Patent ID: 6978385

Claim:
A method in a data processing system for remotely recovering a client computer system's primary password, the client computer system being coupled to a server computer utilizing a network, the method comprising the steps of: prior to the client computer system completing a boot process and before an operating system controls the client computer system: (a) prompting a user to enter a primary password, correct entry of the primary password being required prior to the client computer system being accessible by a user; (b) transmitting an alert to the server computer in response to an incorrect entry of the primary password; (c) receiving an interrogative associated with the user of the client computer system, but which is different than the primary password; (d) prompting the user with the received interrogative; (e) transmitting the user's response to the interrogative to the server, (f) verifying correct entry of the transmitted response at the server; (g) transmitting the user's primary password to the client computer system in response to correct entry of the transmitted response; and (h) displaying the user's primary password wherein the recovery of the primary password is completed prior to completing the boot process.