Dell Precision 3590 - Page 153

Table 48. System Setup options—Passwords menu
Passwords
Administrator Password The Administrator Password prevents unauthorized access to the BIOS Setup
options. Once the administrator password is set, the BIOS Setup options can only
be modified after providing the correct password.
The following rules and dependencies apply to the Administrator Password -
● The administrator password cannot be set if system and/or internal hard drive
passwords are previously set.
● The administrator password can be used in place of the system and/or
internal hard drive passwords.
● When set, the administrator password must be provided during a firmware
update.
●
Clearing the administrator password also clears the system password (if set).
Dell Technologies recommends using an administrator password to prevent
unauthorized changes to BIOS Setup options.
System Password The System Password prevents the computer from booting to an operating
system without entering the correct password.
The following rules and dependencies apply when the System Password is used -
●
The computer shuts down when idle for approximately 10 minutes at the
system password prompt.
● The computer shuts down after three incorrect attempts to enter the system
password.
● The computer shuts down when the Esc key is pressed at the System
Password prompt.
● The system password is not prompted when the computer resumes from
standby mode.
Dell Technologies recommends using the system password in situations where it
is likely that a computer may be lost or stolen.
Hard Drive Password
NOTE: On some computers, the M.2
PCIe SSD-0 Password option is
shown.
The hard drive password can be set to prevent unauthorized access of the
data stored on the solid-state drive. The computer prompts for the hard drive
password during boot in order to unlock the drive. A password-secured hard
drive stays locked even when removed from the computer or placed into another
computer. It prevents an attacker from accessing data on the drive without
authorization.
The following rules and dependencies apply when the Hard Drive Password or
M.2 PCIe SSD-0 Password option is used.
● The hard drive password option cannot be accessed when the hard drive is
disabled in the BIOS Setup.
● The computer shuts down when idle for approximately 10 minutes at the hard
drive password prompt.
● The computer shuts down after three incorrect attempts to enter the hard
drive password and treats the hard drive as not available.
● The hard drive does not accept password unlock attempts after five incorrect
attempts to enter the hard drive password from the BIOS Setup. The hard
drive password must be reset for the new password unlock attempts.
● The computer treats the hard drive as not available when the Esc key is
pressed at the hard drive password prompt.
● The hard drive password is not prompted when the computer resumes from
standby mode. When the hard drive is unlocked by the user before the
computer goes into standby mode, it remains unlocked after the computer
resumes from standby mode.
● If the system and hard drive passwords are set to the same value, the hard
drive unlocks after the correct system password is entered.
Dell Technologies recommends using a hard drive password to protect
unauthorized data access.
BIOS Setup
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