A typical situation might be if you have a web hosting account, and you always use FTP to update your web site. Many people in that situation are not familiar with telnet and therefore may not know how to change their password.

If you don't have telnet access to your account, then these instructions are not for you. If you're not sure if you have telnet access, well then give these instructinos a try; it won't hurt to try.

To change your password:

1. From your Start menu, click "Run".

2. In the "Open" field, enter "telnet yourcustomname.com", then click "OK". Be sure to enter your own domain name instead of the example one used here. If you're not sure what to enter, check with your provider.

   

3. You should then see a login prompt similar to the following. At the login prompt, enter your user id. Then enter your password when prompted.

   

   After logging in, you will see a standard UNIX shell prompt. This might be a dollar sign ($) or a greater-than sign (>) or something else. The actual prompt depends on your account configuration.

4. To change your password, enter the 'passwd' command and follow the instructions given. (Note that this command is the word "password" without the "or" in the middle.)

5. After you change your password, you will be back at a UNIX shell prompt. Just type 'exit' to log out.

6. To close your telnet program, you'll probably have to select "Exit" from the "Connect" menu.