Dell DCSM Personal Computer User Manual


 
254 Advanced Features
Administrator Password
Option Settings
You cannot change or enter a new administrator password if either of the following two options is
displayed:
Set
— An administrator password is assigned.
Disabled —
The administrator password is disabled by a jumper setting on the system board.
You can only assign an administrator password when the following option is displayed:
Not Set
— No administrator password is assigned and the password jumper on the system board is in
the enabled position (the default setting).
Assigning an Administrator Password
NOTE: To escape from the field without assigning an administrator password, press <Tab> or the <Shift><Tab> key
combination to move to another field, or press <Esc> at any time before you complete step 3.
The administrator password can be the same as the system password.
NOTE: If the two passwords are different, the administrator password can be used as an alternate system
password. However, the system password cannot be used in place of the administrator password.
1
Enter system setup and verify that
Admin Password
is set to
Not Set
(see "Entering System Setup" on
page 257).
2
Highlight
Admin Password
and press the left- or right-arrow key.
The computer prompts you to type and verify the password. If you enter a character that is not
permitted, the computer emits a beep.
3
Type and then verify the password.
After you verify the password, the
Admin Password
setting changes to
Set
. The next time you enter
system setup, the computer prompts you for the administrator password.
4
Exit system setup.
A change to
Admin Password
becomes effective immediately (no need to restart the computer).
Operating Your Computer With an Administrator Password Enabled
When you enter system setup, the Admin Password option is highlighted, prompting you to type the
password (see
"Entering System Setup
" on page 257
).
If you do not type the correct password, the computer lets you view, but not modify, system setup
options.
NOTE: You can use Password Status in conjunction with Admin Password to protect the system password from
unauthorized changes.