passwords

Robert has a low budget Alcatel smartphone, but he forgot the password to access it. How can he recover it? Leo says on those older Android phones, the easiest thing is to erase it and start over. Most Android phones have a way to get into recovery mode. But if he can't, then he'll have to do a hard reset by pressing the power button and the volume up button at the same time, and hold it there. That should put it in recovery mode. It's a text based menu that he can navigate with the volume buttons until he reaches "reset." Then he can press the home button and that should reset the phone.

Sue's Roku device won't let her log in anymore. Is this because she has DSL? DSL isn't the issue. She's likely using the wrong password. Rich recommends that she try recovering her password. Once she does that, she can change it.

Bob has all his passwords inputted in a spreadsheet. Is that secure? Leo says if it works for him, that's one step better than just using the same password over and over. But if someone gets ahold of that file, they have the keys to his kingdom. That's why using LastPass, which generates complicated and secure passwords is a good idea. Bob agrees, but he doesn't know how to use it to change his passwords. Leo says if he goes to LastPass's help desk, they describe step by step how to do it.

Sue took Leo's advice and bought a Lenovo Chromebook. But she's having difficulty adapting to it. She doesn't know where anything is. Leo says that's because everything is in the cloud. It also asks for her password all the time and she's tired of entering it. Leo says that can be frustrating, but it's vital to protect her data in the Cloud. In the settings, there is a feature that would enable her to turn on a PIN, which would let her log in with a simple 4-7 digit code. She'll have to enter her Google password from time to time yet, but the PIN is a good way around this issue.

Sam took a long vacation and now he keeps getting a password challenge in Windows 10, rather than his PIN. Leo says he can't set up Windows with a PIN unless he sets a password. It's likely tied to his Microsoft account. Leo says to try that. Once he inserts it, then he's logged in. It probably reverted to the Microsoft password after a long time of inactivity. Once he uses the Windows password again, he'll be good to go.

Mark wants to combine his work's LastPass account with his personal one. Leo says that his personal stuff can be attached, but it won't be visible at work. Leo recommends keeping the accounts separate. That way, if he leaves the job, his employer doesn't have access to his data.

(Disclaimer: LastPass is a sponsor)

Steve forgot the password on his all-in-one Windows 10 machine. Leo says that can be a serious problem in Windows 10. But since Steve used his Microsoft account to log in, he can change the Microsoft password and he should be able to make it work. Microsoft also has a utility called MSDaRT, which has a feature called Locksmith Wizard that will reset his Windows 10 password. Third party utilities include PC Unlocker.