk Cleanup and delete all but the last restore point. Run CCleaner and then Defrag the drive.

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