Lenovo ThinkCentre M76, Hardware Maintenance Manual, Page: 48 / 214

Password considerations
A password can be any combination of up to 16 (1 to 16) alphabetic and numeric characters. For security
reasons, it is recommended to use a strong password that cannot be easily compromised. To set a strong
password, use the following guidelines:
Note: The Setup Utility program passwords are not case sensitive.
• Have at least eight characters in length
• Contain at least one alphabetic character and one numeric character
• Not be your name or your user name
• Not be a common word or a common name
• Be significantly different from your previous passwords
Power-on password
After you have set a power-on password using the Set Power-On Password option, a password prompt is
displayed each time you turn on the computer. You cannot use the computer until a valid password is typed
in. For more information about how to set a password, see “Setting, changing, or deleting a password”
on page 44.
Administrator password
The Set Administrator Password option enables you to set an administrator password, which deters
unauthorized users from changing configuration settings. If you are responsible for maintaining the settings
of several computers, you might want to set an administrator password. For more information about how to
set a password, see “Setting, changing, or deleting a password” on page 44.
After you have set an administrator password, a password prompt is displayed each time you try to access
the Setup Utility program. You cannot access the Setup Utility program until a valid password is typed in.
If you have set both a power-on password and an administrator password, you can type either password
to use your computer. However, to change any configuration settings, you must use your administrator
password.
Setting, changing, or deleting a password
This section provides instructions on how to set, change, or delete a password.
To set, change, or delete a password, do the following:
1. Start the Setup Utility program. See “Starting the Setup Utility program” on page 43.
2. From the Setup Utility program main menu, select Security ➙ Set Power-On Password or Set
Administrator Password .
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to set, change, or delete a password.
Note: A password can be any combination of up to 16 (1 to 16) alphabetic and numeric characters.
For more information, see “Password considerations” on page 44.
Enabling or disabling a device
This section provides instructions on how to enable or disable user access to a device.
44
ThinkCentre Hardware Maintenance Manual