101. Stop My Password From Expiring
Important
How you prevent your password expiring will
depend upon the version of Windows Vista you are
currently running. For example Windows Vista
Business, Enterprise and Ultimate all use the local
security settings to make changes to the password
expiry time.
Windows Vista Basic and Vista Home Premium do not
contain local security settings and, therefore,
require a different approach to this problem.
Please be sure to read the correct set of
instructions that relate to your version of Windows
Vista.
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate
Password protecting Windows Vista is an integral
part of security. However, when you create a
password in Vista it does, by default, have a
limited shelf life - 42 days to be
precise. Before the 42 days has expired you will
usually receive a reminder that your password is
about to expire. This is fine, so long as you do
something about it at the time. If you don't, and
your password finally expires, you are, unless you
have created a password reset disk, (see
102. Create An Administrator Password Reset)
left with a machine you cannot log in to.
Of course you can easily stop the password
expiring altogether simply by following the
instructions below.
1/ Click the Start button.
2/ On the Start Menu click
Control Panel.
3/ When the Control Panel Window
opens Click the Administrative Tools
Icon.
4/ In Administrative tools window
click Local Security Settings.
5/ The User Account Control
(UAC) will prompt you for permission
to open the Local Security Settings.
If you are the administrator then
press Continue to give your
permission. If you are not the administrator,
you will require the administrator user name
and password before you can
continue.
6/ The Local Security settings window
will now open.
7/ In the Left hand pane of the
window click on the > chevron next
to Account Policies to expand the
menu.
8/ Next Click Password Policy.
9/ If you look in the Right hand pane
you will see a list of options.
10/ Right click on the
Maximum Password Age option.
1/ From the drop down menu
select Properties.
2/ The maximum password age properties
window will open.
3/ By default it is set to 42
days.
4/ Change this figure to
0 (zero).
5/ Click Apply.
6/ Next click OK to close the
window.
7/ Your password will now never expire.
8/ Finally Close the Local
Security Settings window and any other windows that
are open.
Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium.
With Windows Vista Home Basic and Home premium an
alternative command line option has to be selected
in order to prevent the password from expiring.
To prevent the password from expiring in Vista
Home Basic and Home premium proceed as follows:
1/ Click the Start Button.
2/ Click All Programs followed
by Accessories.
3/ From the Accessories menu
Right Click on the Command
Prompt option.
4/ From the Drop Down menu that
appears, select the Run As Administrator
option.
5/ The User Account Control
(UAC) will prompt you for permission
to open the Local Security Settings.
If you are the administrator then
press Continue to give your
permission. If you are not the administrator,
you will require the administrator user name
and password before you can
continue.
6/ A Command Prompt window will
now appear.
7/ In the Command Prompt window,
type: net accounts /maxpwage:unlimited
and then Press the Enter key on
your keyboard.
8/ The Maximum Password Age will
now be set to Zero and your
password will no longer expire.
9/ Finally Close the Command
Prompt window.