Don't use Bootoptimize to bootoptimize

[HolyMan]

I found out it is pretty pointless to use the "%SystemRoot%\Prefetch\Layout.ini" for boot optimization.

I emptied the prefetch directory, including the Layout.ini file (you can perfectly safely do so), because it contained files I deleted years ago. Now, a few days later I look at it again, and the list contains loads of files that I definitely not used since the cleanup. There is no apparent logic in the contents of the layout.ini file, except maybe that most of the files listed are *.sys, *.dll and *.exe files. I am quite certain however that the sequence of these files in layout.ini is of no value whatsoever. Boot optimize by just putting your "%SystemRoot% to the start of the disk would probably work better.

If you want to boot-optimize, find the list of files loaded when you startup.
An indicator in XP is is: %SystemRoot%\ntbtlog.txt, but that will probably not be usable by MyDefrag because there are different language entries for different language versions of Windows.
The low tech way to use it would be clean it up to manually. But of course I can guess a lot of people lurking this forum will not know how to do that. Although I might be wrong about that. It will be easier than you think.

Read more about it on technet (search the page for “bootlog” or “ntbtlog”.
 

[HolyMan]

Short instruction to use %SystemRoot%\ntbtlog.txt (C:\Windows\ntblog.txt) in Windows XP.
- delete the existing file
- restart your computer
- copy the file to a safe place (Like your mydocuments folder)
- open the copy (with notepad or your favourite editor)
- use menu-item edit>replace:
- replace the text “Loaded driver ” by “C:\” (or the text in your language by the drive letter of your boot-volume). Make sure you replace spaces also, so that there is no space between “C:” and “\”
- replace all “\\” by “\”
- delete all the lines starting with “Did not load driver” (or your language equivalent).
- delete the remaining lines that do not depict a file name/path. (first line on my computer).
- Save the changed file.
- Call the file with

Code:

# Optimize the system disk for faster booting.
VolumeSelect
  ImportListFromFile()
VolumeActions
  SortByImportSequence(Ascending)
VolumeEnd

Watch it: the ImportListFromFile() command is not yet documented. I would guess it will work as ImportListFromFile("filename"). But Jeroen please correct me on this.

[HolyMan]

By the way: If the systems writes a log entry every time a program is started, then putting the files in the right order may be useless anyway. The R/W heads will have to move to write the entry. Or is that a too simple thought?

Bringing the files together to the beginning of the disk and close to directory and $MFT file (on NTFS), will allways help of course.

[HolyMan]

By the way:
I found out that layout.ini is also more usable after I deleted it and I waited for a new file to be created.

[jonib]

I just posted a utility to make %SystemRoot%\ntbtlog.txt usable with MyDefrag, if you're interested 

jonib

[jeroen]

I found out it is pretty pointless to use the "%SystemRoot%\Prefetch\Layout.ini" for boot optimization.

Well, you're entitled to your opinion. I am quite certain that using the layout.ini file to move files together into a single zone, and optionally sorting them, definitely makes your computer boot faster. Try it yourself, hard evidence is better than theoretical supposition. Making a zone with all the files in the %SystemRoot% folder is not nearly as effective. I think the ntbtlog.txt file only lists drivers, only a subset of all the files used when booting?

I emptied the prefetch directory

Bad advice. There is a myth floating on many places on the internet that clearing the prefetch folder will save a lot of space and make your computer faster. It's not true, it won't save much diskspace and will make your computer slower.

[Falcon4]

I have to agree, and expand, that the entire premise of this thread is bullshit. The ntbtlog.txt file only lists drivers: not applications, not actual startup files, but just those little .sys files that are only loaded in the phase of startup before the Windows logo even comes up. Sure, taking the time to parse and regurgitate that file into MyDefrag may help you speed up that tiny miniscule point in time between ntldr initializing and the Windows XP logo fading onto the screen... but you'd get more optimization by simply placing the entire %WinDir%\System32\Drivers folder into its own zone.

Additionally, deleting the prefetch folder does significantly speed up the start time of the next boot, and can give a performance boost for low memory computers, but on those computers, disabling Prefetch completely would offer a better performance boost. Modern computers, you're better off just leaving it turned on, but it is a good idea to clear it from time to time in order for Windows to rebuild it and rethink what it considers "important" files to preload during startup. The basis of prefetch is that it will pre-load those files' data into RAM during startup, so during the "mass clusterfuck" that is bringing up your desktop and startup programs, it will already have some of that data in memory and won't have to divert the already-swamped hard drive to read that data. It's poorly designed but it does sort-of do its job.

Layout.ini and in turn, importlistfrombootoptimize() (can't we get a shorter name for that?), do list a good chunk of junk files, but overall it does a just-fine job of listing what files are used for startup. It's a good idea to put that list of files (cleaned of junk spacehogs using exclusions) at the front of the drive (after the MFT), immediately followed by the rest of the System32 folder, followed by Program Files. That'll give you a better layout than just dumping the .sys files from ntbtlog.txt into a zone...

In short: Just use my script 

[jeroen]

it is a good idea to clear it from time to time in order for Windows to rebuild it and rethink what it considers "important" files to preload during startup.

The prefetch folder contains a list of hint files. When a program starts up Windows will record which (parts of which) files are accessed and calculates the most optimum way to load those files from disk. The next time the program starts up Windows will use the hints and the program will startup faster, because disk access is optimized. The hint files are created automatically every time you run a program. There is no need to delete the hint files to get rid of stale data, and deleting the hint files will really make the next startup slower, not faster.

[HolyMan]

Using the layout file does probably move the right files together. You are right about that. But it also moves a lot of "junk" with it. It seems better to use it than to use nothing at all. I agree with you on that.
In the meantime I founs out that using ntbtlog.txt has it's drawbacks too.

For the rest: Microsoft strongly recommends to not empty your prefetch folder because it slows your next startup. But they also recommend not using third party defragmenters because their own defragmenter is perfect. Need I say more?

Emptying the prefetch should speed things up because it will make a lot of needless files not loaded, but it slows the next boot down because Windows creates the deleted files again. (Sounds like Microsoft performance enhancement. When will they ever learn?) I wish I knew a way to just disable prefetch.

Deleting the Layout.ini file forced the system to recreate it. That made the old information in the old file disappear and only up to date information remain. So I would recommend to do that every once in a while if you use the file for boot-optimize.

Off topic:
Microsoft also recommends to disable lastaccess update "for performance reasons". Would that mean that they know something is wrong with it they don't want to tell us?

[jonib]

Off topic:
Microsoft also recommends to disable lastaccess update "for performance reasons". Would that mean that they know something is wrong with it they don't want to tell us?

The "for performance reasons" is just that when lastaccess is enabled the file system needs to be updated every time a file is accessed and that would impact performance.

jonib

[HolyMan]

The "for performance reasons" is just that when lastaccess is enabled the file system needs to be updated every time a file is accessed and that would impact performance.

How much? I don't want to be conservatice, but on old windows 3.11 machines this already worked, and with reasonable performance. Why can it not work anymore on machines that are a 1000 times faster?

[jonib]

How much?

Maybe noticeable on a low end computer, but on modern computers I don't think it is anything to worry about, I tried to find performance info but only found that it can impact performance.

I don't want to be conservatice, but on old windows 3.11 machines this already worked, and with reasonable performance. Why can it not work anymore on machines that are a 1000 times faster?

I might be wrong but Windows 3.11 didn't support a last access time on files, I believe Windows 95 was the first windows to support it along with long filenames.

Edit: I think it is because of SSD drives Vista has it disabled by default to minimize disk changes and not performance.

jonib

[poutnik]

Off topic:
Microsoft also recommends to disable lastaccess update "for performance reasons". Would that mean that they know something is wrong with it they don't want to tell us?

The "for performance reasons" is just that when lastaccess is enabled the file system needs to be updated every time a file is accessed and that would impact performance.

jonib

Last access is kept in and reported from memory.
It is updated only if there is 1 hour difference.

[Falcon4]

I wish I knew a way to just disable prefetch.

One of the many tweaks available for pre-install with nLite (nliteos.com) is the ability to disable prefetch or just tune it to boot-files only. Or you can just google for the registry key it changes...

[cg]

Or you can just google for the registry key it changes...

Yeah its a simple registry setting...