Part 3: Clear the paging file on shutdown

It's possible to have Windows delete your paging file each time you shut down Windows. You may want to do this if you have a multiboot system, wherein each operating system on your PC has its own virtual memory settings. If the paging file from one OS is present while the other is running, it may cause a conflict and will certainly waste a lot of disk space.

If your paging file becomes corrupted or highly fragmented, Windows may load more slowly (or not at all). Deleting the paging file automatically forces Windows to recreate it each time it starts, which may alleviate this problem. (Naturally, if you've gone to the steps to defragment your paging file, as described earlier in this topic, you probably won't want to use this feature, lest it become fragmented again when it's recreated.)

1. Open the Local Security Policy console (secpol.msc).
2. Expand the Local Policies branch and click the Security Options folder.
3. In the right pane, double-click the Shutdown: Clear virtual memory pagefile.
4. Select Enabled and then click OK. You'll need to restart Windows for the change to take effect.