Kaja said:
I've been told to delete the contents of the prefetch folder monthly. There
is a file in there called layout.ini
Can I delete this file along with the other ones? Any help would be
appreciatted.
Kaja
You can delete all the contents of the Prefetch directory but there is
no reason to do so. Whoever told you to delete files in this directory
as part of monthly maintenance was incorrect. In fact, deleting files
from Prefetch may slow computer behavior. Here is the correct
explanation of what the Prefetch directory is and does:
The files in the Prefetch folder are data files related to enhancing the
speed at which applications start. Windows XP Professional monitors the
files that are used when the computer starts and when you start
applications. By monitoring these files, Windows XP Professional 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
Professional and start applications.
Malke