 There is no doubt about it, passwords are a pain!! Yet, they are currently the primary method of online identification. It is almost impossible to surf the Web without being asked to sign up for a user name and password. Here's the dilemma. If you use the same password for every account and one account is compromised, the perpetrator will have access to all of your online accounts, and will have a good start at stealing your identity. Yet using separate passwords for every account will give even the most brilliant mind quite a work out. Certainly you can use a different password for each account and write down all the passwords, but then anyone who finds your paperwork, which you obviously keep near your computer, would have access to all of your accounts and your identity.
I use a different password for most of my online accounts. Yet my not-so-brilliant mind cannot even begin to remember them all. Thankfully, I don't have to remember them all. I have help. I rely on a program called RoboForm .
After you install RoboForm, you set up one password for access to the program and that is the only password that you have to remember. RoboForm will remember all the other passwords for you. The first time that you surf to a site that requires a username and password, after you fill it in, RoboForm will ask if you want RoboForm to remember the information. Click on yes, and when you return to the site at any time in the future, RoboForm will fill out your user name and password. You can even configure it so that it submits the information for you, which really makes the process smooth and easy. RoboForm appears as a toolbar on your Web browser. So it is always available. It works with Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Firefox.
The RoboForm information is saved in what they call "passcards."You can also print out a list of all your passcards and keep it in a safe place. You can even keep the list in your safe deposit box or site that is remote to your computer. You won't need it unless the data on your hard drive becomes irretrievable (and you don't have a backup) or you forget your RoboForm password.
If you want to be especially safe when doing online banking and other important financial transactions, you can have RoboForm generate a password for you. This password can be up to 512 characters long. Again, you don't have to worry about remembering it. RoboForm will remember for you.
RoboForm has many other features, as well. It will memorize your name, address, credit card, and any other information that you use to fill out online forms. Then it will fill out any form automatically. It will handle multiple personalities, so if fill out some forms for a business and some for personal use, your covered. You can also create personalities for you, your wife, and your children. You can even create a "fake" identity when you may want to register for something, but don't want to give out your real name and information.
RoboForm will also save offline passwords and notes. It will encrypt passwords and personal data so you can use it for debit or ATM card numbers. The data is stored only on your own computer, so you don't have to trust anyone else with your passwords and data.
You may see RoboForm referred to as RoboForm AI. The AI stands for artificial intelligence. The program uses its intelligence to fill out forms and it is almost always correct. For instance, sometimes the phone number is listed in 3 fields of 3+3+4 digits, sometimes it is in 2 fields of 3+7 digits. It can even be in 1 field of 10 digits. RoboForm will interpret all of these correctly when it fills in a telephone number.
If you use several different computers, you can also purchase a portable version of RoboForm, called RoboForm2Go.This allows you to carry your passwords and information on a USB key or a removable drive in an encrypted format. You can also synch your RoboForm information to a Palm or a PocketPC.
While RoboForm is easy to install and easy to use, I suggest that you go through the online tutorials which will walk you through how to use the programs many features.
Roboform offers a 30-day free trial with all features useable. After 30 days home users can continue to use RoboForm for free, but the functionality is reduced. It is limited to 10 passwords, 2 identities, and 3 custom fields in each identity. If you have less than 11 passwords, the free version is beneficial as a great password memorizer. If you have more than 10 passwords and would like to take advantage of extensive form filling, and the program's many other features, you will want to opt for the paid version. At $29.95, this program is an inexpensive way to take the worry out of remembering passwords. If you consider its form filling capabilities and the ability to keep encrypted notes, it is a real bargain. I've been using it for years, and I wouldn't want to be with it.
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