Microsoft's Policy Regarding Missing or Invalid Passwords

• All Windows, Windows NT, Macintosh, and MS-DOS versions of the following Microsoft Office family programs:
• Microsoft Mail
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Project
• Microsoft Exchange
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• All other Microsoft programs in which passwords may be applied to files and features within files

SUMMARY

In many of the programs listed at the beginning of this article, you can prevent unauthorized users from opening a file by applying a password to the file. When you attempt to open the file, the program requests the password; if you do not enter the correct password, you are unable to open the file.

Also, there are certain features within these programs to which you can apply passwords. For example, you can password-protect a project in the Visual Basic Editor in the programs included in Microsoft Office 97 and Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition.

This article explains Microsoft's policy regarding missing or invalid passwords.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft has added password protection to the programs listed at the beginning of this article so that you can prevent unauthorized access to important information. For this reason, if you are unable to access information because you do not know the correct password,

MICROSOFT ENGINEERS CANNOT ASSIST, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, IN THE BREAKING OF PASSWORDS APPLIED TO FILES AND FEATURES WITHIN MICROSOFT PROGRAMS. It is technically not possible for Microsoft engineers to break the password on a password-protected file or feature within a Microsoft program. The password-protection systems built into Microsoft programs are designed to be unbreakable; there would be no point in including a password-protection system that could be broken.

If you are unable to open a file that is protected with a password, follow the steps in the "If Your Password Isn't Working" section, below. If you are still unable to open the file, Microsoft engineers cannot assist you. However, you may be able to obtain assistance from a third-party password breaker.

Note that you may want to read the remainder of this article for suggestions about how to effectively use passwords in the future.

If Your Password Isn't Working

   hello
   Hello
   HELLO 

• Press the CAPS LOCK key, and then enter the password again. If you remember holding down the SHIFT key when you originally applied the password, make sure you press the SHIFT key as appropriate, even if the CAPS LOCK key has been pressed.



• Enter the password using different combinations of upper- and lower- case characters. For example, if the password "hello" is not working, try "Hello".



• If someone else provided you with the file, check with that person to see if he or she still has the password.

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Third-Party Password Breakers

Protecting Yourself Against Password Loss

• Change your passwords so that they are easier to remember. For example, "ty65dr58geT" is hard to remember. "Pyramid5" is easy to remember, but still a valid password.



• If you have a secure location, such as a safe or a safety deposit box, you may want to store a written copy of your passwords there.



• Also, you can save unprotected copies of your files to a floppy disk, removable hard disk, or other external storage device, and then store the disk in a secure location.

Password Recommendations

• Don't use words that are in the dictionary as passwords. Instead, use two or more words joined together. Or, use a combination of words and numbers. For example, instead of "dog", use "dogcat" or "dog5".



• Don't use personal information, such as names of family members or pets, your date of birth, social security number, or other similar information as part of a password. Since such information may be public, you should not use it in a password, even in combination with other characters.



• Use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters in your passwords. Since passwords are case-sensitive, you may be able to prevent a break- in if someone else hears, as opposed to sees, your password.



• Passwords should usually be at least six characters in length.



• Don't use obvious passwords like "password", "guest", "user", or "admin".

Employees and Passwords

• One of your employees left your company. The employee used a number of files, some of which were/are password-protected. Now, the employee is gone, and you do not know the passwords for the files.
  
  -or-



• Prior to their departure/dismissal from your company, a disgruntled employee applied passwords to some of your files. Now, you are unable to open the files, and the employee refuses to reveal the passwords to you.

• When employees leave your company, make sure that they either remove all passwords from their files or provide you with a complete list of all of their passwords. Also, make sure that you maintain correct contact information for the employees, so that you can get in touch with them should a password not work correctly.



• To protect your files from deliberate, malicious password application, make sure that you keep backup copies of all of your files. You should make backup copies of critical files on a daily basis; other files may be backed up as required.



• If you store your files on a Windows NT server, you can quickly suspend an employee's access to the server, thereby preventing the employee from making further changes to files. You can also prevent users from accessing files to which they do not need access.

A Note Regarding Microsoft PowerPoint

Additional query words: workbooks worksheets documents databases presentations mail storage files PST projects forms schedules offline personal folders

Keywords : kbdta
Version : WINDOWS:
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo