Encrypt Your Windows Pagefile To Improve Security
There is nothing better than encrypting the system partition and all other partitions if you want to protect your files from unauthorized access. There are still ways around this but they require specialized equipment and access to the PC.
The main reason why this is the best option in regards to security and privacy is that it protects all files on all drives when the computer is not turned on.
Regular users on the other hand may be better off encrypting only their important documents and files, and other areas of the operating system that may reveal information about those files.
One of those is the Windows Pagefile, which is basically a hard drive cache for files. The file is used by Windows even if your computer has enough memory available. It is possible to delete the Pagefile on exit, but that does not guarantee that the information it contains cannot be recovered.
Data that is deleted is not really removed from the hard drive it is stored on. The only thing that is happening is that references to the file are removed and that its storage space is available again for writes. This means that it takes time before the data is completely gone and not recoverable anymore.
The only possible solution next to encrypting the system partition? Encrypting the page file. This can be done with the Windows program fsutil that is installed with the operating system.
Encrypt the Pagefile
Please note that the pagefile can only be encrypted if the containing hard drive uses the NTFS file system. The majority of Windows Vista and Windows 7 PCs should use NTFS file systems.
Update: This works in newer versions of Windows as well.
You need to open an elevated command prompt by clicking on the start orb, then All Programs > Accessories. Locate Command Prompt in the listing, right-click the program and select Run as administrator from the context menu. This is the way in Windows 7, it may be slightly different if you use a different version of Windows.
Update: The general way is to press the Windows-key, type cmd.exe, right-click the result and select run as administrator from the context menu.
Issue the following command to encrypt the pagefile in Windows:
fsutil behavior set EncryptPagingFile 1
You need to restart the PC before the change takes effect.
Check the Pagefile for encryption
You can also check if the pagefile is encrypted. For that issue the following command.
fsutil behavior query EncryptPagingFile
A return value of 1 indicates that the pagefile is encrypted, 0 would indicate that it is not encrypted.
Remove Pagefile encryption
You can also remove the encryption of a pagefile again. This is done with the command
fsutil behavior set EncryptPagingFile 0
The pagefile is encrypted with the Encrypting File System (EFS) which provides the file encryption technology on NTFS volumes.
What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277