Prefetch is a utility that loads commonly used applications to RAM when the system starts. Windows retains a copy of a portion of a program in the “Prefetch” folder even if you use it only once. The “Prefetch” folder is used to help speed up the loading of programs. Windows do load programs it thinks you need before you ask for them yourself. This may affect performance of your system by having portions of a program you do not use loaded in your system's memory. Therefore, it is suggested that you periodically empty the “Prefetch” folder.
Now, you can change the way that Prefetch behaves by making a change in the registry. This is helpful when you want to alter Prefetch or disable Prefetch completely.
| Prefetch_Code | Behavior |
| 0 | Disable |
| 1 | Application Launch Prefetch |
| 2 | Boot Prefetch |
| 3 | Prefetch Everything |
For this, go to Start > Run menu, enter “regedit” and navigate to the registry path listed below. Now, right-click and modify the DWORD value “EnablePrefetcher”, in the right panel, to the value suitable value given above. However, if you want to get the default value back, change the value data to “2”.
The changes take effect after a restart or logoff.