When you start your computer, does Windows 7 ask for a password? It should. If not, you need to create a password as soon as possible.

Not having a Windows 7 password is a big security concern. Without a password, anyone in your home or office has full and unrestricted access to everything on the computer. Fortunately, creating a new Windows 7 password is very simple.

Follow the steps below to create a password for your Windows 7 logon account:

Note: If you're trying to create a new Windows 7 password because you've forgotten yours and can't get in to Windows, see Tip #2 at the bottom of the page for help.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Creating a Windows 7 password usually takes less than a few minutes

Here's How:

1. Click on Start and then Control Panel.
   
2. Click on the User Accounts and Family Safety link.
   
   Note: If you're viewing the Large icons or Small icons view of Control Panel, you won't see this link. Simply click on the User Accounts icon and proceed to Step 4.
   
3. Click on the User Accounts link.
   
4. In the Make changes to your user account area of the User Accounts window, click the Create a password for your account link.
   
5. In the first two text boxes, enter the password you would like to start using.
   
   Entering the password twice helps to make sure that you typed your new password correctly.
   
6. In the final text box, you're asked to Type a password hint.
   
   This step is optional but I highly recommend that you use it. If you try logging in to Windows 7 but enter the wrong password, this hint will pop up, hopefully jogging your memory.
   

1. Click the Create password button to confirm your new password.
   
2. You can now close the User Accounts window.
   
3. Now that your Windows 7 account has a password setup, you must use this password to log on to Windows 7 from this point forward.
   
4. Create a Windows 7 password reset disk. While not a required part of creating a new password, I highly recommend that you do this.
   
   A password reset disk will protect you from the consequences of forgetting your new Windows 7 password.
   

Tips:

1. Not a Windows 7 user? See How Do I Create a Password in Windows? for specific instructions for your version of Windows.
   
2. If you need a new Windows 7 password because you've forgotten yours and can no longer access Windows, then you obviously can't use the method above.
   
   You can, however, use a free Windows password recovery program to crack or reset the password even if you can't get in to Windows 7 at all. You can then create a new Windows 7 password using the instructions above.