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prefetch files

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by rlokure 1 view

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hi,
I have windows XP pro, AMD athlon XP 1800+ 1.53GHz,352 MB of RAM.
I was just wondering what kind of files are contained in the prefetch folders. Somebody earlier mentioned here that those files can slow the system down. He suggested that those files have to be cleared on the regular basis in order to maintain the speed of your system. I was afraid to clear these files. I therefore decided i should first ask any one who understand the contents of this folder.
Any suggestion or comments will be highly appreciated.

Thanks.

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by angela.brown2

Windows XP monitors the files that are used when the computer starts and when you start applications. By monitoring these files, Windows XP can prefetch them. Prefetching data is the process whereby data that is expected to be requested is read ahead into the cache. Prefetching boot files and applications decreases the time needed to start Windows XP and start applications. This information is logged and stored on your hard drive taking up space and requiring a process to be kept running monitoring which applications are being run. This has a performance impact on your PC. Deleting these files will not cause problems on your machine.

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