>"...it is a bad idea to periodically clean out that folder as some tech >sites suggest. For one thing, XP will just re-create that data anyways; >secondly, it trims the files anyways if there's ever more than 128 of them >so that it doesn't needlessly consume space. So not only is deleting the >directory totally unnecessary, but you're also putting a temporary dent in >your PC's performance." > >You can either take advice from an engineer on the Windows Performance team, >Mark Russinovich, or from the Mac guy. Your choice.
I would go with the Mac Guy because the Mac Guy has also read all the conflicting information on prefetch so he therefore systematically tested this one. A PC that was taking over 10 minutes to start up was turned into a peppy computer by simply clearing out this prefetch folder. Nothing else was done to this PC. QED. Most people familiar with the operation of computers know that cache files can and do become corrupted. Corrupt caches do just the opposite of what they were intended to do. As with all cache files, deleting them will cause a performance hit as they get recreated. After that one-time hit your now non-corrupt cache file will do its job correctly and actually speed up your PC. Also the Mac Guy did not say to "periodically clean out that folder", but to clean it out in response to a specific performance problem. Also consider that if Russinovich were really as smart as you say, he would be working for Apple. He isn't so he ain't. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
