If your computer is used by many people, then it is highly advised that you keep your Windows user account password protected. This way nobody else can access your user account except yourself. If you are a computer administrator, then you can change or assign password for any user account. If you are a standard user, then you can change password for only your account. Here is how you can change or assign password for a user account in Windows XP :
Change password for other users
- Open Control Panel from its Start Menu shortcut. In the Control Panel, click on User Accounts.
- In the User Accounts window, click on a user account to select it.
- Click on Change the password to change the account password for the selected user account.
- Type in the new user password, confirm it by typing again and also type a hint to the password. Click on the Change Password button.
- That’s it. You have successfully changed the user password for the selected account.
Change your own password
- Open Control Panel → User Accounts.
- Click on Change my password to change the your account password.
- Type in the current user password, new password, confirm it by typing again and also type a hint to the password (in case you forget it). Click on the Change Password button.
- Congratulations, you have successfully changed your user account password.
Windows does not assign a user password to the newly created user account. Also Windows assigns a random user picture for the newly created user account.
Please note that when you change your account password, you may lose access to the EFS encrypted files or folder you encrypted with your old password. You should decrypt all such files or folder, prior to changing your password.