Because Password Security loads so early in the startup process, it is forced to use the native keyboard layout, no matter which layout is chosen in the Keyboard control panel. This is normally not a problem since as long as you type the same keys, Password Security will interpret the password as the same. However, if you change the keyboard layout and then type your password using the new keys to match the same characters, Password Security will reject the password since the key strokes are different.
To get around this, simply type the password as if the original keyboard layout were selected. Then, if you intend to use the same keyboard layout, open the Password Security control panel and reenter the password with the new layout.
There is an issue with Password Security 2.0, which is included with Mac OS 8.5. If a user has a 2-byte (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) Language Kit installed, and Font and Keyboard Synchronization disabled in the Keyboard menu; a user can potentially enter a 2-byte password. Since the Language Kit input methods aren't yet loaded at the point where the Password Security dialog appears during startup, it is possible to create a password that can't be typed. This issue is addressed in Password Security 2.0.1, which is part of the Mac OS 8.6 update.
Note: This article mentions an Apple software update. You may search for software updates in the Apple Software Updates Web site at
http://www.apple.com/swupdates.