4.
Press <Enter>.
If the new system password is less than 32 characters, the whole field fills with placeholders. Then the option heading changes to
Verify Password
,
followed by another empty 32-character field in square brackets.
5.
To confirm your password, type it a second time and press <Enter>.
The password setting changes to
Enabled
. Your system password is now set; you can exit
system setup
and begin using your system. Password
protection takes effect when you reboot the system by pressing the reset button or by turning the system off and then on again.
Using Your System Password
When you turn on your system or press the reset button, or when you reboot the system by pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Del> combination, the following prompt
appears on the screen when
Password Status
is set to
Unlocked
:
Type in the password and
- press <ENTER> to leave password security enabled.
- press <CTRL><ENTER> to disable password security.
Enter password:
If
Password
Status
is set to
Locked
, the following prompt appears:
Type the password and press <Enter>.
If you enter a wrong or incomplete system password, the following message appears on the screen:
** Incorrect password. **
Enter password:
If you again enter an incorrect or incomplete system password, the same message appears on the screen. The third and subsequent times you enter an
incorrect or incomplete system password, the system displays the following message:
** Incorrect password. **
Number of unsuccessful password attempts: 3
System halted! Must power down.
Even after your system is turned off and on, the previous message is displayed each time an incorrect or incomplete system password is entered.
Deleting or Changing an Existing System Password
To delete or change an existing system password, perform the following steps:
1.
Enter
system setup
, and verify that
Password Status
is set to
Unlocked
.
2.
Reboot your system to force it to prompt you for a system password.
3.
When prompted, type the system password.
4.
Press <Ctrl><Enter> to disable the existing system password, instead of pressing <Enter> to continue with the normal operation of your system.
5.
Confirm that
Not Enabled
is displayed for the
System Password
option.
If
Not Enabled
appears in the
System Password
option, the system password has been deleted. If you want to assign a new password, continue to
step 6. If
Not Enabled
is not displayed for the
System Password
option, press <Alt><B> to reboot the system, and then repeat steps 3 through 5.
6.
To assign a new password, follow the procedure in "
Assigning a System Password
."
Setup Password
Setup passwords allow only those who know the password to have full use of
system setup
. Your Dell system does not have the setup password feature
enabled when you receive it.
Setup Password
options in system setup:
l
Enabled
—
does not allow assignment of setup passwords; users must enter a setup password to make changes to system setup
l
Not Enabled
—
allows assignment of setup passwords; password feature is enabled but no password is assigned
Assigning a Setup Password
1.
Enter
system setup
, and verify that
Setup Password
is set to
Not Enabled.
2.
Highlight
Setup Password
and press the left- or right-arrow key.
The system prompts you to enter and verify the password. If a character is illegal for password use, the system emits a beep.
NOTE:
To escape from the field without assigning a system password, press <Tab> or the <Shift><Tab> combination to move to another field, or
press <Esc> at any time before completing
step 5
.
NOTE:
If you have assigned a
setup password
, the system accepts your setup password as an alternate system password.
NOTE:
You can use
Password Status
in conjunction with
System Password
and
Setup Password
to further protect your system from unauthorized
changes.
