Pagefile is a hidden system file used by Windows to swap data back and forth between RAM and physical drive. When your RAM is insufficient to hold every running program, some of the program’s memory (including sensitive data and passwords) will be moved to the pagefile.Pagefile is well protected while Windows is running, but the data within it persists after a shutdown. A malicious user who has physical access to your PC can extract sensitive data from the pagefile by booting a Live CD.
Clear the pagefile at shutdown in Windows 10 using Local Security Policy. If you are running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions, you can use the Local Security Policy app to configure the option mentioned above with a GUI. Press Win + R keys together on your keyboard and type:secpol.msc Press Enter. Local Security Policy will open.
To prevent such potential security risk, you can configure Windows to automatically clear the paging file on every shutdown.Method 1: Make Windows Clear Pagefile at Shutdown Using GPO. Press the Windows logo key and the R key simultaneously. Once the Run dialog box is opened, type secpol.msc into it and click OK. Navigate to Security Settings - Local Policies - Security Options. On the right pane, double-click on the “ Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile” policy. Select the Enabled radio option, and then click on Apply and then OK. Restart your computer to make sure the changes take effect.Method 2: Make Windows Clear Pagefile at Shutdown Using Registry Editor.
and browse to the following key:HKEYLOCALMACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession ManagerMemory ManagementNext, double-click on a 32-bit DWORD value named ClearPageFileAtShutdown in the right pane. Change the current default value from 0 to 1. Click OK to save the changes.
Restart Windows to apply your changes. Whenever you shut down your PC, Windows will automatically clear the pagefile for added security.
I have looked at ways to speed up the shutdown process for Windows 7 Enterprise 64bit and came to the conclusion that the only way to drastically improve the speed is to disable the 'ClearPageFileAt Shutdown' registry key. I work for a relatively bigcompany, and if this is the way to go, we need to implement this change on about 10 000+ desktops/laptops. My question is how will this change effect the pc's in the long term? Is there any downside to this solution? Some of the pc's take as long as 2minutes to shutdown.
With this change, it takes 13 seconds.