Dell PowerEdge 2500SC - Manual (Page 36)

You can use up to seven characters in your password.
As you press each character key (or the spacebar key for a blank space), a placeholder appears in the field.
The password assignment operation recognizes keys by their location on the keyboard without distinguishing between lowercase and uppercase characters. For
example, if you have an M in your password, the system recognizes either M or m as correct. Certain key combinations are not valid. If you enter one of these
combinations, the speaker emits a beep. To erase a character when entering your password, press the <Backspace> key or the left-arrow key.
4. Press <Enter>.
If the new system password is less than seven characters, the whole field fills with placeholders. Then the option heading changes to Verify Password, followed
by another empty seven-character field in square brackets.
5. To confirm your password, type it a second time and press <Enter>.
The password setting changes to Enabled. Your system password is now set; you can exit the System Setup program and begin using your system. Note,
however, that password protection does not take effect until you reboot the system by turning the system off and then on again.
Using Your System Password to Secure Your System
Whenever you turn on or reboot your system by pressing the <Ctrl><Alt><Del> key combination, the following prompt appears on the screen when the Password
Status option is set to Unlocked:
Type in the password and... -- press <ENTER> to leave password security enabled. -- press
<CTRL><ENTER> to disable password security. Enter password:
If the Password Status option is set to Locked, the following prompt appears:
Type the password and press <Enter>.
After you type the correct system password and press <Enter>, your system boots and you can use the keyboard or mouse to operate your system as usual.
If a wrong or incomplete system password is entered, the following message appears:
** Incorrect password. **
Enter password:
If an incorrect or incomplete system password is entered again, the same message appears.
The third and subsequent times an incorrect or incomplete system password is entered, 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
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.
NOTE: To escape from the field without assigning a system password, press <Tab> or <Shift><Tab> to move to another field, or press <Esc> at any
time prior to completing step 5.
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 the Password Status option in conjunction with System Password and Setup Password to further protect your system from unauthorized
changes.