Re: Good password change fails due to complexity.

From: Paul Adare (padare_at_newsguy.com)
Date: 09/01/05 

Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 11:46:27 -0400

In article <1125588881.363657.31780@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>, in
the microsoft.public.security news group, <busterama@gmail.com> says...

> Windows XP Pro on a 2003 Server domain.
>
> ctrl+alt+del to change password. I enter the current valid password
> and then a new password (ie BERk3-nod) and it fails with the message
> that it doesn't meet complexity requirements. The password does meet
> the complexity requirements.
>
> I set the complexity requirements in both domain and local Group Policy
> Objects to "disabled". The Group Policy Results show it as disabled.
> Still, Windows won't let me change the password due to complexity.
>
> I called Microsoft, but they said the would not provide support for
> security or passwords. Sheesh, tout the security of your product but
> deny support for problems with security.
>
> Any ideas?
>

Yeah, you don't understand how Group Policy works. Setting those
settings to disabled means, "I won't make any changes to those policy
settings. Whatever they currently are, I'll leave them alone". Whatever
the original complexity settings were, they are still being enforced, as
you've discovered. You need to set those policy settings to their
"zero" levels, not disable them. 

-- 
Paul Adare
MVP - Windows - Virtual Machine
http://www.identit.ca/blogs/paul/
"The English language, complete with irony, satire, and sarcasm, has
survived for centuries without smileys. Only the new crop of modern 
computer geeks finds it impossible to detect a joke that is not clearly 
labeled as such."
Ray Shea

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