Setting a password on the Administrators account

In the unlikely event that a computer has been set up without an administrator password, it is necessary to set a password for security of the computer specifically and the University as a whole.

To set the password for the administrator account on a machine, please follow these instructions.

1. Turn on the computer. At the logon screen press CTLALTDEL keys to begin.
2. Change the user name to Administrator and check that the
3. Tab down to the field Domain.
4. Click the arrow at the right end of the field and select the option which contains the computer name + (this computer). i.e. pc-smith-j (this computer).
5. Click on Change password.
6. Since there is no password existing, leave the Old Password field blank.
7. Tab down to the New Password field and key in new password.
8. Tab down to the Confirm New Password field and key in the new password once again.
9. Click OK.

A strong password:

• contains both upper and lower case characters (e.g., a-z, A-Z)
• Has digits and punctuation characters as well as letters e.g., 0-9, !@#$%^&*()_+|~-=\`{}[]:";'<>?,./)
• is at least eight alphanumeric characters long.
• is not a word in any language, slang, dialect, jargon, etc.
• is not based on personal information, names of family, etc.
• should never be written down or stored on-line.

Please refer to http://www.mcmaster.ca/uts/ITsecurity/passwordsbp.htm to reference the recommended best practices for strong password protection.