BootVis type function

[Kaos713]

Microsoft BootVis monitors what files are used on startup, which drivers load etc. It produces a .bin file which presumably contains this data.

JkDefrag could either do the same thing, or read the data from the .bin file and put the specified files, in the correct order, in a specified Zone, preferably in the Zone 1 location.

[jeroen]

Thank you very much for sharing your idea, I appreciate it! Bootvis is no longer an official XP program, see Wikipedia. In Vista there is a file called "%windir%\Prefetch\layout.ini", and that's what I am hoping to support in the future.

[CeeJay.dk]

In Win2000 and XP , the layout of bootfiles are described in "%windir%\Prefetch\NTOSBOOT-B00DFAAD.pf"

I don't know how to read the prefetch files though , but if you can figure that out , you can not only optimize the OS boot , but also program load, by reading the other prefretch files as well.

I think the optimal layout would be a jkdefrag -a7 variant that honored the NTOSBOOT-B00DFAAD.pf or layout.ini files and where each folder was sorted by filename as -a7 does but with files mentioned by the regular prefetch files , put before the other files (in the correct order).
If no prefect files for that program existed then it should put exe files first, followed by dll files , then ocx , sys and other program related files (*.ini perhaps) and libraries - Then unclassified files and at the end it should put *.txt *.htm *.html *.doc *.rtf *.wri README *.pdf and other documentation files and at the very end unins*.* and unwise.* files ( Uninstall.exe , uninstall.log , uninst000.exe , uninst001.exe  - all kinds of uninstall files )
And the proceed to the next folder .. rinse and repeat.

I think this layout is the best prediction of the optimal load order when no prefetch files exist .. if you manage to read the prefetch files you might find other trends , but so far I think the best pattern is executable files -> program libraries -> unclassified (probably data files needed by the program .. hard to predict) -> documentation (not something you usually read every time you use a program) -> uninstall files (used only once, when uninstalling and then never again)

[jeroen]

In Win2000 and XP , the layout of bootfiles are described in "%windir%\Prefetch\NTOSBOOT-B00DFAAD.pf"

Not on Win2000, and I think the file only contains a list of files used by the kernel, not files used by other applications.

if you can figure that out , you can not only optimize the OS boot , but also program load, by reading the other prefretch files as well.

Yes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it!

[Lexar]

In Vista there is a file called "%windir%\Prefetch\layout.ini", and that's what I am hoping to support in the future.

And in XP, too. In my XP PC, Layout.ini is about 3800 lines long. It looks like the first 1100 or so seem to show the files loaded at the boot time. The rest are the files the users opens and uses.

The remaining items on Layout.ini may as well be handled with "-a 3" or left untouched; they come into and go out of Layout.ini. I even find there some JPG files I opened only once and deleted.