CHANGING ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD !!!

[lisabennett]

I NEED TO CHANGE THE ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD BECAUSE A FEW PEOPLE KNOW IT .
IS IT AS SIMPLE AS JUST CHANGING IT IN THE USER MANAGER FOR DOMAIN, OR WILL EVERYTHING BE EFFECTED. I'M WORRIED THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN INSTALLED UNDER ADMIN WILL NEED TO BE UNINSTALLED AND REINSTALLED.
WHAT THINGS DO I NEED TO LOOK INTO BEFOR DOING THIS? I THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE JUST CHANGING IT BUT THAT SEEMS TO EASY AND STRESSFUL.
PLEASE HELP.
SCARED LISA

 

[ISmonkey]

Do you have an admin backup login? If not you might want to consider it. But if you login as the admin and hit ctrl alt del there should be a change password option. Or you can go into user manager and change the password there. It isnt going to affect any of your programs what so ever.

 

[Tagmaster]

Really? What about services running on each server in the domain? What about a program like Veritas Backup Exec, or Norton's Antivirus Corporate Edition. It is my understanding that there are many factors to consider & that all the password need to be changed in services that run as well. I think I'll do a little more research & reading before changing the password & rebooting our 5 servers & would strongly suggest you do the same Smart Lisa ).

 

[ISmonkey]

What services other than say ... oh... SMS really require a login? And yes some programs use a login, but it doesnt really sound as if she has a network that is that complicated. Not knowing the specifics of her network, and knowing how easy it is to change the password on any program i can think of, and knowing how important it is to not have the admin account compromised, do you really think that researching all of the things that "could" happen outweighs the need to change her admin password? And your telling me that changing the admin password on your network would bring it to a screeching halt, with no way to easily correct any minor problems that crop up? Go ahead and research the problem, while someone logs onto your system under your admin account and does some real damage that CANT be corrected, good call!

 

[lisabennett]

Thanks.... I changed the password and everything seems to be fine.. I had no problems at all.
THanks for all your help.
Lisa

 

[taztug]

Tagmaster,

It would be best to change the password and then solve the minor issues. Besides, the programs you mentioned happend to either use the backup user or creat their own userid to function. Very few, except maybe SMS, actually use the administrator password for login. Otherwise the additional recommendation of changing the administrator userid to another name would not work.

I "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Arthur C. Clarke

Mike
MCSE

 

[SilverProject]

To NT experts,

Do u have any experience of errors due the changing of NT domain administator password ? I plan to change it in my system. FYI, there are misc servers currently running include Exchange server (i have configured it using nt domain password). If i change the password, could it effects the exchange ?

Please reply me A.S.A.P into this forum and directly to kevin_chandra@yahoo.com, i really need your advises.

Regards,

Kevin