By default, Windows XP give you unlimited chance to retry if you enter a password or even a wrong user name. Maybe, you think this a comfort way to you but on other hand, a guest or unauthorized user can try to guess your password without worry locked by its system. And this isn’t a good condition for your computer security. This article will share a tip to limit the login chance to three times user may input wrong passwords on login screen or Welcome Screen.

You can configure it though Local Security Policy. And here is the way:
1. Click Start -> Control Panel menu.

2. Inside Control Panel, double click Administrative Tools icon.

3. In Administrative Tools, double click Local Security Policy icon.

4. In Local Security Policy, navigate to Security Settings \ Account Policies \ Account Lockout Policy key.

5. Find Account lockout threshold value on right panel and then double click it.

6. Change its original value: 0

to 3.

7. Then you’ll confirm the changed configurations value that applied to other value, just click OK button.

8. And then you can evaluate the value and its data result after you change it.

9. Close the Local Security Policy window and then restart your computer.

10. On Welcome Screen, try to enter with wrong password to your user name and enter it for three times.

11. You’ll get a message box.

12. And you are locked.

To bring it to standard configuration, just give Account lockout threshold value to 0.

(Article no: 0081)