Must email password be same as desktop password?

IsaacFL

New Member
Messages
17
Location
Palm Springs, CA
I am a newbie with Windows 8, so I am trying to teach myself how to use Windows 8.1 via a virtual machine on Windows 7.

I set up the user account using my Microsoft email account. I would like to use a different password on my desktop vs the email password. My email password since it is accessible via web is strong 16 characters long, random characters password and changed often. I would like to change the desktop password to something I can remember, still strong, but I don't change it as often since you have to get physical access to my desktop.

I assumed once I linked to the Microsoft account I could change the password on the machine without it changing my email password.

Is this not possible? I would prefer not to have to lower the security of my email account just to accommodate Windows 8. Never a problem before as my email clients stored the password.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/XPS 410
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6420 @ 2.13GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0CT017
    Memory
    4.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Dell SP1908FP (DVI)
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    (1) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (2) WDC WD10EARS-00Y5B1 (3) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (4) SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/XPS 410
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6420 @ 2.13GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0CT017
    Memory
    4.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Dell SP1908FP (DVI)
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    (1) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (2) WDC WD10EARS-00Y5B1 (3) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (4) SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series
I can confirm that you can do what I was wanting to do. When you change the password, it says it is changing the Microsoft account password, but it is really just the local password and the actual Microsoft email account stays the same.


So, are you saying thank you for that information in a very unique way?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro Windows 8.1 Preview
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/XPS 410
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6420 @ 2.13GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0CT017
    Memory
    4.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Dell SP1908FP (DVI)
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    (1) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (2) WDC WD10EARS-00Y5B1 (3) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (4) SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series
I did not work. it also changed the password of my email account online but took some time to propagate through to my email client for some reason.

This is not a good design, in my opinion. It forces you to give up good security practices online, for ease of use at the desktop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/XPS 410
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6420 @ 2.13GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0CT017
    Memory
    4.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Dell SP1908FP (DVI)
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    (1) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (2) WDC WD10EARS-00Y5B1 (3) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (4) SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series
Strange behavior

I changed the password to my email account using the web page and that did not change the password on the desktop. Funny thing is that the windows 8 mail client is still able to access the email, without ever asking for the new password.

So my observations are:
If you change your password on your desktop, it will also change the password to the linked email account. However, there is a lag time, as I was not asked for the new email password on my phone, etc, for about an hour.

If you then go and change the email password directly on the web interface, phone immediately asks for the new password to get email. But so far, next day, the desktop still accepts the old password, and built in email client is happy to use the old password.

UPDATE:
Today the Action Center reported that it wasn't able to sync with Microsoft account, so had to enter the password again. Now they are in sync again. So passwords must be the same.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell/XPS 410
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6420 @ 2.13GHz
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0CT017
    Memory
    4.00 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio Device
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Dell SP1908FP (DVI)
    Screen Resolution
    1280 x 1024 x 32 bits (4294967296 colors) @ 60 Hz
    Hard Drives
    (1) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (2) WDC WD10EARS-00Y5B1 (3) WDC WD7501AALS-00J7B0 (4) SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series
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