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As you can see, there are so many reasons for your list of usernames and
passwords to grow, the list is endless!
In addition to storing usernames and passwords, Password Managers can also help
you store details like your Software's Registration Number, so that you do not
have to purchase the software all over again, if it is accidentally erased or
corrupted. Most Password Managers also let you save the URL of the site, thus
doubling up as your "Browser Favorites" or Browser Bookmarks". Some of the
Password Managers also let you generate random passwords, in case you aren't too
good at creating passwords yourself! Best of all, you have quite a few freeware
Password Managers - so you get all these features at Zero Cost to you!
Password Managers may also allow you to print out all your usernames, passwords
and other details, once they are entered into it - not a very bright idea
leaving the print-out around, but useful, if you want to set it up on another
Computer or are recovering from a Hard Disk crash. However, the better way would
be to export all your password information into a common file format (such as
CSV or Text format) and set it up on the second Computer or the newly-formatted
Computer, as the case may be.
We list below a few of the many freeware and commercialware Password Managers:
Review of KeePass
At a total size of about 1.3 MB, it is the smallest of the Password
Managers. However, it packs in great features! What's more, it is a
completely free, Open Source software - meaning if you are a programmer, you
may check out how it works and even modify it, for redistribution under your
name! KeePass can be configured to start with Windows - a feature that will
win your heart if you get addicted to it! If not, you can also call KeePass
wherever you are in Windows, by means of a configurable Hot Key - the
default Hotkey being Control+Alt+A
Again, once you copy a username or password to the clipboard, KeePass also
removes it from the clipboard after some time - you can configure the time
that the clipboard should retain copied details. This is important, since
anyone can access the clipboard in a flash - the time you would require to
take a stroll to the next room or your colleague's cabin across the hall!
Yet another nifty safety feature is that KeePass allows pasting only once -
if you prefer to set it up that way!
With KeePass, you can create groups and sub-groups of Passwords, if you
wish. KeyPass also imports from and exports to some of the most popular file
formats - example TXT, CSV, HTML, XML, etc. It can even directly import
usernames and passwords from other Password Managers such as CodeWallet,
PasswordSafe (up to Version 2 only), etc.
Finally, KeyPass has a fair amount of PlugIns developed by others, for
various purposes. For example, one tiny PlugIn (sized under 30 KB) lets you
check for and remove duplicate entries! Yet another PlugIn re-orders Groups
alphabetically. The screenshot to the right shows a blank KeePass database |
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Review of
Password Manager XP
At a total size of a little over 2 MB, Password Manager XP is the
second-largest download. It is commercialware, with the basic version
costing US$ 29.95. Its user interface matches that of Windows XP and it is
compatible with Windows Vista as well.
Password Manager XP is basically a workgroup Password Manager, as you can
create passwords databases at shared resources and access them from multiple
computers across the network. All change can be logged into a Log File, so
that the Administrator can find out who has changed what set of data. User
access levels can be configured as well. Its Removable Devices Wizard helps
in installing Password Manager XP to any removable media such as a USB
Drive. You can run Password Manager XP and work with multiple password
databases directly from removable devices - a feature that is absent in most
other Password Managers, along with the feature where changes made are
logged.
Password Manager uses some of the leading encryption technologies as well,
making it very robust where security is concerned. Configurable HotKeys,
configurable to start with Windows, easy export/ import to/ from CSV format,
backup & restore of passwords, etc., are the other standard features it
possesses.
The screenshot to the right shows the main screen of Password Manager XP.
Notice its similarity with the Windows Explorer interface.
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Review of Password
Manager Plus
At a total size of about 1.8 MB, Password Manager Plus is on the larger
side. To keep using it, you need to pay US$ 29.95. Password Manager Plus has
a few features that other plain-vanilla Password Managers lack: you can save
and file your online payment confirmations, travel itineraries and articles,
email a snapshot of any webpage to your friends in a snap, and so on. With
the Password Manager Plus Toolbar, you also get a free Online Bill Manager
account that helps you find online billers from a directory of over 5,200
websites where you can pay bills at the last minute and earn points by
paying many bills with a credit card.
If some of these features are of interest to you, then Password Manager Plus
would be your best choice. Else, you ought to look at one of the freeware
solutions or at Norton 360, which has so many features and is worth the
money you spend on it!
The screenshot to the right shows Credit Card information being stored in
Password Manager Plus. The interface is very intuitive and you have options
to customize a host of features. |
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Review of
Norton 360
The basic solution is about 75 MB, with the Norton special features (which
include 2 GB backup space with the standard version and 10 GB with the
Premium version and Spam Guard with both versions) adding up to another 50
MB. It costs US$ 79.85, which is a lot of money. However, Norton 360 is an
all-in-one Security Suite that protects your Computer from Viruses, Spyware
and Phishing sites. Each of these is a best-of-breed solution in its own
right, with Norton (Symantec Inc.) being one of the most respected and
oldest names in the business of Computer Security.
Norton 360 would be familiar to those who often visit
WellOiledPC,
for it is our top choice for AntiVirus and AntiSpyware solutions. However we
haven't discussed its Identity Safe feature, which is an excellent solution
for secure storage of Passwords. Unlike KeePass, Password Manager XP,
KeyWallet and Password Corral, Norton 360 works like your Browser: every
time you visit a site and log in, Norton 360 Identity Safe pops up and asks
you whether you would like to save the username-password details. You have
the option of saving the details, of not taking a decision whether to save
or not (i.e., deferring your decision) or of never saving it. If you choose
the last option, Norton 360 Identity Safe will never ask you whether you
want to save the site's password, but if you choose to defer your decision,
it will - until you either choose to save it or to never save it.
The screenshot to the right shows the main logon for Norton 360 Identity
Safe, under Firefox. It works perfectly well with Internet Explorer as well,
as well as Windows Vista.
In addition to logins, Norton 360 can also save your vital financial
information - such as your Credit Card details - so that you need not hunt
for your wallet every time you make an online purchase using your Credit
Card! Software such as Norton 360 that save your key presses are called Key
Loggers. Some of the most dangerous Spyware use Key Loggers as well, sending
the information to its makers. However, rest assured that Norton 360 DOES
NOT send your Password information to Symantec - or for that matter anyone
else! With Norton, you can rest assured that your information is perfectly
safe!
Even if your Computer is stolen or accessed by someone else, Norton 360's
Identity Safe will require the master password, before displaying the vital
information stored by it! As a comprehensive Security Suite, Norton 360 has
no equal, we dare say! You should look at other Password Managers only if
its US$ 80 price dents your wallet! We strongly recommend that you invest in
Norton 360, however - you get the best of AntiVirus, AntiSpyware,
AntiPhishing and Password Management solution for the money, along with
other useful features like a decent-sized online backup space and a good
Spam Filter!
WellOiledPC
are affiliates of OneNetworkDirect, the online partners of Symantec Inc.
Despite the near-invisibility of Norton 360's Password Management module,
believe us - it is a great choice as a Password Management Solution as well!
To order Norton 360, click on the advertisement to the right |
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Review of
KeyWallet
At a total size of about 1.4 MB, KeyWallet is as tiny as KeePass. Again like
KeePass, it is freeware, though not Open Source. KeyWallet looks like a
Wallet and basically has two clickable buttons - shaped like Credit Cards
peeping out of the wallet - titled Preferences and Help. The other buttons,
shown as Menu Items on top are Edit Key, New Key and Delete Key. There is a
button for customizing KeyWallet at the bottom as well, though we wonder why
anyone would want to change the default Wallet skin! KeyWallet has no other
customizations apart from the ability to change skins. And if you missed it,
yes, its easy to miss the tiny Minimize and Close buttons at the top right
of the interface...
KeyWallet's USP is its simple and easy-to-use interface. Though Password
Managers are some of the most user-friendly software, even in this niche,
KeyWallet is such that anyone can use it right out of the box. |
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Review of
Password Corral
At a total size of about 0.7 MB, Password Corral would have been the
smallest, but for the fact that it requires C++ Run Time Libraries. Password
Corral is freeware as well, though it has all features found in standard
Password Managers: a choice between Blowfish and Diamond2 encryption
technology, flushing the clipboard after a user-definable number of minutes,
ability to generate random passwords, ability to create different groups of
passwords, ability to create different Password Corral identities for
different users of the same Computer, etc.
The screenshot to the right shows the Password Corral interface, with 2
Groups named ABC and DeF, each with a sub-group, named abc and def,
respectively. The fields that may be filled in are a description of the
website, your username and password for the website, the e-Mail you are
using (if any) for correspondence with the website, when the password
expires and your notes/ remarks if any, for the website.
The interface is clean and very intuitive and it can be made to start up
with Windows if it is added to the Windows Start Up folder.
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Review of
RoboForm
At a total size of about 2.8 MB, RoboForm is large in comparison. It is a
commercial product, with the basic version costing US$ 29.95. RoboForm sits
on your Browser as a Toolbar and offers all the functions you would require,
for Password Management including AES/ Blowfisk/ RC6/ 3-DES/ 1-DES
encryption, auto-filling of usernames and passwords, ability to store
offline information such as Credit Card details, etc., generation of random
passwords and a virtual Keyboard for entering sensitive information, thus
negating Key Loggers (of the malicious variety). Yet another useful feature
of RoboForm is that it allows you to synchronize between Windows Mobile and
your Palmtop. RoboForm is also compatible with Windows Vista.
The screenshot to the right shows the features of the RoboForm Toolbar. Our
analysis is that for nearly US$ 30, RoboForm does not have anything that
freeware Password Managers have! Therefore, although RoboForm is extremely
competent at storing/ retrieving Passwords, we recommend that you invest
your US$ 30 on something else! |
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There are many more Password Managers out there, but we believe the above are
the ones worth looking at...
Password Managers Summary
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