Setting up account passwords

Windows 7 doesn't require you to set passwords on user accounts, but it's a good idea to have one to protect each user account. This is especially true for administrator accounts because of the unrestricted access they provide, but ideally you should make sure a password is assigned to each account to prevent the wrong person from using it-either intentionally or by accident.

Remember that the guest account can't have a password, so it's available to anyone.

Creating an account password

The first time you start Windows on a new computer or after Windows 7 has been installed, you're prompted to create a password for the first account you add. If you didn't specify a password or your account was added later after installation, you should set a password for it.

To create a password for your own account, make sure you're logged into the account, and then perform the following steps:

1. Type account password in the Start menu's search box, and then select Create or remove your account password to display the User Accounts window.
2. Click Create a password for your account; in the Create Your Password window, type your chosen password in the New password box. Then type it again in the Confirm new password box. This ensures you typed it the same way twice-you'll see dots in place of the letters and numbers you type.
   Note Passwords should be at least eight characters long and not contain names or even real words. Click How to create a strong password for additional tips.
3. Type in a password hint that will be displayed in the event you ever forget your password (the hint will appear only after you've typed in an incorrect password). This step is optional but highly recommended.
   As the warning states, the hint you create is visible to anyone who uses the computer, so it should be meaningful only to you. Otherwise, someone might be able to use it to guess your password and get access to your account.
4. Click the Create password button to return to the User Accounts window.

Changing an existing password

Once your user account has a password, you can change it in a couple of ways. One is to type change password in the Start menu's search box and choose Change your Windows password. Except the Create a password option will be replaced with one labeled Change your password.

The second way to change a password is to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete while logged into your account and then click Change a password.

Regardless of which of these two methods you choose, you'll need to type in your old password in order to select a new one.