BleepingComputer.com: How to remove those pesky .pf files? Help,please?

I have Prefetch folder in my HD containing .pf files

The problem with them is that they are not deleted when a program is uninstalled - I’ve tried the standard Windows Uninstaller and also different clean uninstallers like Revo, CleanseIn, Free Uninstall -none can delete .pf files and I have to remove them manually .

Some of them are easy to identify as connected to a certain program but some are impossible to understand what they belong to - here are just a few examples:
JQSNOTIFY.EXE-359F83C5.pf
CNMSM61.EXE-2726A2B6.pf
DWWIN.EXE-2C373FB7.pf
DUMPREP.EXE-0AF2BF67.pf

Question is:
How to identify .pf files that are remains from uninstalled software so I can erase them?

(And by the way what is the function of these .pf files, what they really do?)

Thanks in advance for any easy to understand reply!

<<The problem with them is that they are not deleted when a program is uninstalled - I’ve tried the standard Windows Uninstaller and also different clean uninstallers like Revo, CleanseIn, Free Uninstall -none can delete .pf files and I have to remove them manually.>>

Well...I have about 100 of these files on my system...and I wonder why you are concerned with them?

In any case, take a look at Prefetch.

I would take issue with the assertion that fooling around with these files is worth the effort. Of the 95 files I see listed, the majority are well less than 100kb in size. 100 MB of hard drive space...is pretty insignificant on a system like mine that has well over 500GB of occupied hard drive and several hundred thousand files.

Louis

I also would advise against wasting any time and effort worrying about the Prefetch folder. It looks after itself.

See this article from Ed Bott:

http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000743.html

Important things to recognise are:

Suggestions to manually alter or clear the Prefetch folder come from folk who misunderstand how prefetch works.

Having redundant .pf files does no harm. XP will trim the folder down if the contents reaches 128 files, which it will periodically if you install & uninstall a lot of software.