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 incomplete system password is entered, the system displays the following 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 that an unauthorized person has attempted 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.
Deleting or Changing an Existing System Password
To delete or change an existing system password, perform the following steps:
1. Enter the System Setup program and verify that
Password Status
is set to
Unlocked
.
Enter the System Setup program by pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Enter> key combination. Press the <Alt><p> key combination to move to
Page 2 of the System Setup screens. For instructions on changing the setting for
Password Status
, see "
Password Status
."
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><Enter> key combination to disable the existing system password, instead of pressing <Enter> to continue with the normal
operation of your system.
5. Reboot the system and
enter the System Setup program
.
6. Confirm that
Not Enabled
is displayed for
System Password
in the System Setup program.
If
Not Enabled
appears, the system password has been deleted. If you want to assign a new password, go to step 7.
If
Not Enabled
is
not
displayed, press the <Alt><b> key combination to reboot the system, and then repeat steps 3 through 6.
7.
Assign a system password
.
Using 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
whenever you use the System Setup program. After a setup password 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. If you assign and later
forget
a setup password, you need your
computer key to get inside the chassis, where you can change a jumper setting to
disable the password feature
. Note that you erase the
system
password
at the same time.
Assigning a Setup Password
A setup password can be assigned (or changed) only when
Setup Password
is set to
Not Enabled
. To assign a setup password, 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.
After you verify the password, the
Setup Password
setting changes to
Enabled
. The next time you enter the System Setup program, the system
prompts you for the setup password.
A change to
Setup Password
becomes effective immediately (rebooting the system is not required).
Operating With a Setup Password Enabled
NOTE:
You can use
Password Status
in conjunction with
System Password
and
Setup Password
to further protect your system from
unauthorized changes.
NOTES:
The setup password can be the same as the system password.
If the two passwords are different, the setup password can be used as an alternate system password. However, the system password
cannot be used in place of the setup password.
Summary of Contents for Inspiron 620
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