Users Guide

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.
• 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 the system setup program 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.
If the administrative password is installed when the user creates the primary hard-drive password, then the administrative password can
be used in place of the primary hard-drive password. This feature allows an administrator to unlock password-protected hard drives as
long as an administrative password is installed before deploying the computers.
There are two behaviors associated with this feature that help to preserve the integrity of the hard-drive’s password:
• The administrative password will only work to unlock a hard drive on the computer on which the hard-drive password was created.
This means a password-protected hard drive cannot be removed from one computer, placed in a second computer and be unlocked
using the administrative password on the second computer.
• Installing an administrative password on a computer after the hard-drive password has been created will not enable unlocking of the
hard drive using the administrative password.
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
NOTE:
Computers shipping into China are not equipped with the TPM feature.
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.
NOTE:
To secure your TPM data and encryption keys, follow the backup procedures documented in the Archive and
Restore section of the EMBASSY Security Center help file. The EMBASSY Security Center is launched through the pre-
installed Dell Control Point software on your computer. In the event of these backups being incomplete, lost, or
damaged, Dell will be unable to assist in the recovery of encrypted data.
Enabling the TPM Feature
1. Enable the TPM software:
a. Restart the computer and press <F2> during the Power On Self Test (POST) to enter the system setup program.
b. Select Security > TPM Security and press Enter.
c. Under TPM Security, select On.
d. Press <Esc> to exit the setup program.
e. If prompted, click Save/Exit.
2. Activate the TPM setup program:
a. Restart the computer and press <F2> during the Power On Self Test to enter the system setup program.
b. Select Security > TPM Activation and press Enter.
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Security