Securing Your Computer: Dell Latitude D620 User's Guide
both a primary and an administrator password assigned but forget them both, contact your system
administrator or Dell (see
Contacting Dell
).
Using a Hard Drive Password
The hard drive password helps protect the data on your hard drive from unauthorized access. You can also
assign a password for an external hard drive (if one is being used) that can be the same as or different
from the password for the primary hard drive.
To assign or change a hard drive password, enter the system setup program (see
System Setup Program
).
After assigning a hard drive password, you must enter it each time you turn on the computer and each
time you restore the computer to normal operation from standby
mode.
If the hard drive password is enabled, you must enter it each time you turn on the computer: A message
appears asking for the hard drive password.
To continue, enter your password (with no more than eight characters) and press <Enter>.
If you do not enter a password within 2 minutes, the computer returns to its previous operating state.
If you enter the wrong password, a message tells you that the password is invalid. Press <Enter> to try
again.
If you do not enter the correct password in three attempts, the computer tries to start from another
bootable device if the
Boot First Device
option in system setup is set to allow start-up from another
device. If the
Boot First Device
option is not set to allow the computer to start from another device, the
computer returns to the operating state it was in when you turned it on.
If the hard drive password, the external hard-drive password, and the primary password are the same,
the computer prompts you only for the primary password. If the hard drive password is different from the
primary password, the computer prompts you for both. Two different passwords provide greater security.
NOTE:
The administrator password provides access to the computer, but it does not provide access
to the hard drive when a hard drive password is assigned.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
NOTE:
The TPM feature supports encryption only if the operating system supports TPM. For more
information, see the TPM software documentation and the help files that came with the software.
TPM is a hardware-based security feature that can be used to create and manage computer-generated
encryption keys. When combined with security software, the TPM enhances existing network and computer
security by enabling features such as file protection capabilities and protected e-mail. The TPM feature is
enabled through a system setup option.
file:///S|/Integration%20Specialist/Hardware%20Docu...on/Kim%20&%20Jay/Dell%20Laptops/D620UG/security.htm (6 of 9) [12/4/2008 10:54:46 AM]
