rontiara wrote:
But I have another question you might be able to help me with:
since the company that built the machine is out of business, I'm
not sure if an administrator password was set, and I didn't want to
monkey with it in the BIOS (I'm fairly familiar with computer
technology, but the registry and BIOS still scare me).
Is there any way to change and/or delete an administrator password
if you don't know the original settings? The computer is a
one-user (me) PC I use for my home-based business, and once in a
while I get an error message saying I don't have administrative
rights to do something.
<snip>
If you have a BIOS password (one that comes up when you try to enter the
BIOS before Windows even boots) --> The easiest methods of resetting this
are:
- Removing the motherboard battery for several hours.
- Finding the jumper setting on the motherboard to 'short' the power to the
BIOS and reset the whole thing.
If you mean a Windows XP administrator password - you have a few options...
I'll play this the same as if you have forgotten the administrator
password...
Try here..
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/lostpass.htm
Use this as a last resort:
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html
And after you fix it so you can log on as the actuall 'administrator'
user...
Set a good strong password for that user.
Understanding what a good password might be is vital to your
personal and system security. You may think you do not need to password
your home computer, as you may have it in a locked area (your home) where
no one else has access to it. Remember, however, you aren't always
"in that locked area" when using your computer online - meaning you likely
have usernames and passwords associated with web sites and the likes that
you would prefer other people do not discover/use. This is why you should
understand and utilize good passwords.
Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
(mileage may vary):
Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
string should contain at least three of these four character types:
- uppercase letters
- lowercase letters
- numerals
- nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !,
Passwords should not contain your name/username.
Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.
One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
'Great new job in November 2006'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Gr8n3wj0bNOV2006'
The password tip is in the one time section, but I highly
recommend you periodically change your passwords. The suggested time
varies, but I will throw out a 'once in every 3 to 6 months for
every account you have.'
Also - many people complain that they just cannot remember the passwords
for all the sites they have - so they choose one password and use it for
everything. Not a good idea. A much better method would be to use a
Password Management tool - so you only have to remember one password,
but it opens an application that stores your username/passwords for
everything else - plus other valuable information. One that I can
recommend:
KeePass Password Safe
http://keepass.sourceforge.net/
It can even generate passwords for you.
w_tom wrote:
Shenan's reply was correct except that the expression Wake-On-LAN
is not accurate. A list of peripherals that can wake the computer
only includes LAN. Look for that port that also connects to UPS.
That port must be disabled so that UPS does not awaken the computer.
<snip>
You are correct in that it is not the only option - however - the phrasing
is correct for what i was describing and would - in a BIOS - be listed. I
decided not to just say WoL.. *grin*
http://webopedia.internet.com/TERM/W/WOL.html
You did not always (1) have the option of "Wake-on-" anything (may still
not) and (2) when the option first appeared it was only "Wake-on-LAN" - it
was not until later that the whole slew of options for what to "wake up the
computer' with came about. Usually - still (when they even exist) - they
are limted to external communications like Network and Modem for most home
systems.
What I am curious about now is the make of the motherboard itself - so we
might look up the motherboard manual on the Internet and help the OP
further.
