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Make Firefox startup faster.
f0dder:
Adding "/prefetch:x" doesn't generally make things faster - and it doesn't en/disable the Windows Prefetcher, as the urban legends have it.
It was included for big multi-purpose applications, where operating in different "modes" cause different codepaths to be taken and thus needs data from different sections in the executable. It's explained here, and the specific example given is media player... playing a CD is different from playing a DVD is different from playing an MP3 is different from playing an AVI file, et cetera.
I dunno if it's used at all for Vista and Win7, where the XP prefetcher was replaced in favor of the more aggressive SuperFetch.
Be very very wary when reading those various performance tweak sites - most of it is based on misinformation and urband legends, and usually the authors are either passing on bad information verbatim, or are making misguided guessed based on something they saw in the registry and don't understand.
dantheman:
Thanks F0dder.
The link with explanations are too technical for me but your warning is a good reminder to being careful when dabbing with certain tweaks that may seem okay.
Did remove the /Prefetch:1 bit and restarted Firefox a few times without any noticeable change (although still good).
So, i guess i may have been just a tinsy bit too hyper about this possibility.
Seeing that i recently re-installed my notebook, that may had some impact too right?
It reminds me of days when the web is faster than others.
We tend to think the browser is the main reason (which can happen), but most of the time, it's just our phone line, traffic on the network and perhaps less "spurts" from the sun.
So many things can have an impact. It's not always easy to discern which is which.
MilesAhead:
I don't know why you are going into the registry. The fsutil memoryusage tweak I suggested just allocates more memory for NTFS file system buffers. What it will do for you there's no guarantee.
btw- Fodder just posted a link to the same article I already posted.
MilesAhead:
btw the other issue could be disk maintenance. Are you a stickler for keeping your HD defragged? No matter what you do if the HD is scrambled then the first load off the disk is bound to be slow. The 2nd time around then the file system has cached much of it, be it in the prefetch or no prefetch.
4wd:
4wd How have you tested it?-MilesAhead (December 29, 2009, 12:10 PM)
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Like I said, it was a few years ago but from memory, once a program was cached in prefetch then it didn't make much difference - a couple of seconds - I think I can wait :)
But I bow to f0dder's more extensive knowledge as for me it was just one of those urban legend tweak things back when I cared about speed over stability :P
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