Dell Precision 220 - Manual (Page 79)

Type the password and press .
After you type the correct system password and press , your system boots and you can use the keyboard and/or mouse to operate your
system as usual.
If you enter a wrong or incomplete system password, the following message appears on the screen:
** Incorrect password. **
Enter password:
If you again enter an incorrect or incomplete system password, the same message appears on the screen.
The third and subsequent times you enter an incorrect or incomplete system password, 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.
Deleting or Changing an Existing System Password
To delete or change an existing system password, perform the following steps:
1. Enter System Setup by pressing , and verify that Password Status 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 to disable the existing system password, instead of pressing to continue with the normal operation of your
system.
5. Confirm that Not Enabled is displayed for the System Password option of System Setup.
If Not Enabled appears in 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 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 " Assigning a Setup Password ," whenever you use System Setup. After you assign a setup
password, only those who know the password have full use of System Setup. See " Operating Your System With A Setup Password Enabled " for
more information.
To change an existing setup password , you must know the 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.
Assigning a Setup Password
You can assign a setup password only if 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.
NOTE: If you have assigned a setup password (see " Using the Setup Password Feature "), the system accepts your setup password as
an alternate system password.
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.