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User password file

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by jmar17 1 view

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In Windows 9x, each user has a password file in the Windows directory, *.pwl. I wanted to know if there is a corresponding file in Windows 2000 and where can that be found? And would deleting that file prevent having to retype the password for theExchange server every time I reboot? I'm running a Netware 5.1 network, with Novell client v.4.80, Windows 2000 for workstation, Exchange server 5.5 sp3, and Outlook 2000.

8 replies

by antony_k

There is no such file in w2k and if you want to type password for exchange manually you have to modify your mail-profile.

by kent.manley

Windows 2000 follows basically the same model as NT 4.0, which is totally different from Win9x.

The username/passwords are stored in the local Security Accounts Managment files, which are packed binary databases of user SIDs and passwords, among other things. You can delete this file only at the peril of rendering your workstation unusable. The reason you have to login to the Exchange server is because of the Exchange security model - you have to be logged into the NT server and/or domain to use its services. If your local username and password are synchronized (i.e., the same) as what's extant on the NT box/domain that runs the Exchange server, then your cached credentials should be good enough to get you in.

Hope this helps.

Kent Manley

by jmar17

kent,
is there a way to synchronize the login information so that when I change the Novell password every 40 days that it would either synchronize it with the Exchange login info or change that info? i know when i change the Novell login info, it changes the NT/2000 info as well if you so choose to. thanks for your input.

by arohletter-mays

you can avoid retyping your password by setting up mail in the registry. To do this
go Start>run>regedit>currentuser>software>microsoft>edit>new key>(type in Exchange ) >enter.

by jmar17

thanks for your suggestion. i tried it and while it did fill in my username and domain for me, it failed to fill in my password. so i still needed to enter my password and hit OK.

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