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Setup PreFetch Cache?


JustPlay653

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Just some theoretical thoughts (contra prefetch):

1. What if some virus finds a way to insert itself in the prefetch cache? There isn't one yet, but who knows...

2. Do you want additional code between you and the hardware? Prefetch is monitoring what you execute and preloading it. Why not just load it when it's needed? It will never guess 100 %.

3. How can you be sure there isn't some bug in that extraneous code that's executing all the time? Do you think Microsoft writes perfect code? (In this case, code that's not absolutely necessary.)

4. Microsoft pushed prefetch with XP because people complained of slow boot times with Windows 2000. It is no magical pill that will speed up your computer 200 % nor does it cooperate with other windows subsystems (except that it's embedded in Task Scheduler service).

5. Every monitoring takes cpu cycles and memory, however insignificant thay may be. IMHO this is ridiculous, slowing down your machine so that you have the impression of it operating faster.

As I said, these are just MY thoughts from the real world, not something that's been quoted over and over a 1000 times. I tried to think up some PRO arguments, but honestly, could not think of even one. OK, maybe there's one:

1. Your computer will boot in 25 seconds instead of 40.

GL

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Just some theoretical thoughts (contra prefetch):

1. What if some virus finds a way to insert itself in the prefetch cache? There isn't one yet, but who knows...

this wouldn't make you more suceptable to viruses.. it would just make the virus run quicker :)

2. Do you want additional code between you and the hardware? Prefetch is monitoring what you execute and preloading it. Why not just load it when it's needed? It will never guess 100 %.

which is why I only recommend boot prefetch and not app prefetch.. you *need* those files everytime your computer switches on ;)

5. Every monitoring takes cpu cycles and memory, however insignificant thay may be. IMHO this is ridiculous, slowing down your machine so that you have the impression of it operating faster.

1. Your computer will boot in 25 seconds instead of 40.

yup.. and without app prefetch, this is the only effect it will have. w00t :P

GL

if you have a computer with 2 gigs of ram, which pretty much everyone i know does nowadays (except for my parents), you'd getter a larger speed increase from loading the kernel into ram, or whatever the option is actually called in the nLite tweaks.

with both of these options, windows not only boots quicker, but is much more responsive when alt-tabbing between apps and Explorer. Every little helps :)

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you'd getter a larger speed increase from loading the kernel into ram, or whatever the option is actually called in the nLite tweaks.

Is this the option you mentioned - "Disable paging of Kernel and Core-os" ?

Is 1GB of RAM is enough for using that option? or at least 2GB?

Edited by shoeman
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1 gig could be enough.. depends what you use your machine for. iirc, xp used around 250 megs o' ram.. this would leave 750 megs in your system for use before it starts paging.. if you start paging textures whilst playing a game, that game is gonna chug to the max.

I find that even with two gigs, this option can have its downside.. for instance, whilst using photshop. PS just loves to eat all the RAM it can :P

but with two gigs, it's nt often that a game can chew up 1.7gigs, so disabling kernel paging isn't hurtful :)

maybe i'll take out one of my 1GB sticks, and see if it has much of an effect.

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As I said, these are just MY thoughts from the real world, not something that's been quoted over and over a 1000 times. I tried to think up some PRO arguments, but honestly, could not think of even one. OK, maybe there's one:

1. Your computer will boot in 25 seconds instead of 40.

I thought we were talking about something that makes boot time longer to speed up application launching. :angel

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I thought we were talking about something that makes boot time longer to speed up application launching. :angel

nLite gives you 4 options for prefetch:

1: disabled - no prefetch

2: boot only - speeds up boot times

3: app only - slows down boot times, speeds app, launch time

4: boot and app - sppeds up app time, and boot time

obviously, option 4 will incur a slower boot due to applaunch prefetch.

but if only boot prefetch is used, the system will boot faster.

It all depends which option you choose.. I personally use and would recommend Boot Prefetch only. In this instance, Grofluigi is right. If he is talking about Prefetch enabled to the vanilla XP default, boot *can* still be slightly quicker.. it depends on how much crap you have installed.

Edited by uvmain
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  • 2 years later...

I am sorry to dig up an old thread, and very very sorry to quote myself, but couldn't help it when I saw this from about the most credible source there is...

How should I put it... ahem... :whistle: I told you so... :angel

I just pray for Vista/7 users that there are no bugs in Fileinfo.sys :whistle:

3. How can you be sure there isn't some bug in that extraneous code that's executing all the time? Do you think Microsoft writes perfect code? (In this case, code that's not absolutely necessary.)

GL

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  • 1 month later...

bump from me...

how offtopic it is staff should decide...

but if i use defragmenter which is set up to put .exe and .dll files

on the outer tracks (edges) of my system drive, then app prefetch is useless right ?

cause windows would not only have to access some of same files twice but would also lurk

more around hard drive for prefetch data instead just picking up closest location (outer track data)

true ?

Edited by vinifera
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