Deleting Or Changing An Existing System Password; Using The Setup Password Feature - Dell OptiPlex Gs Reference And Installation Manual

NOTE: If you have assigned a setup password (see
"Using the Setup Password Feature" found later in this
chapter), the system accepts your setup password as an
alternate system password.
If a wrong or incomplete system password is entered, the
following message appears on the screen:
** Incorrect password. **
Enter password:
If an incorrect or incomplete system password is entered
again, the same message appears on the screen.
The third and subsequent times an incorrect or in-complete
system password is entered, the system displays the fol-
lowing message:
** Incorrect password. **
Number of unsuccessful password
attempts: 3
System halted! Must power down.
The number of unsuccessful attempts made to enter the
correct system password can alert you to an unauthorized
person attempting to use your system.
Even after your system is turned off and on, the previous
message is displayed each time an incorrect or incomplete
system password is entered.
NOTE: You can use the
conjunction with
SYSTEM PASSWORD
to further protect your system from unauthorized
WORD
changes. For more information, see "Password Status"
found earlier in this chapter.
Deleting or Changing an Existing
System Password
To delete or change an existing password, perform the
following steps:
1. Enter the System Setup program and verify that
the
PASSWORD STATUS
.
UNLOCKED
Enter the System Setup program by pressing the
< >< ><
CTRL ALT ENTER
< >< > key combination to move to Page 2 of the
ALT P
System Setup screens. For instructions on changing
the setting for
PASSWORD STATUS
Status" found earlier in this chapter.
2-12 Dell OptiPlex Gs and Gs+ Low-Profile Systems Reference and Installation Guide
category in
PASSWORD STATUS
and
SETUP PASS-
category is set to
> key combination. Press the
, see "Password
2. Reboot your system to force it to prompt you for
a system password.
3. When prompted, type the system password.
4. Press the < ><
CTRL
disable the existing system password, instead
of pressing <
ENTER
normal operation of your system.
5. Confirm that
NOT ENABLED
SYSTEM PASSWORD
Setup program.
If appears in the
NOT ENABLED
category, the system password has been deleted. If
you want to assign a new password, continue to
step 6. If
NOT ENABLED
category, press the <
TEM PASSWORD
combination to reboot the system, and then repeat
steps 2 through 5.
6. To assign a new password, follow the procedure
in "Assigning a System Password" found earlier
in this section.
U
sing the Setup Password
Feature
Your Dell system is shipped to you without the setup
password feature enabled. If system security is a concern,
you should operate your system with setup password
protection.
You can assign a setup password, as described in the next
subsection, "Assigning a Setup Password," whenever
you use the System Setup program. After a setup pass-
word is assigned, only those who know the password
have full use of the System Setup program.
To change an existing setup password, you must know
the setup password (see "Deleting or Changing an Exist-
ing Setup Password" found later in this section). If you
assign and later forget a setup password, you need to be
able to remove the computer cover to change a jumper
setting that disables the setup password feature (see "Dis-
abling a Forgotten Password" found later in this chapter).
Note that you erase the system password at the same
time.
> key combination to
ENTER
> to continue with the
is displayed for the
category of the System
SYSTEM PASSWORD
is not displayed for the
><
ALT
SYS-
> key
B