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| Clear the Windows page file for security |
| Notebook computers pose many of the same security risks as desktop computers and servers, but |
| they pose some unique risks as well. For example, it's much more likely for a notebook computer to |
| be stolen than a desktop PC. |
| If a notebook is stolen, the thief can often easily gain access to the notebook's files, even without |
| having user credentials for the system. Systems using a FAT file system are particularly at risk. |
| You can minimize the risk to these systems by using NTFS and encryption for sensitive files. |
| The Windows page file, which Windows uses for virtual memory, is another potential source of |
| sensitive data. Some applications store user credentials in memory as plain text, and it's possible |
| that those credentials could end up in the page file. As a result, these credentials can be hacked |
| from the page file on a stolen notebook. |
| If you need to ensure the highest possible security for your systems, whether notebook or desktop, |
| consider configuring the systems to clear the page file at shutdown. Set the following registry value |
| to 1 to cause Windows to clear the page file during shutdown: |
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory |
| Management\ClearPageFileAtShutdown |
| After changing this value, you must restart the computer for the change to take effect. Shutting |
| down or restarting the computer a second time will clear the page file. |
| Note: Editing the registry is risky. Before making any registry edits, be sure to back up the registry |
| so you can restore it if something goes wrong. |
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