Please Advise/Recommend an Easy PW Manager?

[SiHawk]

An IT was at my home yesterday and the one thing he highly recommended to this Senor Citizen was a GOOD Password Protection Program. I knew that was very good advice, of course, but figured that even though for my age etc. I am not a 'puter neophyte, but I am not a WIZ Kid either.
He told me how great the FREE Program named KeePass is and how easy it is .... he downloaded a copy of it and started "training" me on how "easy" it is to use....it did not take long and he found out I just might not be geek enough for KeePass. Might have been too by that time after a couple of hours of listening to all this 'puter speak - I was BURNT OUT! For some reason it did not download any instructions and he could not get it too - so he removed it and said he'd get back to me - he has not.
I don't feel I need the Very BEST [unless it's easy peezy] anything would probably be better than years of using the same PW about everywhere. I have been reviewing various programs available and would even pay something if not a lot, for the right fit for me.
PLEASE advise if you know and can recommend a nice EASY to use one that would adequately protect me.
THANKS, michael

 

[lxskllr]

Keepass was a stellar option. Play with it til you understand it.

 

[Skunk-Works]

I just looked at several password managers that offer easy to use interfaces. It looks like Password Corral is by far the easiest. http://www.snapfiles.com/get/passcorral.html

Here's how you use it.


Click the New User button. Enter a user name (Your first name is fine) and a password.

Just leave the encryption at the default Blowfish.

Click create.

Now login with your user name and password.

Right click the in white grid area and select "New Password."

Fill in the blanks. You don't need to set an expire time unless you want to.

When you need the password, just right click the entry and select "Copy Password to clipboard. Then all you do is paste in the password box on the website.

It appears the program doesn't create a desktop shortcut, but can be found in the Start Menu under Programs. Right click it, copy and paste shortcut to desktop if you wish.

 

[Skunk-Works]

I would then backup the password database in case your computer goes south. Go into your My Documents folder and find the Password Corral Data folder. Copy it to a USB thumb drive or a CD/RW disk.

 

[Skunk-Works]

Another idea is to encrypt a text document that you have all your passwords in. Mince will do this. http://www.snapfiles.com/get/mince.html

It will install a right click context menu.

To install, right click the Mince.inf and select install.

Then you can create a text file with all of your passwords, right click the text file and encrypt.

 

[SmokinWaffle]

Keepass was a stellar option. Play with it til you understand it.

What this man said, KeePass is the best choice here.

 

[Skunk-Works]

Keepass is great, and I use it, but it's a little too overwhelming for someone that doesn't know all the ins and outs.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

IMO - Keepass, or others, are far superior to just using an ecrypted text file because for one, you are able to generate random passwords using certain rules.

 

[SiHawk]

Keepass is great, and I use it, but it's a little too overwhelming for someone that doesn't know all the ins and outs.

You've got that right! The Trained IT that installed it on my 'puter then attempted to "teach" me how to use it properly, I'm sorry to say, was wasting his time. Since then I have re-installed it and am trying to follow their instructions but have not gotten past really the 1st couple of steps....wish they had a Video Tutorial. Think I may have to another and hopefully easier one [for me] maybe: DashLane; LogMeOnce; or Roboform8

 

[balloonshark]

I've also been using Keepass for years. It's really not that difficult to use unless you dig into all the settings. The hardest part for me is trying to get the auto-type settings right for certain sites. That's why it drives me crazy when important sites feel the need to change their sign in forms. I guess they don't care that people use password managers that auto-fill. In any case you could always copy/paste they username and password until you get the hang of things.

 

[PowerEngineer]

FWIW, I also use and like KeePass (in part because you can save you password files locally rather than in the cloud), and I am no "spring chicken" either.

KeePass can be quite daunting if you want to use it to its full potential (e.g. using Control-A to automatically insert user names and passwords), but you can keep it simple by just using it as a safe and manually copy/pasting user names and passwords into the web pages. Some websites do block the "right click" copy/paste function, but Control-C/Control-V usually overcomes that problem.

 

[lxskllr]

I just use it as a copy/paste manager. I have a mild distrust of automated computer functionality. Many times, it causes more problems than the trivial convenience provides. I like to keep my routine simple and robust.

Using keepass in this way is very easy imo, though I haven't done a virgin install in ages. Pick a good master password, then you only have a couple options that *must* be completed to create/use a password. It /can/ be more complicated if you wish, but it isn't necessary. I keep notes, credit card numbers, and other stuff I want access to, but don't want visible to anyone else. If it can be done in text, keepass can keep it. I spread my database around on a few devices, and a couple "cloud" storage providers. Since there's client for pretty much every system commonly used, I can get my passwords on any system, including one I just booted from live media.

I guess the tl;dr is it may not be the absolute easiest system in the world, but it isn't all that hard either.

Also... I don't want to sound like an ass, but I'm not a fan of the "I can't do it, I'm old" excuse. I get that things quit coming as easily as they once did. I'm not so young anymore myself, and it's all more work than it once was, but thinking keeps your brain young(er). Consider it exercise for longer health. Computers are especially good exercise cause they're logical. Very little is random, though it can sometimes appear that way. Non random things can be dealt with. May take a little time, may take a lot, but it can be figured out. You've gone this long without a manager. Another week or a month is nothing. I believe you can /get it/ with a little time. Learn in the most basic form, and build on the foundation if needed.

One last thing... A big reason I like keepass is it's libre software. It's mine to use forever. I can fix it myself, or pay someone else to if it ever became unmaintained. I don't like putting my eggs in someone else's basket. I've been burned before, and it's greatly affected the way I do my computing. I value convenience less than freedom and flexibility.

 

[Skunk-Works]

You've got that right! The Trained IT that installed it on my 'puter then attempted to "teach" me how to use it properly, I'm sorry to say, was wasting his time. Since then I have re-installed it and am trying to follow their instructions but have not gotten past really the 1st couple of steps....wish they had a Video Tutorial. Think I may have to another and hopefully easier one [for me] maybe: DashLane; LogMeOnce; or Roboform8

Did you not try Password Coral that I gave a link to and instructions? Or you could just save all of your passwords in a text file end encrypt it with Mince that I also gave a link to and instructions. I found Password Coral to be the easist you could ever use. It won't autofill, but it's easy to right click, copy/paste. That's all.

I would never pay for Dashlane or anything else, plus the cloud can't be trusted. Lastpass was hacked and that uses the cloud. Dashlane sounds ripe for a good ol' fashioned hack just waiting to happen. I can just see the headlines now: "7 million passwords stolen from Dashlane due to a hack."

 

[SiHawk]

THANKS ALOT! Skunk-Works et al!
I got side tracked reviewing different options to replace my MSN Start Page because I have switched back to CHROME.

I did go back to your recommendation to try Password Corral and you are right - looks right up my "easy alley" and am about to download it....again TKS for your GOOD Samaritan type HELP!

michael