Last week we talked about how to create a good password (or p1a2s3s4weobrady) and I mentioned that there are some programs out there that can help you manage all of your passwords.

For those of you who took my advice and are using Firefox (available on Windows, OSX and Linux) you may have noticed that there is a built-in password manager. It is even able to lock people out of your passwords if they don’t have the master password, but I’ve run into some glitches with it and it doesn’t help if you have to use InternetExplorer or Opera or the new browser that Google recently released.

KeePass

My suggestion, and the program that I use to manage all of my passwords is a program called KeePass. KeePass is available for just about anything you’re running – Windows, OSX, Linux, BlackBerry & PalmOS; you’re also able to put it on a USB thumb drive and take it with you to make sure you don’t run into a situation where you’re away from your computer and don’t have your bank password.

The creators describe the program this way:

KeePass is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. You can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. So you only have to remember one single master password or select the key file to unlock the whole database. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known…

I’ll describe it this way – it can make passwords, it can keep passwords, it can fill in password forms for you, it can let you take your passwords with you and it makes them easy and secure to copy and paste from the program itself. Also, the program doesn’t get all grabby, it lets you export all of your passwords and usernames to a file if you want to use a different program instead and it will import them from Firefox.

There are a full list of features here.

Using It

After you download and install it using your normal processes, you can get right to it. Let’s start with setting up your database and then we’ll talk through the options and more powerful uses.

First click the New Database button, or go to File -> New (or hit Ctrl-N for you shortcut fiends).

You’ll get this awesome little box up, you start by creating your password for the database. You can use a relatively simple one, but remember this database will have all of your passwords in it. I’d suggest using the techniques we talked about last week.

As you start typing it in, you will notice that it blocks it out (so people can’t read your password over your sholder. You can click the button on the right and see your password characters.

Also, the colored bar indicates the quality of your password and how complex it is (and how hard it will be to hack/guess it).

Good. Great. Secure.

Crap. Garbage. Poo.

Also, you have the option of tying it to a second file on your system. The added security feature is based on the fact that you hide this file in a random spot so that someone can’t just easily steal  your database and make off with your “life”. I would reccomend using this if you use this portably. I don’t use this feature, but I can see why you would. You can also use by placing the Key file on a portable drive so that it only works when you have that specific drive connected to the computer.

This is what the side of your main screen will look like now. As you see they expect that the KeePass application will be useful in a number of settings and for different reasons. Currently, I only use it for my internet passwords, but I am starting to input passwords for FTP servers and my home b anking program.

Now to create your first password file, hit this button (or Ctrl-Y).

You’ll get this window:

You’ll get an image like this. I have inserted the information for the example Johnny.Crusade@gmail.com account. Click on it to see what the data will look like. Make sure you read the Help file for more info on how to do this! (Hit F1.)

When you get your info entered, your database will show some of the filled in info like this image above.

Also, it provides security so that when you are walking away from your computer you can lock your database at the press of a button. (Or two Ctrl-L.)

As you set up things more, make sure you look at the options (Tools-> Options or Ctrl-M).

You don’t need to change much of anything if you don’t have specific preferences for what you want your user experience to look like. The only one that I would say that you NEED to change is the “Security” tab, make sure you check the one that says “Lock workspace when locking Windows, switching user or sleeping.” The other security feature of locking it after a few seconds is nice too.

I would suggest you look at this image and check the highlighted boxes (leave the dull ones alone):

Let me just say before I sign off, keeping your passwords secure is essential for your safety and security online – get to know this program and make sure you (and no one else) knows your password.

I’d also suggest taking the advice I shared in April about how to learn any program – and by that I mean: read the tutorials in the help menu – you can get to it by hitting F1.

Now, remember stay secure and don’t just let anyone near your passwords.

I love keyboard shortcuts. The more you can do without having to move your hands from keyboard to mouse the better – and the quicker!

Today I want to share a list of what you can do with the Windows key. Honestly, do you know all the stuff that you can do with it? For the purposes of this post, we’ll use the letter W as the Windows key.

W: Opens Start Menu

W+ E: Opens up Windows Explorer

W+ R: Opens the Run command.

W+ U: Opens Utility Manager

W+ L: Log Off

W+ F: Search files on your computer

W+ D: Show Desktop [will switch back and forth from all minimized and back again]

W+ F1: Windows Help Menu

W+ Pause/Break: System Properties

W+ Tab: (Vista) Cycles through open programs in the cool-looking Aero slideshow.

W+ Tab: (Other Windows) Cycles Through Buttons in Taskbar

W+ M: Minimize all open windows. (Similar to W+D, but with less power.)

W+ Shift+M: Maximize the windows you had open before minimizing

W+B: Set focus to the first System Tray Icon [which is the arrow if you enable the Hide Inactive Icons option]

CTRL+W +F: Search for computers

Do any of you have shortcuts that you use often? Are there any similar shortcuts for Macs?

From [MojoStix]

Whenever you get a new program to learn it can be a little overwhelming; sometimes the learning curve can be pretty steep, other times it just looks like it until you get the basics down. Here are some tips that will help you to get a basic knowledge of just about any new program.

1. Use to learn the Help menu – the quickest way to get to it in virtually any program is by hitting the F1 button. This may seem easy, but more often than not people don’t even think about looking here before they call for help from someone else. Most people learn by doing something themselves – you’ll become a better user of your computer if you begin here. (Windows and most Linux distributions have this as well; minimize all of your windows, click somewhere on the desktop and hit F1. Macs may have this feature as well, I’m not sure though – can someone confirm or deny this for me?)
2. Google it! You’ll be surprised what you can find out there. If you’re trying to figure out how to move a Textbox in MS Word and can’t find it in the Help file (it’s probably there too) just go to Google and type:
   

   Microsoft Word move textbox

   I will virtually guarantee that you’ll find your answer in the first two or three links. When I’m trying to figure out a program or a feature for someone else, this is where I’ll go to find the answer. (Soon you’ll realize that I’m a huge fan of Google on the whole).

3. Go to the website. If you click on most programs Help menu, there will be an About InsertProgramNameHere option that will tell you about the program and where the webpage is that you can go to for more information.

That’s it. Those are the three most basic things you can do to learn any program better. Good luck!