NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, June 2009
Password Protect Your Account
By Kathy Frey, Webmaster,
Computer Club of Green Valley, AZ

http://gvcc.apcug.org/
frey58 (at) cox.net (click to email author)

This article has been obtained from APCUG with the author’s permission for publication by APCUG member groups; all other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).

If you password protect your account for your Windows operating system, then you should create a password reset disk. It takes very little time and is easy to do. In Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, these first steps are the same.

1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click User Accounts

After you have the User Accounts window open, select the account for which you want to make the password reset disk. (Make a reset disk for each account.)

* In Windows XP, on the left under Related Tasks, click on Prevent a forgotten password to start the Forgotten Password Wizard, and then click Next. Follow the wizard. You can use either a floppy disk or a USB drive for the reset disk.

* In Windows Vista, on the left click on Create a Password reset disk, then follow the wizard. The Password Reset Disk is essentially a small file that can be used to reset your password, even if you have changed your password since creating the reset disk.

* In Windows 7, click on Create a password reset disk. If no media is installed, you will get a message that indicates you need a removable media, such as a floppy disk or a flash drive.

Otherwise the password reset wizard comes up, and you again will need to follow the screens.

After creating your reset disks, store them in a very safe place, since the information can be easily used by anyone to reset the password and gain access to your account. There are other ways to change the passwords in all three operating systems, but the above is an easy and quick way to have that extra safety net in hand.

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