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Some third-party programs may temporarily store unencrypted (plain-text) passwords or other sensitive information in memory. Since Windows XP is based on the Windows NT/2000 kernel, this information may be present in the paging file, thus presenting a potential danger to the system security. Therefore, users who really care for security may wish to clear the Windows NT/2000/XP paging file (Pagefile.sys) during shutdown, so that no unsecured data is contained in the paging file when the shutdown process is complete.
Note | This tip is applicable to all versions of Windows NT/2000/XP, starting with Windows NT 3.51. It's important to keep in mind that clearing the paging file is not a substitute for a computer's physical security. Still, it helps to secure your data when Windows NT/2000/XP is not running. |
To clear the paging file at shutdown, proceed as follows:
If you are working with Windows XP, start Regedit.exe. If you are working with Windows NT/2000, start Regedt32.exe.
Open the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Find the ClearPageFileAtShutdown value (REG_DWORD data type) and set its value to 1. If this value doesn't exist, create it.
Note | This change does not take effect until you restart the computer. |
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