Your username and password are the keys to your virtual identity. Setting a unique password allows you greater security and more control over who has access to your confidential files. Changing the password you use to log on to your computer is a simple task that you can do from your workstation- it doesn’t need to be set on the server.

To set a new password:

To reset your login password, press CTRL+ALT+Delete. This will bring up a Windows Security pane. This will look a little different depending on whether you are working in Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7:

If you are logged in to a Terminal Server or working remotely, CTRL+ALT+Delete will function on the workstation that you are locally logged in to and not your terminal server session. To send the same command to the terminal server, user CTRL+ALT+End instead. You can also go to the Terminal Server ‘Start’ menu and select ‘Windows Security’ to reach the same options.

From the security pane, select ‘Change Password’.

Once again, the screen you see will vary depending on whether your operating system is Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7.

Enter your old password to confirm your identity, choose a new password (don’t forget to enter it into both the ‘New password’ and ‘Confirm password’ fields) and you’re all set.

When choosing a new password:

With words like identity theft and fraud being thrown around so much these days it can be a little intimidating trying to think of new passwords that don’t leave us scratching our heads when we go to type them in.

• Try to strike a balance between what will be secure and what you can easily remember and type.
• Mix upper and lowercase letters with numbers or symbols to dramatically increase the strength of your password.
• Try not to reuse the same passwords in many different places- especially not the passwords that you use for internet banking! That way even if someone manages to guess they will not have access to all of your data.
• Remember that a phrase can be just as effective as a random character string and much easier on your memory- ‘W0rk1ngClassM@n!’ or similar is a strong password, but one that will be very easy to recall.

Many people do not change their passwords at all, so as long as ‘password,’ ‘changeme123,’ and ‘letmein’ are not in your repertoire you have a leg up on the competition.

If you forget your password:

Passwords are not stored in any way that we can access, not even with IT superpowers, sorry! If you forget your password we have no way to tell you what it was. We can, however, change your password back to a default, which will let you log in as normal.