Windows SuperFetch enables programs and files to load much faster than they would on Windows XP?based PCs.
When you’re not actively using your computer, background tasks?including automatic backup programs and antivirus scans?run when they will least disturb you. These background tasks can take up system memory space that your programs had been using. On Windows XP?based PCs, this can slow progress to a crawl when you attempt to resume work.
SuperFetch monitors which applications you use the most and preloads these into your system memory so they’ll be ready when you need them. Windows Vista also runs background programs, like disk defragmenting and Windows Defender, at low priority so that they can do their job but your work always comes first.
But unfortunately superfetch has some issues:
- It slows down games
- Lot of people say its a resource hog (people who run vista with 512MB Ram)
- Considerable amount of HDD thrashing which leads to overheated HDDs
but superfetch is a wonderful thing, which is a huge improvement of xp prefetch.
so instead of complaining you can fine tune How your superfetch works, using a registry hack
- Goto: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
- you should see two keys called enable superfetch and enable prefetch, both having the default values of 3.
- change both the values according to the below info and your preference.
1: Caches Boot files only.
2: Caches Boot files and Programfiles (this is the best setting for most systems, gives maximum performance with minimum resource hog)
3: Caches all files (Default setting, takes maximum resources)
so taking the above info into consideration, It would be wise to change the setting of superfetch and prefetch keys to the value of 2 or just merge the Regkey provided. superfetch_tuner.reg
Is a reboot required (or suggested)?
I would very much suggest a reboot, any system or registry change should be followed by a reboot. thats a general rule
Superfetch isn’t so super at all.. it will thrash and beat your harddrive to death always trying to guess which programs you will use next and loading them into memory. Not only is this massive amounts of unnecessary wear and tear on the harddrive… its noisy, it gernerates heat, shortens the life of your harddrive, create competition for disk access to other programs, and makes it impossible to get any indication of abnormal harddrive activity going on (such as when a virus gets hold and runs amuck). Superfetch will drive you crazy. Disable it, you will be so much happier.
And you don’t even need it… Windows will already use your memory as a cache… whatever last programs you used, stay in empty memory until you open them again, and then they will open right back up. Disable Superfetch, then launch Firefox. Close it. Launch it again. See how fast it pops right back up?
To disable it, go Start:search and type services.msc, then double-click on Superfetch, change to Disable and click on STOP.
It doesn’t guess what you are going to use next. It loads commonly used programs into ram in the background just after logging on or booting. The idea being that it will already be in memory when you want to access it. It runs in low priority anyway. Once that has been completed it stops. I know this as when I filled up all my ram then closed that program my ram usage stayed well below what it is after logging on.
It will not thrash your HDD that is the pagefile and virtual memory.
Thrashing your drive is simply creating excessive writes. It’s called thrashing because of how it sounds.
YES! Superfetch DOES cause an extreme amount of drive thrashing. Listen to it. Watch your resource monitor for drive activity and note the process causing it – Superfetch.
If you never shut down your PC, use it. If you reboot, power cycle often, than don’t.
Well, it is not that bad. Superfetch works after logon only for 2-3 minutes, depending on amount of your ram. When it fills it up it stops. I do not agree with you Myslef on this issue. I would say on the contrary. If you never shut down computer, than it does not make sense to use superfetch at all, because recently used programs remain in ram anyway. Here we know terms like cold start, warm start and hot start. Hot start means that your programs launch fastest possible and you achieve this by launching them for several times. So they are well placed in ram. I analysed hdd indicators while superfetch was working, so as I sad it only works for 2,3 minutes cca 10MB/SECOND. After that you are able to launch many programs as a warm start(actually launched for a second time) which means 80% faster launch time. This is the point of superfetch. Yes, it trashes your hard drive, it uses more laptop battery, it shortens hdd life, BUT it also boost the speed of your computer fairly. So it is up to you and your preferences whether to enable or disable it. Personally, I go for performance.
take care
the registry key is wrong.
it should be HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters
I love it when people talk as though they know everything. This thrashing can become far in excess of what you would expect from normal operation of this function. I had this problem and it brought my machine to a halt. There was so much thrashing the machine became almost unusable, I disabled superfetch and the machine was usable again. I have restarted superfetch with the options described above and so far so good.
Superfetch is really an ‘noob’ program in Vista. It slows down my system to a halt every single time I start Windows. It’s so irritating that I near threw my computer on the floor. On the other hand, it might not be that useless at all as it can trains your patience, but maybe just a small portion of the users around the globe will take this.
@Trae: oh, it’s the same.
You’re also wrong about those registry values. Here’s what they actually do:
* Disable Caching: 0
* Cache Applications Only: 1
* Cache Boot Files Only: 2
* Cache Everything (default): 3
See http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistaperformance/thread/e9ded298-9373-403b-aa3a-2bd2ae456480
1.It slows down games
False.
2.Lot of people say its a resource hog (people who run vista with 512MB Ram)
LOL! With 512MB Vista DISABLES Superfetch. Please document first…
3.Considerable amount of HDD thrashing which leads to overheated HDDs
Naah, modern HD are able to work at 50°C without problems. Has also been proven that “more work” NOT EQUAL “higher usury” for the HD.
@noname:
Noob. Superfetch runs every 10 to 20 minutes on my windows7 system, causing my disks to spin up from idle mode.
Which is bad for the disks, because spin up/down is not so good for the disks mechanics.
So i highly recommend disabling SuperFetch when using Disk Idle after xxx minutes in windows power management. both enabled will drastically decrease your disks lifetime.
best regards,
phil