Solution for Managing Passwords
Like just about everyone I struggle to manage the various credentials I use to authenticate with web sites/applications/systems I use. For the past couple of years I’ve used a VERY crude mechanism for this. I created a Note in Outlook and had about 25 entries that looked something like:
eBay
UserID: xxxxx
Password: xxxxx
This was reasonably functional in that the credentials were kept in a secure location and I could quickly access them. What became problematic, however, was the inability to search Notes for a string (at least I can’t find a way to do it…) and the need I had to access my credentials from PCs where I don’t usually run an Outlook connected to Clarity’s exchange server. So, I started looking for an alternative. I had these requirements:
After doing a bit of research I settled on the following configuration:
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Password Minder: Simple .NET app that stores credentials (encrypted) in an XML file. No install required…just need the Exe on your PC along with the .NET Framework 1.1 and it will run just fine.
- Folder Share: I just keep finding new uses for Folder Share. For passwords, I just created a Passwords folders under the folder I sync across all of my machines and put the Password Minder XML and Exe files in there. Now I have everything I need on all of my PCs to run the app and get to my credentials.
I’ve been using this for about a week and absolutely LOVE it. It’s simple, secure, and now that it is setup I don’t have to think about it again…exactly what I was looking for.