User guide

support.dell.com Using the System Setup Program 4-9
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 the
Password Status
option in conjunction with
System Password
and
Setup Password
to further protect your system from unauthorized changes.
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To delete or change an existing system password, perform the following steps:
1. Enter the System Setup program by pressing <F2>. Select the
System Security
screen field to verify that the
Password Status
option 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 the <Ctrl><Enter> key combination to disable the existing system pass-
word, 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 of the
System Setup program.
If
Not Enabled
appears for 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 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 the section “Assigning a Sys-
tem Password” found earlier in this chapter.
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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.