D945GPM Datasheet, PDF (87/94 Pages) Intel Corporation – Technical Product Specification

Overview of BIOS Features
3.9 BIOS Security Features
The BIOS includes security features that restrict access to the BIOS Setup program and who can
boot the computer. A supervisor password and a user password can be set for the BIOS Setup
program and for booting the computer, with the following restrictions:
• The supervisor password gives unrestricted access to view and change all the Setup options in
the BIOS Setup program. This is the supervisor mode.
• The user password gives restricted access to view and change Setup options in the BIOS Setup
program. This is the user mode.
• If only the supervisor password is set, pressing the <Enter> key at the password prompt of the
BIOS Setup program allows the user restricted access to Setup.
• If both the supervisor and user passwords are set, users can enter either the supervisor password
or the user password to access Setup. Users have access to Setup respective to which password
is entered.
• Setting the user password restricts who can boot the computer. The password prompt will be
displayed before the computer is booted. If only the supervisor password is set, the computer
boots without asking for a password. If both passwords are set, the user can enter either
password to boot the computer.
• For enhanced security, use different passwords for the supervisor and user passwords.
• Valid password characters are A-Z, a-z, and 0-9. Passwords may be up to 16 characters in
length.
Table 41 shows the effects of setting the supervisor password and user password. This table is for
reference only and is not displayed on the screen.
Table 41. Supervisor and User Password Functions
Supervisor
Password Set Mode
Neither
Can change all
options ^(Note)
Supervisor
only
Can change all
options
User only
N/A
Supervisor
Can change all
and user set options
User Mode Setup Options
Can change all None
options ^(Note)
Can change a Supervisor Password
limited number
of options
Can change all Enter Password
options
Clear User Password
Can change a Supervisor Password
limited number Enter Password
of options
Note: If no password is set, any user can change all Setup options.
Password to
Enter Setup
None
Supervisor
User
Supervisor or
user
Password
During Boot
None
None
User
Supervisor or
user
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