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Caches

# System

System caches are created by OS X at a low level. When clearing system caches Cocktail will always clear caches in the following locations:

Always cleared caches

- /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.bootefisignature
- /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.bootstamps/
- /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.IntlDataCache.le
- /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.IntlDataCache.le.kbdx

Cocktail is by default set to clear even more system caches. Which system caches Cocktail is to clear is configurable in the options. The possibility to return to the initial settings is provided by the defaults button. The different caches supported by Cocktail is:

Available option caches:

- Component caches
- - Audio components
    /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.SystemCache.AudioComponents
    /Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.AudioComponents
  - QuickTime components
    /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.SystemCache.QuickTimeComponents
    /Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.QuickTimeComponents
  - Other components
    /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.SystemCache.Components
    /Library/Caches/com.apple.Components2.LocalCache.Components
- CoreDuet database
  /private/var/db/CoreDuet/
- Core files
  /cores/
- CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) job files
  /var/spool/cups/
  /var/spool/cups/tmp/
- Data detectors caches
  /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.datadetectorscore.cache.full.system
  /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.datadetectorscore.cache.urlifier.system
- Dynamic link editor's (dyld) shared cache
  Ensures that the dynamic link editor's shared cache is up-to-date by clearing and regenerating the shared cache files. Under normal circumstances Mac OS keep the dyld's cache up-to-date. However, if you encounter "spinning wheel" problems and get the "update_dyld_shared_cache" warnings in the system console, clearing the dynamic link editor's shared cache can resolve the problems.
- Kernel caches
  /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext.caches/Startup/Extensions.mkext
  /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.kext.caches/Startup/kernelcache*
- Hibernate (sleepimage) file
  /var/vm/sleepimage
  The hibernate (sleepimage) file is a large file containing what the computer had in it's memory when the machine went to sleep, an image of computers's previous memory state. When the computer wakes from sleep, the content of sleepimage is read again and placed back into active memory, and the computer is returned to the state that it was in prior to sleeping.
- Virtual memory swap files
  /var/vm/swapfile*

CUPS cache is files created by CUPS and contain the processed print information. CUPS is stopped while files are deleted and then restarted. Core files are files created when an application crashes and storing a copy of the application's state at the time it crashed. Kernel cache is cache used by the system to speed up loading of kernel extensions. Temporary files from user as well as system. Virtual memory swap files are used by the system to store often-used information from physical memory (RAM).

Online information

- Cache by Wikipedia.