Tell PC5250 to Stop Bugging Me about My Password

August 7, 2002 Timothy Prickett Morgan

Hey, Joe:

Our iSeries security configuration requires user password changes every 30 days. But when I get within 14 days of a change, PC5250 starts issuing CWBSY1010 messages, “Password for user on system will expire in 14 days. Do you want to change your password now?” whenever I connect. Why is PC5250 bothering me when I have 14 days left on a valid password? I’m using Client Access Express for Windows V5R1 on an OS/400 V4R5 machine.

— Frank

This problem lies in your Client Access Password Properties. Here’s how Client Access password warning alerts work and how to change them.

Client Access Express desktops contain a Password expire warning value that controls how many days PC5250 will wait before it starts issuing CWBSY1010 warning dialogues. Its default value is set at 14 days, and CWBSY1010 will start popping up on the 14th day before a password change, and it will continue displaying the message each day until you finally give in and change your password. The result is that, even if your iSeries box is set with a 30-day password change requirement, PC5250 starts hassling you when 14 days are left, if you don’t change the default.

Fortunately, it’s easy to change the Password expire warning to a more reasonable value or to turn it off entirely. I tested this technique on both a Windows 98 and on a Windows 2000 machine, and while the setting is the same on both desktops, the Password expire warning value is located in two different places on the two different desktops. On a Windows 98 box, you access the Password expire warning setting by opening the Passwords icon in the Windows Control Panel and clicking on the Client Access tab on that dialogue. On the Windows 2000 desktop, this setting is found by opening the Client Access Properties icon in the Windows Control Panel and clicking on the Passwords tab. For other desktops, you may have to look in either of these locations to find this setting.

Once you bring up the Password expire warning setting, you can easily change the current value from 14 to a lower number, such as five days. If you want to turn off the Password expire warning altogether, remove the check mark from the Warn user before AS/400 password expires check box that is also listed on this screen.

— Joe

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