Dell Latitude X300 User Guide - Page 70

Using an Administrator Password The administrator password is designed to give system administrators or service technicians access to computers for repair or reconfiguration. The administrators or technicians can assign identical administrator passwords to groups of computers, allowing you to assign the primary password. When you set an administrator password, the Configure Setup option becomes available in the system setup program. The Configure Setup option allows you to restrict access to the system setup program in the same way a primary password restricts access to the computer. The administrator password can be used instead of the primary password. Whenever you are prompted to enter the primary password, you can enter the administrator password. 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 you forget the primary password and do not have an administrator password assigned, or if you have both a primary and an administrator password assigned but forget them both, contact your system administrator or contact Dell. NOTICE: If you disable the administrator password, the primary password is also disabled. 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 resume normal operation from standby mode. If the hard drive password is enabled, the following message appears each time you turn on the computer: Please type in the hard-disk drive password and press . To continue, enter your password (maximum eight characters). Press to return the computer to its previous state. If you do not enter a password within 2 minutes, the computer returns to its previous state. If you enter the wrong password, the following message appears: Invalid password [Press Enter to retry] If the correct password is not entered in three attempts, the computer tries to boot from another bootable device if the Boot First Device option in the system setup program is set to allow it. If the Boot First Device option is not set to allow booting from another device, the computer returns to the 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, you are prompted only for the primary password. If the hard drive password is different from the primary password, you are prompted for both. Two different passwords provide greater security. NOTE: The administrator password provides access to the computer, but it does not provide access to a hard drive that is protected by a hard drive password. Assigning an Asset Tag The Asset Tag utility allows you to enter an asset tag that you or your company assigns to the computer. After you enter an asset tag, the tag appears in the system setup screens.