Users Guide

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 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 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 Password Status in conjunction with System Password and Setup Password to
further protect your system from unauthorized changes. For more information, see Password Status.
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. Confirm that Not Enabled is displayed for System Password.
If Not Enabled appears as the System Password setting, 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 System Password, press the <Alt><b> key combination 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.
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, as described in the next subsection, Assigning 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 (see Deleting or Changing an Existing Setup
Password). If you assign and later forget a setup password, you need to remove the computer cover to change a jumper
setting that disables the setup password feature (see Disabling a Forgotten Password). Note that you erase the system
password at the same time.