T 'n' T: What's the Password? Don't Leave Your PC Unprotected Gregg Keizer
Mon 6/3/02 -- Windows has a reputation -- well-deserved in many cases -- as being as secure as a 7-11 when the clerk's out having a smoke. Protecting your PC from unauthorized use, from peeping-Tom coworkers, or from inquisitive kids who don't belong on your machine may be ultimately impossible -- a dedicated malcontent can probably find a way around anything but CIA-style security -- but you can make it harder by using passwords.
This week I point out four ways to lock up your Windows system, with a bonus tip on how to construct hard-to-crack passwords. Got some brainy ideas of your own? I want to hear 'em; e-mail me with your favorite password-protection scheme.
Let's be safe out there ...
Build a boot password. If you're determined to keep out sneaks, your best bet is to set a boot password that's required each time you turn on the PC, before Windows begins loading. You do this at your system's BIOS setup screen. Since each BIOS is different, I can't provide step-by-step directions, but it's easy to explore the setup screen yourself. Get to it during the first stage of the boot process -- usually as soon as you see your PC vendor's logo; by the time you see the Windows logo, it's too late -- by pressing Del, F2, F10, or sometimes the Esc key. Browse the BIOS setup menus. My desktop has a Security pull-down menu where I can set passwords.
Screensaver protection. When you step away from a running PC, even for a moment, you're leaving it open to prying eyes. Lock it up by password-protecting your screensaver.
To set a screensaver password, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Properties. Click the Screen Saver tab. Choose a screensaver, then check "On resume, password protect." Next, set the Wait period to a short interval; I use 5 minutes, but it's up to you. Finally, click OK.
Secure your sleeping beauty. Another way to secure your system when you walk away is to put Windows on standby or in hibernation, then require a password to bring the machine out of its slumber. Choose Settings/Control Panel/Power Options, and click the Advanced tab.
Under Options, check the "Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby" box. Click the Power Schemes tab and select a time interval for either "System standby" or "System hibernates" to specify how long it'll take after you leave the machine idle for Windows to go into suspended animation. Again, I recommend a short interval. Click OK.
Lock me up! In Windows NT and 2000, you can lock the machine before you walk away by hitting the keystroke combination Ctrl-Alt-Del and clicking "Lock Computer." A password's required to reactivate the system. In Windows XP, however, that three-key combo has been replaced by two, the Windows logo key and L. Unfortunately, if you have Win XP's Fast User Switching enabled, that combo takes you to the Logon screen, not the Unlock Computer dialog.
To show the dialog, disable Fast User Switching: Select Settings/Control Panel/User Accounts and click "Change the way users log on or off." Clear the box marked "Use Fast User Switching" and click the Apply Options button. Now when you press Windows-L, the old-style lock box appears.
To give an older Windows 95/98/Me system similar lock-up capabilities, check out Posum's WorkStation Lock 3.2, which is a $5 piece of shareware.
Password possibilities. You've probably heard that passwords like johnsmith, maryjones, your pet's name, or your anniversary -- not to mention the ever-popular password -- aren't very safe. Since password-cracking programs blitz through every word in the dictionary, most security experts recommend that you build passwords from a jumble of upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Longer passwords are better -- Windows 9x's limit is 14 characters, while Windows 2000 and XP support passwords as long as 127 characters -- but you need to balance length and randomness against the time it takes to type and the difficulty of memorizing the passwords. To help here, gurus suggest composing passwords with words typed with alternating left- and right-handed keys, such as Alabama54@.com or Rock.fish007.
