what is perflib_perfdata.dat

[pcs800]

what is perflib_perfdata.dat
what is this file that lives in the users Temp folder, and why is it always in use and can't be removed.

Eric VanLandingham
The Bargain Monkey

http://www.bargainmonkey.com

 

[YBNormal]

The %SystemRoot%\System32\Perflib_Perfdataxxx.dat files are created by the System Monitor. When you shutdown normally, the file should be deleted.

If you have an abormal shutdown, these files can become orphaned, and accumulate on your computer.

Under some yet to be determined circumstances, these files can become orphaned during normal operation.

The best way to remove these files is to add a command in a logon script:

del /q %SystemRoot%\System32\Perflib_Perfdata*.dat



Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining.
- Jeff Raskin

 

[pcs800]

did you copy this answer from experts-exchange? I saw the same thing there, word for word. But that's ok, thanks for the answer.

Eric VanLandingham
The Bargain Monkey

http://www.bargainmonkey.com

 

[YBNormal]

actually no. i saw the one at experts exchange also. its actually copied from this location:

http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBG/TIP3300/rh3343.htm

Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining.
- Jeff Raskin

 

[linney]

What firewall are you running? Is it a McAfee or ZoneAlarm? I vaguely remember one of those use to create this type of file in the Temp folder every time it started.

 

[bcastner]

If the files are in use, they are not orphans. Windows stores "cooked class" data (their term) so that various historical comparisons can be made in the various performance and monitoring measures that it makes available.

Leave them alone.

For a detailed discussion of these historical values under WMI, see:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/wmisdk/wmi/performance_counter_classes.asp

For a discussion how you can setup new and different measures to give you system and performance metrics, see this discussion related to network through-put:

http://www.lpt.com/windowsnetworking/regusers/wxpperfm.htm

There are of course many things that can be set to record and show measures of performance.