Computer password

Guess I shouldn't have canceled my subscription to PC World back in 2000. I knew that even strong passwords (which I routinely use) were able to be cracked by sophisticated software, but I never expected or thought about the back door process discussed above. If I understand you guys correctly, someone could easily take my laptop, simply reset some dip switches and swap out or delete my Windows 7 administrator password, thereby taking off with all of my life's work, is that correct?

snuffy wrote: If I understand you guys correctly, someone could easily take my laptop, simply reset some dip switches and swap out or delete my Windows 7 administrator password, thereby taking off with all of my life's work, is that correct?

I'm not so sure if it would be as easy with a laptop because of hardware compatibility but with desktop as Yanche pointed out you could just boot the computer with live CD like Knoppix. Windows never starts so any security measures that are dependent on Windows no longer are relevant. You can browse to any folder you want, copy etc. I actually keep a copy of this around in the event windows fails, least I'll be able to boot and possibly fix the issue, get the files I need etc.

In any event the bottom line is the only way to secure your files is by encrypting them. For example you could use something like Keepass to manage and encrypt passwords.

That's just one solution specific to passwords but you can go all the way up to full disk encryption.

I know that this is a real antiquated outlook, but, I've always figured that if I put my entire life on this computer, I had best be aware that it's out there for the taking--from my reading, it seems like no matter what new fangled security measures are taken, someone always feels obligated to negate it--mental exercise??? whatever. I hear that at some point we will HAVE to pay all our bills on line--well, I'll go down kicking & screaming on that one

I will never succumb to on line banking for the above reasons. As far as the rest of my laptop stuff it's so meaningless that no one could be bothered to read it never alone to decrypt it first, so I use no passwords. I did find a secure system that is foolproof. When I came back form a Florida visit this winter I remember unpacking the laptop but have lost it. Nobody has managed t get past that system to my knowledge. Once I put something in a safe place that's it I never find it again.

And ain't that universal--

Richard,

Thanks for the encryption suggestion. I've kept my 25 years of Excel and Access files handy so I don't have to keep reinventing the wheel. Some of the files have very sensitive data that can't be stripped out without dissolving the entire file. I really haven't had the time over the last ten years to keep up with this evolving technology. Guess this is why society keeps hiring "Specialist" Again, thanks for the suggestion.

http://www.truecrypt.org/
Open source encryption...
just a folder or the whole hard drive...
make a strong easy to remember password...
mnemonics...
http://www.fun-with-words.com/mnem_explain.html
or a sentence is easy to remember...
Windows computer user passwords are useless if somone has physical access to your computer...