Final answer:
Frederick can use USB Historian to determine if a thumb drive was ever plugged into a Windows system, as it analyzes the USB device registry artifacts. Other methods include reviewing the MFT or creating a forensic image, but neither is as direct as USB Historian for this purpose.
Step-by-step explanation:
Frederick wants to determine if a thumb drive was ever plugged into a Windows system. The best option for him to test this is C. Use USB Historian. USB Historian is a tool that parses Microsoft Windows USB Device Registry artifacts. It can be used to identify USB devices that have been connected to a system.
Another way to check this would be to review the MFT (Master File Table) for evidence of files that may have been stored on the thumb drive if it was used to transfer or save files. However, the MFT won't necessarily have records of the thumb drive itself, only files that may have been transferred. Checking the system's live memory could provide evidence if the thumb drive is connected during the analysis, but it's less helpful for past connections. Lastly, creating a forensic image of the drive is a comprehensive way to preserve the current state of the drive for analysis, but it doesn't provide direct evidence of past connections of external devices like thumb drives.