Clear Page File At Reboot or Shutdown

Contributed by davak

August 3, 2003

Tagged: Windows security

This recipe tells windows to clear the page file during reboot or shutdown.

The Windows page file contains the system’s virtual memory. Therefore, it could contain sensitive information including passwords. Many security experts suggest having windows clear the page file during shutdown.

This involves editing your registry. One should always export your current registry to backup and save it before editing.

Make this simple change:
Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Path: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Key: ClearPageFileAtShutdown
Type: REG_SZ
Value: 1

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AlexTheBeast 5 years ago 1 point
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I don't know which operating system the above recipe is directed.

In XP--

First navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementClearPageFileAtShutdown

Change this value to 1 to enable.
Change this value to 0 to disable (default).

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TECH_GUEST 4 years ago 1 point
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Beware that doing this can greatly increase the time required to shutdown your XP system. Well - OK maybe 90 seconds or so depending on the machine. To me this is an eternity when needing to dash out the door w/my laptop (2ghz).

Test before setting policy for a large organization.

-voice of experience

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AlexTheBeast 4 years ago 1 point
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TECH_GUEST--

Thanks for the warning! It certainly will slow down shutdown times as it wipes this file.

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