Name Cache & Path Cache

All of the files on your hard drive are indexed in a non-accessable part of the drive called the file allocation table, or FAT. When Windows needs to find a file on the drive, it first has to check the FAT to see where it is. Windows also has what is called the virtual file allocation table, or VFAT, which is essentially the same thing only kept in memory. Since memory is far faster than the hard drive, Windows checks the VFAT for files first, and if it can't find them there it then turns to the FAT on the hard drive.

But the VFAT doesn't just spring into existance when your computer is turned on, it is assembled as you work by storing the names and paths of the files Windows has accessed. This, along with the disk cache increases your system performance by allowing fast access to previously used files. Since many of these files are used over and over with every computing session, this is a significant feature.

So the CacheMaster name cache and path cache controls allow you to change the number of file names and paths that Windows stores in the VFAT. If you go to the Windows System Property applet, either through the Control Panel or by right-clicking My Computer and choosing Properties, then click the Performance tab and finally the File System button, you'll see a menu titled "Typical role of this computer". This offers a few choices like Desktop Computer or Network Server. You also might see one that says CacheMaster Settings. Hmm...now how did that get there? Anyhow, these profiles correspond to the name and path cache. The Desktop Computer profile allows 32 paths and 677 names to be stored, while the Network Server goes up to 64 paths and 2729 names. CacheMaster allows you to go beyond these profiles to 255 paths and 6144 names. Pretty cool, eh?

Your best bet is probably to set both the name and path cache all the way to the maximum. Naturally these caches will take up some memory, but since the full 6144 file names only eats up about 32 kilobytes of memory, and the 255 paths probably take up less, there's little reason to skimp here unless you're so starved for memory that you need every byte you can find. What good is memory if you aren't using it?

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