Never Forget Your Password

The Administrator account is by far the most important account on the computer. But what happens if you change your account password regularly and subsequently forget the administrator password? Or what if you simply forget this password after not using the Administrator account for several months? What then? Are you stuck without the ability to administer the computer?

In a word, yes. Unless, that is, you've taken steps to ensure that the Administrator account password is saved. Here's what to do:

1.	Open the Control Panel and then choose the User Accounts category.
2.	Choose the Administrator account.
3.	In the left side of the window, look under the Related Tasks and select the "Prevent a forgotten password" task.
4.	The Forgotten Password Wizard launches, shown in Figure 14-2. Follow the instructions in the wizard to complete the task. Note that you'll be prompted for a 3½-" floppy to proceed. Figure 14-2. Use the floppy disk to reset the password if you forget it.

Your system doesn't have a floppy drive? Well, better just write down the password in your Franklin Planner, then. You have only yourself to blame for staying atop of the technology curve. Who knows? Perhaps this issue will be addressed in Service Pack 3.