Microsoft KB Archive/234306

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

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SYMPTOMS
When you try to change your password using the Users and Passwords tool or the Computer Management System Tools utility, you may be unable to do so. If you try to open the Users and Passwords tool, you are prompted to provide administrator credentials to use it, and you receive the following message:

You must be a member of the Administrators group on this computer to open the Users and Passwords control panel. You are logged in as user logon name, which is not a member of the Administrators group.

The message also states that you can change your password by pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE, and then displays the following message:

You can change your password without opening the Users and Passwords control panel by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete and selecting Change Password.

Also, if you try to change your password with the local Computer Management System Tools utility, you receive the following error message

The following error occurred while attempting to set the password for user user name:

Access is denied.

where user name is the appropriate user name.

CAUSE
This issue occurs to make your computer more secure, and to help protect against "Trojan Horse" types of programs that collect passwords by impersonating the change password user interface. Because of this protection, you are required to type the Secure Attention Sequence (SAS). This is the CTRL+ALT+DELETE key combination that only the operating system can respond to.

STATUS
This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION
If you are also a member of the local administrators group and use the Users and Passwords tool, you can change the password of any user except yourself. If you select yourself in the User list, the Set Password button becomes unavailable, and the text next to this button prompts you to use the CTRL+ALT+DELETE key combination. Note that those users that are also administrators may still use the Advanced tab and Advanced User Management button to open the Users folder and then use Properties to change their password with "Set Password".

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv kberrmsg kbtool kbui

Version : WINDOWS:2000

Platform : WINDOWS

Issue type : kbprb