How can I avoid eM Client creating a folder called “GPUCache” on my (Win 10) desktop? Can I change a setting so that it is not created, or so that it is placed somewhere less intrusive?
Nothing to do with eM Client.
Do you perhaps have any Adobe software running on your computer?
Thanks Gary.
The fact is that every appearance of the GPUCache folder on my desktop has followed immediately on opening eM Client. It appears in a minority of such occasions.
I have done more testing, on three situations:
- eM Client opened from desktop shortcut, with “Start in” field filled (as is normal)
- eM Client opened from desktop shortcut, with “Start in” field blank
- eM Client opened from MailWasher 6.5.4 (my usual way of working)
I found that the GPUCache folder appeared on my desktop:
case 1: 0 times out of 37
case 2: 3 times out of 39
case 3: 6 times out of 43
So it seems that MailWasher accentuates the problem, but the problem still occurs (though less often) when opening eM Client direct from the desktop, with “Start in” blanked. There is no option in MailWasher to control the equivalent of the “Start in” field.
Regarding the timing of GPUCache’s appearance, it appears AFTER the eM Client main window has opened, showing the list of emails, and showing the icon in the task bar, but usually BEFORE the text of the highlighted message appears at the right of the eM Client window.
I guess you might be able to reproduce the problem by trying out case 2, unless it is due to some peculiarity of my machine. But it will take many attempts (and a lot of patience!) Waiting a few minutes before repeating the test seems to make GPUCache a little more likely to appear.
Regarding Adobe, the only installed application is Acrobat Reader, and GPUCache was appearing long before I installed Reader. The only Adobe service is Acrobat Reader Updates, and this was stopped during the above tests. The only Adobe processes are a couple of instances of AdobeRdrCEF, but they only appear while Reader is in use, which it wasn’t.
If we can find out exactly where GPUCache is being created, the solution would be to create it in my AppData\Local somewhere, as (eg) Chrome and NeroLauncher do, rather than on the desktop.
Ciarán Ó Duibhín.
The GPUCache folder is created by Adobe. It is not created by eM Client.
If you use your preferred search engine, you will find much discussion, and solutions, to this Adobe issue.
Also, check you are using the latest version of eM Client available from the Release History.
Thank you, Gary. Perhaps we have exhausted this issue on the forum, but here is more evidence to consider.
Just to make sure, I uninstalled Acrobat Reader and rebooted. There is now no trace of any Adobe application, process or service visible in Task Manager. GPUCache still appears on the desktop on (the same percentage of) occasions as before, when eM Client is started.
The only “solution” I have seen on the web — perhaps there are others — concerns an Adobe application “Creative Cloud” which was behaving in the same way that eM Client is for me. The solution given was to reconfigure the application by deleting and recreating the desktop shortcut. Doing this for eM Client produces a shortcut identical to the normal one.
From my reading, the GPU is a piece of hardware that Windows can call upon to share the processing load with the CPU, when necessary. It is unlikely to be invoked directly by an application. What applications can do is to make sure the cache folder is created in the proper location (beneath %LOCALAPPDATA%), as other applications (including at least Chrome and NeroLauncher) do. With eM Client it is placed on the desktop, where it appears AFTER the eM Client main window and taskbar icon are displayed, but BEFORE the text of the highlighted message is displayed in the main window.
My experience is that a GPUCache folder IS NOT created when eM Client is started from the usual desktop shortcut with the “Start in” field filled, eg. with “C:\Program Files (x86)\eM Client”. The folder IS created when eM Client is called EITHER from another application such as MailWasher (created in about 16% of cases) —this is how I encounter the problem — OR when eM Client is started by a desktop shortcut with a blank “Start in” field (created in about 8% of cases).
MailWasher is not to blame, as I have opened other programs from it and so far only eM Client has caused GPUCache to appear on the desktop. In fact, I have opened NeroLauncher from MailWasher and monitored it using its GPUCache folder, located out of sight in my AppData\Local\NeroLauncher\QtWebEngine\Default folder.
Perhaps some kind reader of this forum could try blanking (temporarily) the “Starts in” field of the eM Client desktop shortcut, and running eM Client a few (dozen 
times, to see if GPUCache appears on the desktop? (The involvement of the GPU may however depend on your hardware, or on hardware acceleration being active. My graphics card is an AMD Radeon R2, which I gather is not particularly powerful.)
Ciarán Ó Duibhín
So the solution is in your extended comments above. Simply leave the shortcut alone. If this folder is not created when you use the default shortcut - do so.