Zero out the pagefile on shutdown

When you shut down your NT machine, the pagefile retains anything that was stored during its last access. This can be a security problem if someone gains access to the page file.

To make the inactive pages in the page file fill with zeros, make the following change to your registry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControl Session ManagerMemory Management] "ClearPageFileAtShutdown"=dword:00000001

Note: Please remember that editing your registry is potentially risky; always have a verified backup before you begin.


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This was first published in April 2001

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