Update A USI Account Password From An Active Directory Connected Campus Computer Running Microsoft Windows

Overview

Regularly changing your password is a good strategy for maintaining your USI account security. The university also requires faculty and staff to change their account passwords at least once a year. While there are methods to change your USI account passwords through various web resources, another method available to faculty and staff who have access to Active Directory (AD) connected campus computers running Microsoft Windows is the ability to change a USI account password from within Windows itself.

Environment

This guide only applies to computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS) that have been connected to the campus Active Directory servers. If the Microsoft Windows computer in question requires a sign in to AD when it first starts, often displaying your USI account profile picture and last and first names, then it is a candidate for changing a USI account password using this method. If no sign in interface is shown, click once on the screen with the mouse or hit the Enter key and one should be displayed. The sign in page will look something like this:

If the campus Microsoft Windows computer doesn't currently display your profile picture and last and first name on start up, as might be the case with a shared computer such as a computer in a lab environment or an instructor computer in a classroom, you can click on the Other User option in the lower left hand corner which will display the appropriate sign in page. Note the "Sign in to: USI" message, which is another indicator that the computer is connected to the campus Active Directory servers:

Before You Begin

You must be signed on to your USI account with your current USI password before starting this guide. If you are on a shared computer, it is a good idea to sign out of your current session or reboot to the computer and sign in using your account using one of the interfaces outlined above.

Steps

1. Once you are fully signed in to the Microsoft Windows desktop, hold down the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys on the computer keyboard (aka Ctrl-Alt-Del).
   • This will pop up a blue screen displaying a menu that should look something like this:

2. Click the Change a password option. 
   • This should pop up another screen that looks something like the following menu, but displaying your profile information:

3. Put your current password in the Old Password field.
4. Next type your new password in the New Password field and then retype the new password in the Confirm Password field.
   • Note: The passwords typed in the New Password and Confirm Password fields must match
5. Next click the arrow -> button.
6. If you don't receive any errors, your password has been updated.

Additional Info

Note while changing your password that USI places the following restrictions and requirements on passwords used in USI systems:

• A USI password must contain at least 12 characters
• A USI password cannot contain your username
  • A user with the username aeagle@usi.edu cannot have aeagle as any part of their password.
• A USI password cannot contain a user's first or last name
  • The user Archibald Eagle can't have Archibald or Eagle as part of their password.
• A USI password must contain characters from at LEAST 3 of the 4 categories below
  1. Upper Case Letters: A, B, C ... X, Y, Z
  2. Lower Case Letters: a, b, c ... x, y, z
  3. Numbers: 1, 2, 3 ... 8, 9, 0
  4. Special Characters: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + > < : ;