How Do I Disable the Password Change in Windows Vista?

In a household where one computer is shared by several users--particularly if some of those users are children--being able to monitor the activities is important, and may sometimes involve logging into their accounts to see what files they are downloading and saving. Prevent users in Windows Vista from changing their passwords to ensure that you always have a way to log into their accounts and see what they are doing on the computer.

Instructions

Preventing Password Changes in Windows Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate

1. Press the Windows logo and "R" keys simultaneously to display the "Run" dialog. Type "lusrmgr.msc" without quotation marks into the "Run" dialog and press "Enter." This launches the Local Users and Groups Manager.

   Note that the Local Users and Groups Manager is not available in Windows Vista Home Basic or Home Premium. For these operating systems, proceed to Section 2.

2. Click the "Users" folder on the left side of the window. Right-click the name of the user you want to disable password changing for, and click "Properties."

3. Place a check in the box labeled "User cannot change password" and click "OK."

4. Repeat this process for each user that you want to disable password changing for, then close the Local Users and Groups window.

Preventing Password Changes in All Windows Vista Editions

1. Click the Windows Orb (Start button), and type "command" in the search box at the bottom of the "Start" menu. Right-click "Command Prompt" on the list of results and click "Run as Administrator."

2. Type "net user" without quotation marks at the command prompt and press "Enter." This displays a list of the user names configured on the computer.

3. Type "net user (user name) /Passwordchg:no" and press "Enter." Type the user name exactly as it is displayed on the list that you had Windows show in the previous step. Windows will respond "command completed successfully."

4. Type "net user (user name)" and press "Enter." On the list of data displayed, it should now say "No" after "User may change password."

5. Repeat this process for each user you would like to disable password changing for.

References

• Vista x64 Tutorials: Prevent or Allow Password Changing