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PC utilities: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords
- 2/27/09 4:58 PM
Passwords...??
by fjbirdman - 3/2/09 6:47 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Real Simple solution! I went to www.roboform.com and downloaded the software. It will handle 10 sites and passwords for free, but I have more than that so I bought it -- Have used it for 2 years now and love it. It's encrypted and safe and easy to use! Try it!
RoboForm works for me
by pndutton - 3/2/09 7:08 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I know what you mean about getting older, memory, and so on. I've been through the one-username-and-one-password-for-everything and the stack-of-sticky-notes-in-my-wallet phases! Then someone told me about RoboForm and I've been using it for a couple of years now. All I have to remember is a master password. The program saves all of my login information, including user names and passwords. Everything's encrypted. It will also generate passwords that are "strong." The program will do things I haven't tried yet, but the important thing, to me, is the passwords. I also got the RoboForm2Go product, where the application and the password database live on a USB flash drive that can be inserted into any computer with a USB port. I periodically copy the necessary files from my home PC to the flash drive and I'm ready to carry my encrypted login info. anywhere.
I use an encrypted file
by pjcamp - 3/2/09 7:35 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I store all my passwords in an encrypted text file using a nifty free program called Steganos Locknote (http://sourceforge.net/projects/locknote). It uses 256 bit AES encryption which is secure enough for government data and approved by the NSA. It is way beyond secure for ordinary users since the computing power needed to break it is way beyond what anyone will devote to discovering my piddling data. The text is stored in the same file as the program so you only have a single file to copy. I keep it on all my computer desktops and on a USB drive. So I only have to remember one password, the one to Locknote, and then I do a keyword search to find the one I need.
Does anyone want to beta test a password program?
by Dick Humfrey - 3/2/09 8:39 AM
In reply to: I use an encrypted file by pjcamp
Here is one password program I have come across with beta testing and if anyone wants to join in a beta test they can join by clicking on the link at the bottom of this web page
http://zpay.com/autologonsoftware.htm
UNABLE TO WATCH VIDEOS ONLINE ANYMORE
by DIAMONDEXXTASY - 4/20/09 10:02 AM In reply to: Does anyone want to beta test a password program? by Dick Humfrey
I WAS NOT SURE WHERE TO POST THIS OR WHO TO REALLY ASK FOR THE HELP FOR. I CAN NO LONGER WATCH MOVIES ONLINE OR EVEN SEE CLIPS OF MEDIA ON YOUTUBE. I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING THIS BECAUSE YESTERDAY I WAS ABLE TO WATCH THEM JUST FINE. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME CONFIGURE MY INTERNET SETTINGS TO WHAT THEY WERE BEFORE, THANKS I WILL APPRECIATE IT
Roboform - Password
by Jill Of All Trades - 3/2/09 8:40 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I endorse previous postings. Great little tool and affordable.
Be careful though if you are working via Remote you may find have problems logging onto computer unless installed on both computers.
Gillian R
Jill Of All Trades Consulting Services
Queensland, Australia
Managing Your passwords
by Karendj - 3/2/09 8:50 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use a 3x5 card and put the name of the website on the top with my user name and password. I then file them in a 3x5 box and they stay in alpha order and I always know what my passowrd is and my user name. I use it like I would if I was writing down a business name, address and phone number. This has worked very well for me. Good Luck hope you try it.
Karen
Keepass
by dalehuss - 3/2/09 9:35 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hello,
I had the same problem. I have been using Keepass for the past year on my Vista Home premium laptop and am very happy with it. I tried Roboform but just couldn't get myself to like it. Keepass is fairly simple to use and is secured by one master password that you set so if other people use your computer then they would need your master password. What really sealed Keepass for me was integration with my blackberry. There's a keepass app for the blackberry that enables you to carry your passwords with you at all times. I liked the idea of this rather than using an online password service. Hope this helps.
http://www.download.com/KeePass-Password-Safe/3000-2092_4-10276926.html?tag=mncol
Passwords
by ric_hunt - 3/2/09 9:44 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I save mine in an excel spreadsheet that is itself encrypted using what I like to refer to as my "master password". Something I will never forget. I also keep my software registration codes and serial numbers in there too.
Most of the time, Firefox remembers them for me. But, be careful these can easily be viewed under tools - options then select the security tab and click on the Saved Passwords button. You can make it harder for an intruder to see these by entering a Master Password. However, every time you start Firefox you will need to enter this master password before it will fill passwords in for you. It does prompt you the first time it's needed.
So, in summary, most of the time Firefox does the work for me. But when it doesn't or can't (like some Bank sites), I look them up in my spreadsheet.
Hope that helps.
Managing passwords
by redviking52 - 3/2/09 10:11 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use a great product which you can download for free: www.sxipper.com. It helps to control all of your passwords. I like it!
Password options
by DeltaHulk - 3/2/09 10:32 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Using your fingerprint for password access means not having to remember or write down any passwords. Works great as long as you remember to use your finger.
APC Touch Biometric Pod Password Manager fingerprint reader - USB
http://www.nowdirect.com/exec/partInfo/part_detail.tsb?prcpart=APCBIOPODMP4&categoryid=&N=336
The Simple Way
by skelax - 3/2/09 10:51 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You don't have to remember your passwords if you store them in a document. You may use Notepad, Word or Excel, then copy (CTRL C) and paste (CTRL V) your passwords instead of typing them. This will prevent keystroke loggers from capturing your password. Choose characters that are a combination of upper and lower case letters and allowable special characters like "i$q&r#Z". Place your accounts in one column, passwords in the next column and remarks in the last column. Then have a back-up file in a removable drive preferably a flash drive and keep it in a safe place.
If you have to travel and use somebody else's computer, you should store your password file in a flash drive with a fingerprint reader. These gadgets are getting cheaper and a 512MB drive cost less than $10. Your finger print will be your password to open your file. Then erase your tracks by copying a blank space into the clipboard and using the tools menu of your chosen browser (preferably Firefox if present). Then delete all private data and history using the Tools menu.
Easy solution to password problem!
by UKOH - 3/2/09 11:08 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
As an IT consultant, I have to remember literally hundreds of passwords for the various sites I visit - not to mention the myriad of passwords we all have to remember for those websites etc.
My solution? Simple. I keep track of all of them in a Word document - and then password protect the word document!
That way I only have one password to remember and can decide on my own password rules. As long as I can remember one simple password I will never have a problem. Also as the password to the word file is on my local, unshared system it is not subject to phishing attacks via the web (unless I have been infected with a virus of course).
However if you use this solution it comes with a health warning! NEVER forget the password to your word document! You will never be able to open it again or decipher its contents. As the threat to this particular password is relatively light you can afford to go for ease of remembering it against extreme security. Just make sure it is something that only you would find easy!
Keep it Simple
by lahdavis - 3/2/09 11:50 AM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use only 3 passwords and i decide which to use depending on how secure i want it. I always use text with first letter capitalized plus a # since some require, but all accept. I have one for banking (i only use this for my finances, period) another for bills, work email,etc. and the last for everything else like stores, gym, anything miscellaneous. I also keep a list just in case. I head it with my own hint for each (not actual password)& list the names beneath it. Ex: Banking:Banking4; Stores:Shops4; Misc:Miscellaneous4. The hints would be: banking; shops; misc. (i know they're all caps & all end with 4).
Password Book and Web-Based Solution
by VZDaly - 3/2/09 12:12 PM In reply to: Help! I'm at my wits end trying to manage my passwords by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Ok, this is going to sound really low-tech, but it works for me. I use a little book (it looks like an address book) that is specifically made for organizing passwords. It is published by PasswordDirectory.com. The book has alphabetized tabs on the pages, with several pages for each letter of the alphabet. Each side of a page allows you to enter the name of 5 websites along with the associated user name, password, and any hints or notes you might need. I bought mine at the Container Store. It's inexpensive and is so slender that it easily fits into a computer bag, purse, or whatever.
A friend of mine also uses a website called Box.net to store his passwords. That way he only has to remember one (the password for Box.net), and it is easily accessible from any computer-based location because it is web-based.
Hope that helps.
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