joeyiii said:
Is there some way to logon to XP using plain text passwords instead
of seeing asterisks as you type?
The password you type is always obscured by the asterisks for
security. This prevents someone else from looking at the screen
while you type the password and discovering the password by simply
reading it as you type.
Pauli said:
What about someone who lives alone? What about someone who has a
private office, and who sits at a desk with their back to a wall?
Seems really freaking stupid that someone like that can't configure
things differently, don't ya think?
Actually - even if you could configure one (or more) of the actual Windows
logon prompts to *not* mask the password - you are only scratching the
surface - at best.
Every web page you go to could have a different logon entry methodology -
most *not* based on whether or not you utilize Windows/OS X/*nix/etc...
If you truly cannot set a password you can remember or if you have trouble
typing/recalling if your caps-lock (or num-lock in some cases) is on/off -
perhaps you either should not use a password or set an automatic logon.
Also - writing down the password and storing in a safe place you can get to
(but is not readily available *at the computer*) is a good plan.
As for the passwords I mentioned later - web pages and such - get a password
manager application. It can be used to store the password, the web links,
other information, etc. Very useful. I personally prefer "KeePass".
Also - just because you live alone and/or have an office with your back to
the wall - doesn't mean you won't have visitors. ;-)
While I know that security vs. convenience is always a fine line, this is
not something I would personally consider as walking that line.
Sure, I have had passing thoughts myself - even recently - of how nice it
would be if the person typing *could* see the password they were typing
(would have saved me trouble in many cases where caps-lock was on, the user
could *not* figure out why the system was not accepting their password
despite being asked that several times, etc...) In the end though - this is
not a problem of configuration, but training and (if necessary) working
around the issue without compromising security too much (if at all.)
