Tech Byte: A Tough Nut to Crack

 

Make passwords hard to guess.

When creating passwords, choose a combination of at least six letters and numbers. Avoid the names of pets, hobbies, sports teams, and family or any other easy-to-guess words.

 

Prevent others from using your computer.

You can prevent others from accessing your files while you are away from your computer by pressing CTRL, ALT and DELETE on your keyboard and then press the “Lock Computer” button. When you are ready to use your computer again, unlock your computer by pressing the CTRL, ALT and DELETE on your keyboard and then type in your user name and password.

 

Create a password-protected screensaver.

Secure sensitive information on your hard drive by requiring a password to deactivate the screen saver and view other fields.

1. Right click your desktop and select Properties.

2. From the Display Properties dialog box, select the Screensaver tab.

3. Use the drop down arrow to select your screensaver of choice.

4. Change the Wait value to specify how long the computer can remain idle before the screensaver is started.

5. Select the On resume, password protect option. If you do not select this option any activity will cause the desktop to appear.