The 'Prefetch' folder in Windows

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

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
> newsdfU9wtrFHA.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
>>
>>
>>
>
>