When installing Windows operating systems of the seventh version and higher (for example, after XP), users saw a lot of innovations. In particular, this concerned the appearance of some incomprehensible directories, which earlier on system disk did not have. One of these is the PerfLogs directory. What kind of folder under this name is displayed in "Explorer" or in another file manager, further and will be considered. To understand this, first let's consider why this directory was created in the system.
What is the PerfLogs folder on the C drive?
This catalog was first introduced in file structure Windows 7 only. this moment it is present in all recent operating systems. But what is the PerfLogs directory used for? What is this folder in Windows 10, as well as in Windows 7 or 8?
To understand its purpose, you just need to decipher the abbreviation of the name. The first part (Perf) is derived from the English Performance, which can be interpreted as "design" or "performance", and the second (Logs) denotes logs, or special system reports, corresponding to the performance log.
What data is stored in the directory
Thus, speaking about what the PerfLogs folder is, it is easy to understand that it is a save location. special files, in which the results of the performance tests, if any, are recorded.
Separately, it should be noted that the more tests are performed, the more files are saved there. And they, in turn, can be quite large, since old reports do not disappear anywhere. In other words, new reports are not overwritten. Ultimately occupied volume disk space can increase significantly.
Default settings
What the PerfLogs folder is in Windows 7 or higher ranked systems is a little clear. Now a few words about the nuances that every user of a computer system should know.
The fact is that initially there is no information in this directory (it is empty or takes up minimal space). These reports appear only after performance tests have been performed using the operating system. They are mainly used after some time, when the system begins to significantly slow down or cause failures on system level, which entails an increase in the load on hardware resources. Thus, the more often you test, the more larger size will have this directory. However, all of this applies only to Windows instrumentation. Therefore, in order not to clutter up the system partition, it is better to use third-party utilities for performance testing.
Viewing log files
Many users would like to view full reports, for example, to find out the reasons for the degradation of system performance. But it is not possible to open files in the PerfLogs directory just like that (no programs are associated with their extensions by default in Windows).
So what is the PerfLogs folder if you can't open its contents? The problem here is that this directory belongs to the performance monitor service, but not the one that is in the "Task Manager", but the one that is presented as a hidden standard application.
You can call it through regular menu Run if you enter perfmon, which is the abbreviation for performance monitor. In the monitor itself, you need to use performance counters, divided into groups, where you can see the results of all checks.
Test files in this case are loaded automatically, but overall result reports for all categories are not stored in the main directory, but in the Diagnostics subdirectory located in System folder main directory (PerfLogs). Thus, you do not need to open files one at a time.
Is it possible to delete the PerfLogs folder
Let's say a few words about the possibility or impossibility this action... Since, as already noted, the files contained in a directory can take up too much disk space, many users have a completely natural question about whether it is possible to get rid of this directory.
You can delete a folder with all files and subdirectories, but this will not affect the performance of the operating system. The user will only lose the ability to view the results of the checks, if he carried them out. As for the folder itself, even after deleting it, the operating system is restarted using its own automated tools restore settings (registry entries, folders and files), will create the directory of the same name automatically. It will be located in the same place where it was remote folder... As with the default settings, this auto-generated directory will initially be empty! As soon as you start checking the system for performance, you will immediately get an increase in its size. Conclusion: you shouldn't do checks too often, so as not to increase the amount of information in the PerfLogs folder, then it will not interfere.
If the decision to delete a folder is made, but you cannot delete it using the standard method in Explorer, you can use the Unlocker program or log in to the system under registration record administrator. It is even easier to activate it for login via the command line in order to immediately assign yourself all the admin rights. But herself command console should initially only run with administrator rights.
Finally
That's it for the PerfLogs directory. What kind of folder is on the system drive and what it is intended for, I hope, now it has become clear. As for deleting a directory, the choice is up to the user. If you sometimes need to view the report results to compare tests at different time points, it is better not to touch the catalog. If space on the system partition is extremely limited, the directory can be deleted. And remember that for normal work any system last generations it is necessary to keep at least 10-15% of the total system disk free. In the presence of powerful processors and large volumes random access memory as well as to reduce the use of system partition you can simply disable virtual memory(deactivate the use of the paging file).
Many users who previously used to work on computer terminals Microsoft Windows XP, during the transition to the "seven" faced many innovations. This concerned not only the settings or capabilities of the system, but also the emergence of new incomprehensible directories. One of them is PerfLogs. What folder is in front of us? This is what we will try to find out. At the same time, we will briefly consider the question of why it is needed in the system and what data it contains.
PerfLogs: what folder?
To begin with, we note right away that this directory appeared in versions of Windows, starting with the seventh modification, and is currently present in later versions. Let's take a look at the directory itself with an incomprehensible name PerfLogs. What folder is present on the system? This is not difficult to understand if you take up the decoding and translation of the abbreviation.
Basically, it is not difficult to interpret the name of the directory. Log is a journal or diary, and Perf is an abbreviation for Performance, which can be interpreted as "design", "performance". From this it is easy to draw a conclusion about what the PerfLogs folder is for - to store the files of the report on the performance of the computer system.
Where is the PerfLogs directory located?
As for the location of this directory, many users probably noticed that, as a rule, it is located directly on the system disk.
Its role is played by drive "C", but if Microsoft Windows 7, for example, was installed in a different partition ( virtual volume), then this directory should be looked for there.
What data does the PerfLogs directory contain?
As mentioned, the System Performance Report log files are placed in this folder. However, one small clarification should be made here. The point is that the directory is empty by default. Windows files and folders containing log information appear there only after the user has performed any performance tests. It is easy to understand that in the case of frequent carrying out of a large number of checks in this directory, it will be enough a large number of information data that can take up a lot of space. But more on that later.
System performance analysis
So, before us is the PerfLogs directory. What folder is considered in in this case, I think, is already a little clear. Now let's see how the data it contains can be reproduced, so to speak, in normal form so that in in full view the results of the checks and tests carried out.
It goes without saying that if the user suddenly notices some kind of malfunction in the system or, for example, a significant decrease in the speed of its operation or even the stability of the state, he begins to try to find out the reasons for such a situation. Accordingly, the conduct of different kinds tests for the speed of work on the implementation of system or user tasks. All test data is logged. However, the Windows folder named PerfLogs may contain, so to speak, unreadable data, which, unlike ordinary logs presented in the form text files, standard methods or you won't be able to view it with the help of some programs. Here you will have to use a special built-in utility called the system monitor (not to be confused with the similar resource monitoring service in the Task Manager, which works in real time and monitors the load on system resources).
View Reports in System Monitor
So, first we use standard button"Start". A right click brings up a menu in which you must first select the search system (the line "Find), and then enter the abbreviated name of the service - perfmon."
You can do much easier if you write a similar command in the "Run" menu, called by the combination Win keys+ R.
A system monitor window appears in front of us, in which you need to go to the groups of data collectors. They are all united by different signs(performance counters, configuration information, event tracking data, diagnostics, etc.).
In this case, groups are initially used presented in the form own template Windows. Nevertheless, they can be redistributed or divided into those offered by the system itself and those that the user can create. It goes without saying that here you can see all the results of checks, tests or some kind of scan. Common file reports for all groups are no longer saved in PerfLogs, but in the Diagnostics subdirectory located in the System subfolder, in other words, along the path C: \ PerfLogs \ System \ Diagnostics. The file has the extension .html and can be easily opened in any Internet browser or even in Microsoft Word.
PerfLogs folder in Windows 7 and higher: can it be deleted without damaging the system?
Now a few words about how important the role of this directory is in Windows 7 and higher systems. Yes, indeed, it contains reports that are generated during checks, and they are viewed in the system monitor. As mentioned above, the more tests there are, the more files are created in this directory. As it is already clear, outdated data is not needed by either the system or the user, therefore, everything that is in the PerfLogs folder can be deleted as unnecessary without critical consequences for the functioning of the "operating system".
But sometimes the question may also be to delete the directory itself. Without a doubt, you can remove it. Some may argue, they say, where will the log data be written? The answer is simple: upon reboot, the system will automatically create new catalog with the same name and in the same place, so you don't have to worry too much about that.
However, deleting the contents of a folder in manual mode if it is not supposed to remove it, it is not always justified. It is better to use the system tool where you just need to select the log files with a tick, although this method is not required.
Conclusion
That is, in general, everything related to the PerfLogs folder and questions related to what it is for, what function it performs in the system and whether it is possible to get rid of it. The only thing worth paying attention to is that after deleting it, the information for viewing in the system monitor will simply become inaccessible. If you have to find out the reasons for the problems that arise, on initial stage solving problems with performance and speed Windows directory better not to touch. You can start deleting data after a solution has been found to eliminate the failures that have occurred.
How exactly to get rid of this directory, each user decides independently. However, if we approach this issue objectively, then there is nothing wrong with the fact that the folder will be deleted entirely and completely in manual mode, and not by cleaning the system disk or partition. All the same, this will not affect the system itself in any way, and upon reloading, a similar directory will be created automatically.
With each new version Windows is growing much faster than serial number, written next to the brand name. Both the user interface and new firmware are not the only signs of this evolution. It is enough to look at the contents of the system partition to make sure of this again. Here and there by file system previously non-existent folders are scattered about.
Some of them are not useful to the user in any way and are intended solely for the needs of the operating system itself, while others are able to benefit the ordinary user, if he would have the desire and time to understand everything. To reduce your mental costs, we will tell you about one such directory, which has the cryptic name "Perflogs".
For those who are at least a little versed in modern technologies and is friendly with English, the very name says a lot. The first four letters clearly hint at the performance (performance) of something, the second - at collecting information about this indicator (log means a log).
It's about the performance of the seventh Windows versions... It is in this folder that the OS collects information about the performance of its services. This information accumulates in separate files this directory. As with other programs and services, the performance analyzer can be running, or it can be in an inactive state. Immediately after starting this program, information about the operating speed of the OS at this particular moment begins to be recorded in the files and subdirectories of Perflogs.
Data collection is carried out only as long as the perfmon process is active. Perfmon is system program with a friendly user interface... You can run it directly from command line(or from the "Run" window of the "Start" menu). As soon as you close the program window, the Perflogs folder is immediately empty. The data it contains is of interest only during the operation of the utility, since it reflects the performance of the system in real time and is neatly summarized in utility reports. Now let's see how to use all of this.
Viewing performance analysis data
So, to start working with the program, you need to perform the following simple manipulations:
- Go to the start menu.
- Open the "Run" window.
- Type the text "perfmon" in the command field.
- Press "Enter".
A window like this will appear:
Of greatest interest is the Data Collector Groups subgroup. These are the very collectors who write the results of their work to the Perflogs folder. System monitor has several standard subgroups:
- A subgroup of performance counters.
- A subgroup of controls for critical system events.
- Data about the current Windows configuration.
- Subgroup "System Performance".
- A subgroup of diagnostic utilities.
This toolkit is quite enough to quickly navigate what is actually happening in the system at this moment in time. As the name of the site lists suggests, collector groups are of two main types: system builders- they are presented by the system in the form "as is" and cannot be configured by the user, special collectors - the user can create and configure such collectors on his own. This is done like this:
- Click right click mouse on the node "Special".
- Select the New => Data Collector Group menu command.
- Then provide a name for the newly created group.
- Select the "Create manually" alternative and click on the "Next" wizard button.
- In the next window, select the "Performance counter alert" alternative and click "Next" again.
- After that, you will be prompted to add specific counters to the group.
- Configure notifications when specific counters from the group are triggered and exit the wizard by clicking the "Finish" button.
The group created in this way works as a trigger: as soon as the value of a particular counter exceeds or falls below a specific value, you will immediately know about it.
Why is all this needed?
Performance counters are the ideal system monitoring tool. Now you don't have to rummage through manuals trying to understand what happened to Windows and why it suddenly began to work an order of magnitude worse than usual. Having set up the notification system, you transfer this work to the OS. Inadequate values of certain performance parameters will be available directly and without any manipulation on your part. Many people may notice that this toolkit is useful rather for system administrator, not for regular user- and they will most likely be wrong.
If home computer regularly slows down or freezes, then in any case you should think about tracking the reasons for this behavior.
Hello everyone. How are you? Hope it's good .. Today I would like to tell you about the PerfLogs folder, so to speak, dot the i's, so that you know what kind of folder it is, can you delete it.
So you probably already know that there are a lot of folders in Windows, some are necessary, others are not very good. But there are no folders that are not needed at all. The PerfLogs folder also appeared for a reason, if it exists, then there is a reason for this. So, the PerfLogs folder is needed in order for Windows to dump the performance counter data there.
Personally, I have this folder empty and was created in general a long time ago .. As I understand it, it was still BEFORE installing Windows, well, that is, so to speak, it was still in the embryo of Windows, that is, it was still in installation disk... So it was conceived from above, well, that is, by developers at Microsoft .. In short, think for yourself, I installed Windows exactly this year, that is, in 2016, but the folder itself was created in 2009 .. Well, some kind of travel in time ... Look, I have a PerfLogs folder on the system disk, so I opened its properties:
And someone else could not sleep, apparently at six in the morning, well, it’s probably the programmers at Microsoft who finished the Windows since morning, so to speak ...
When I opened the folder, I had another Admin folder inside and with a lock:
But this folder was also created in 2009. Hmm, there is even such a joke, look, this Admin folder was created at 5:35 the same day as the PerfLogs folder, but only the last one was created at 6:20! Do you understand what I mean? This is mysticism, the folder is inside - it was created earlier than the one in which the parent is located, in short, I don’t know, but I’m afraid of something ...
Yes, I think, well, I messed it up. This is the date of the change, I am so inattentive. But it was still scary .. Mystical Windows ... But what else, see how the Admin folder can be changed before it is created? Well, see for yourself:
Or am I confusing something? Scary again .. Well, I can't make out anything here, something is dull ...
In general, these are the guys. I deleted this folder, as I understand it can be done, although it is usually empty anyway .. If Windows needs it, it will create it again .. Then, for example, I rebooted and checked if it would appear again, but no, she was not there ...
I also looked to see if it was in Windows 10, and I was almost sure that it would not be there, because there is no performance score! But, as it turned out, she is there too, here she is:
Like this! When I tried to enter it, there was a message like this:
But when I clicked Continue, I still went into the folder. This suggests that the folder is systemic and important .. But there was nothing inside either guys, even the Admin folder was not, everything is empty inside.
What can you learn to do by watching this video?
In this tutorial, you will learn about system folders, learn how to handle them, and also learn how to free up space on the C drive.
Video description:
You already know from the previous lesson.In this lesson, the author will tell you where the space goes from the C drive.
Launch File Explorer and go to My Computer. Here you will see all the disks that are available on the computer. So pay attention to how much free space on drive C today and watch how the situation changes in a week. Most likely, there will be less free space in a week. Why it happens? We'll figure out.
Open drive C and carefully examine all the folders that are on it. Typically, the C drive is the system drive. Of course, you can easily install the OS on another drive, but it's more customary to choose drive C.
If you recently installed Windows, then there will be either three or four folders. Folder PerfLogs created by the operating system to store information that is necessary for correct work... If you accidentally delete this folder, nothing bad will happen. However, the author does not recommend doing this.
Into the folder Windows the operating system is installed. All OS files are stored in it, so it is better not to delete anything from here, as this may affect the operation of Windows.
When you install operating system, you can create one or more users. Personal files and settings of each user are stored, respectively, in the folder Users.
Also on the C drive there is necessarily a folder Program Files ... All programs are installed in it by default. When you run the Software Installer to install the program on your computer, it will offer installation to this folder by default. It is also advisable to delete anything from here.
Now you know what it is for and you are ready to explore the basic question: where does the free space go from the disk?
So, first of all, the installation of programs. During installation, the program files are copied to the Program Files folder. Accordingly, the space on the C drive decreases, and how more programs you install, the less free space on the C drive becomes.
At running Windows flaws, errors and vulnerabilities are periodically discovered. In turn Microsoft releases special programs- updates, the direct purpose of which is to correct errors in the operation of the OS. If you are using automatic update Windows systems, then your system itself looks for updates on the developer's website and downloads them to your computer. After downloading the updates, they are installed. And since updates are a program, all files are copied to Windows folder... And the more updates, the less space on the C drive. Updates are released often enough, so don't be surprised how quickly the volume decreases. free space on disk C.
You already know that the Users folder contains information of all users who have access to your computer. And if you store files on the Desktop or in libraries, then in fact all this information is stored on the C drive. The Desktop is regular folder on the computer, which can be found in each user's folder. Accordingly, you should avoid storing large files on the Desktop (videos, disc images, music, photo archives).
How do I get more space on my desktop?
- Pay attention to the Shopping Cart. It, in fact, is also a folder that is located on the C drive. Therefore, emptying the trash can sometimes free up quite "solid" Gigabytes on the C drive.
- It would be nice to clean the Users folder. It is better to do this not through Explorer, but in the library. Look, maybe a lot of unnecessary junk has already accumulated there, which uselessly takes up space on the C drive.
- The Desktop deserves special attention. Often, there are inopportunely large files that can simply be transferred to any other disk.
- If you still do not have enough free space, take care of the Program Files folder. But you don't need to delete anything manually in it. Go to Control Panel, select the Uninstall Programs option. Carefully read the list of programs that are displayed in it. In front of each program, you will see the amount of memory that each program occupies on disk. Remove only useless programs that you are not using. The author does not recommend uninstalling programs whose names contain Microsoft.
- Some programs create a cache while they are running. Browsers are a great example. While surfing the Internet, you constantly load pages, and the browser partially copies these pages to your computer. This is done so that the next time these pages load faster. That is, the information will not be downloaded from the Internet, but partially from a computer. Thus, you enjoy the speed of the browser, and your C drive suffers from a lack of free space. Any modern browser can clear the cache. To do this, follow the Clear History procedure in your browser. This way you can free up up to several gigabytes.
- There are special programs, for example, CCleaner. Such programs greatly facilitate the procedure for cleaning up free space on the system disk.
In the next lesson, you will learn
