PasswordMaker --- a quick setup guide

Recently I came upon this password panic.
Because my password list was getting too long and too not organized. I checked on the password manager built in firefox and I found some of them were not properly recorded. Plus I used a password keychaine like program to keep passwords but I got tired of having to keep track of every single password. Then I started to try to search for extensions in an attempt to 'organize' all my passwords better.
That's when I found PasswordMaker.

Even though not without humor, its introduction still sounds a bit intimidating.

Through the magic of one-way hash algorithms, PASSWORDMAKER calculates a message digest, also known as a digital fingerprint, which can be used as your password for the website. Although one-way hash algorithms have a number of interesting characteristics, the one capitalized by PASSWORDMAKER is that the resulting fingerprint (password) does "not reveal anything about the input that was used to generate it."

I don't know about you, but I definitely don't understand what is 'one-way hash algorithms'. And didn't think I can chew it down with my lunch. It took me awhile to find out exactly how it works. I had to look into the manual in order to know how to set it up. Some of them just seemed too complicated. And there's not a quick setup guide.

Once you read the introduction, it should be easy to find out this PasswordMaker is a great idea. With only one Master password, you'll have all the password you'll ever need and you don't have to keep them anywhere. No more organizing or searching passwords. I checked on digg and was surprised to find the responses to it was not high (not many people 'dug' it). I wonder why.

I'll try to provide a quick setup guide here. I hope it will help.
After installed the extension, you will have an icon on the browser status bar on the right bottom side. Click on the icon will open basic options dialogue.

1. Go to View\advanced options. Choose Account tab. In 'make selection' menu, choose settings.
An account-specific setting will popup. Go to 'page2'.


2. In this page, play with the field 'Use l33t', 'l33t level', 'Hash algorism' , 'password lenth' and 'characters' to set up a satisfied password strenth you'd like. Every time you change an option, the password strenth bar will respond at once displaying how strong it is. When you are happy with it, click 'OK'.

3. Choose 'Global setting' tab. On 'Action to take when coolkey is activated', choose an action you'd like it to work.

4. Now choose a Master password carefully and type it in the box. Need to understand once you choose it you'll have to stick with it for a long time. To change a master password will be almost like running a marathon. At least before they add in the new feature. And also note that in their FAQ, the answer to 'what if I forgot my master password' is --- you are out of luck.

5. So after you happily choose your master password, in the drop down menu of 'store master password', choose 'In memory'. Thus, you only have to enter your password once when you start the browser. It will be cleared when you close the browser.

6. Now you are good to go. You can log in to every website account to change your password with PasswordMaker. Read their 'getting started' page to find out how.

Tags:

• PasswordMaker
• startup guide
• reference
• 1password4all