Dell PowerEdge 500SC - Manual (Page 23)

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
1. Enter the System Setup program by pressing <F2>.
2. Select the System Security screen field to verify that the Password Status option is set to Unlocked.
3. Reboot your system to force it to prompt you for a system password.
4. When prompted, type the system password.
5. Press <Ctrl><Enter> to disable the existing system password, instead of pressing <Enter> to continue with the normal operation of your system.
6. Confirm that Not Enabled is displayed for the System Password option of the System Setup program.
If Not Enabled appears for 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 the <Alt><b> key combination to reboot the system, and then repeat
steps 4 through 6.
7. To assign a new password, follow the procedure in " Assigning a System Password ."
Using the Setup Password Feature
Your 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 whenever you use the System Setup program. After a setup password is assigned, only those who know the password
have full use of the System Setup program.
To change an existing setup password, you must know the setup password (see " Deleting or Changing an Existing Setup Password "). If you assign and later
forget a setup password, you cannot operate your system or change settings in the System Setup program until a trained service technician opens the system
chassis, changes the password jumper setting to disable the passwords, and erases the existing passwords. This procedure is described in Appendix B of the
Installation and Troubleshooting Guide.
Assigning a Setup Password
A setup password can be assigned (or changed) only when the Setup Password option is set to Not Enabled. To assign a setup password, highlight the
Setup Password option 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.
After you verify the password, the Setup Password setting changes to Enabled. The next time you enter the System Setup program, the system prompts you
for the setup password.
A change to the Setup Password option becomes effective immediately (rebooting the system is not required).
Operating With a Setup Password Enabled
If Setup Password is set to Enabled, you must enter the correct setup password before you can modify the majority of the System Setup options. When you
start the System Setup program, the program prompts you to type the password.
If you do not enter the correct password in three tries, the system lets you view, but not modify, the System Setup screens—with the following exceptions:
l You can still modify the Date, Time, Keyboard Num Lock, and Speaker options.
l If System Password is not enabled and is not locked via the Password Status option, you can assign a system password (however, you cannot disable
or change an existing system password).
Deleting or Changing an Existing Setup Password
To delete or change an existing setup password, perform the following steps:
1. Enter the System Setup program and select the System Security screen option.
2. Highlight the Setup Password option and press the left- or right-arrow key to delete the existing setup password.
The setting changes to Not Enabled.
3. If you want to assign a new setup password, perform the steps in " Assigning a Setup Password ."
NOTE: You can use the Password Status option in conjunction with System Password and Setup Password to further protect your system from
unauthorized changes.
NOTE: The setup password can be the same as the system password. If the two passwords are different, the setup password can be used as an
alternate system password. However, the system password cannot be used in place of the setup password.
NOTE: You can use the Password Status option in conjunction with Setup Password to protect the system password from unauthorized changes.