Microsoft KB Archive/172351

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Option to Change Windows Password Without Password Caching

Q172351

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft Windows 95 OEM Service Release, version 2.0

SYMPTOMS

When password caching is disabled, the Password tool in Control Panel still displays the option to change the Windows password. Using this option may result in the error messages described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q137826 Disabling Password Caching and Changing Passwords

CAUSE

If password caching is disabled, technically there is no Windows password. Attempting to change the Windows password or synchronize it with other passwords while password caching is disabled may result in error messages.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem described in this article and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are normally incurred for support calls may be canceled, if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. Normal support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date     Time     Version     Size     File name      Platform
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   4/8/97   9:51am   4.00.951    37,888   Password.cpl   Win95

For additional information about more recent versions of this fix, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q180438 Problems If Screen Saver Password Is More Than 14 Characters

Q237956 Taskbar Is Accessible Before You Type Screen Saver Password

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 95 and OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2). An update to address this problem is now available, but is not fully regression tested and should be applied only to computers experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft does not recommend implementing this update at this time. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for additional information about the availability of this update.

This issue is resolved in Microsoft Windows 98.

MORE INFORMATION

The option to change the Windows password is not useful if the Windows password is not being cached. The update described in this article disables this option and avoids the error messages that may result from its use.

For additional information about Windows 95 updates, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q161020 Implementing Windows 95 Updates

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv osr2 win95
Issue type :
Technology : kbWin95search kbOPKSearch kbWin95