Post Description

TweakPrefetch is a utility coded in VB.net capable of managing fetching in Windows XP, Vista and 7. It allows the user to set separate parameters for Prefetch and Superfetch. The available options are:

* Disabled: completely disables fetching. "Superfetch" service is disabled.
* Applications Only: fetching will only be applied to user started applications.
* Boot Only: fetching will only be applied to boot files (system files, services and startup programs).
* Applications & Boot: fetching will be applied to both applications and boot files (Windows default setting for Prefetch and Superfetch).

Moreover, "Clear Prefetch" function is included: it will empty the Prefetch folder, forcing the operative system to rebuild fetch data (or not to create them at all if Prefetch has been disabled). Note: emptying the Windows/Prefetch folder is not recommended and will cause a temporary performance drop in applications startup time. I added this function to allow advanced users to reset Prefetch data in case it might be necessary.

If you notice that Windows won´t rebuild the "Layout.ini" file after you have cleaned the Prefetch folder, or maybe you just want to update it to your latest startup configuration, you can force the process using the "Rebuild Layout.ini" function in the "Options" menu.

TweakPrefetch will also detect wrong parameters for Prefetch and Superfetch, and will let the user fix them with a single click.

Prefetching in Windows XP is better left at its default value for the 99% of the users. However, someone prefers to set it to "Boot Only", in order to benefit from fetching only at boot time.

For what concerns Windows Vista and Windows 7, default settings are still recommended for most users (especially for who doesn´t use the PC for gaming). Advanced users and gamers might want to disable Superfetch (to obtain an XP-like fetching, reduce hard disk trashing and prevent this function to interfere with games) or set it to "Boot Only" at least. Obviously, it´s up to the users to experiment different settings and tweak fetching at their advantage.