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Changing your password
Changing your password is something that can be done only in your UNIX account. The original password you received in your Welcome Letter is meant to be only temporary. We recommend strongly that you change it. Your password must be at least six characters long. It may be more than eight characters long, but anything past the eighth character is ignored. At least two of the first eight characters must be letters, and at least one must be a non-letter (a number, punctuation mark, etc.). Passwords are case sensitive, so if you use upper case, lower case, or mixed case to create the new password, then you must always enter it that way.
The following instructions should help you change your password. Although these instructions make use of a Windows 98 system, the same instructions should also work with Windows 95, ME, 2000 and XP. However, be aware that the screenshots on this page may not match up exactly for these other operating systems, but they should be very similar.
If you are a Mac user, click here for instructions on changing your password.
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NOTE: You must be connected before attempting to follow these directions. From your Desktop, click on the Start button. Click Run on the Start Menu. |
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Type telnet mail.bcpl.net in the white box. Click OK. |
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A telnet window should now open on your screen. After a few seconds you should be prompted for your login name, which is the same as your username. For example, if your e-mail address is jdoe@bcpl.net, your username is jdoe. Type your username at the login prompt and then hit Enter on the keyboard. Now type your current password at the Password prompt and then hit Enter on the keyboard. Note: Nothing will show up when you type your password - this is normal. |
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After logging in, you should see a welcome screen with some contact information. You should then be asked for a terminal type. At the terminal prompt, enter your desired terminal type. If you don't know what terminal type to choose, type the number 1 and hit the Enter key. |
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You are now logged into your UNIX shell. You should see a prompt similar to /u3/jdoe $ The $ prompt signifies that UNIX is ready to take your commands. |
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At the $ prompt, type passwd and hit Enter. At the Enter login password prompt, type in your current password and hit Enter on the keyboard. At the New Password prompt, type your new password and hit Enter. You will be prompted to re-enter your new password again. Type it in again, and hit Enter. Note: If you make a mistake, tap Enter until you are back to the $ prompt. At that point you can type passwd again to try again. When finished, type exit and hit Enter to close your UNIX connection. |
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After you change your password, be sure to change it in any login scripts you are using as well. If you forget or lose your password, contact the Help Desk at 410-887-3297 and we will reset your password to the original (temporary) one as shown on your original welcome letter. If you no longer have the Welcome Letter, we will mail you a replacement. Password information cannot be given out by phone, FAX, or e-mail. Passwords are meant to be confidential so please do not share yours with others.