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Google Recommends 2-Step Process To Protect Your Account [News]

Bakari Chavanu — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:31:00 +0000

Most savvy Internet users probably have at one at least Google account – mainly because Google, for good or bad, crosses paths with so many other websites that it’s hard to avoid not using the services and apps it has to offer. If you use your Google sign-in ID for multiple websites, and/or sign into Google Mail from public or shared computers, you should definitely make sure the account is secure. To better protect your account, Google offers a 2-step verification process designed for your Gmail account. If you haven’t already been requested to use it, here is how it works.

Google says this optional verification procedure is designed to “protect your account even it’s stolen or cracked.” To get started, follow the instructions here, or sign into your Google account > Settings page, and under Security, click “Using 2-Step verification”. It is best to start the process on a computer you use on a regular basis so that you can also authenticate that computer as part of the process. The verification will be remembered on your computer for 30 days. You will also need a landline or mobile phone to receive a text message or phone call for the verification code.

If you’re a Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone user, you can also download a Google Authenticator app which saves you the trouble of doing the authentication process by computer and SMS message. For extra measure, Google also advises that you print backup verification codes in case your phone is lost or stolen.

Source: Mashable

5 Tips To Reset The Administrator Password in Windows XP

Jack Cola — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:01:00 +0000

At Make Use Of, we have covered quite a few password tips including how to crack almost any Windows password, how to reset Linux passwords and how to view passwords hidden behind asterisks.

Earlier in the month, Karl posted a tip on how to recover your Windows XP administrator password by using the installation disk. However, he forgot to mention a few other easier ways how to reset Windows XP password without having to go through the installation process.

1. Use Alt, Control, Delete & The Windows Welcome Screen

If you have set your computer up to login via the Welcome Screen, there may be a slight chance that you will be able to login as the Administrator. Depending on who installed XP on your computer, there may or may not be a password on the Administrator’s account.

So simply press Alt+Control+Delete twice. You will be presented with a login box. Click OK to login without typing any user name or password in. If that doesn’t work, type in “˜Administrator‘ into the username box and press enter. If that doesn’t work, so far, you are in bad luck.

If you are able to log in, simply go to the control panel, go into User Accounts and change your password.

2. Login To Another Account & Reset The Password Through User Management (XP Professional Only)

This will only work if you have Windows XP Professional, and you can login with an account. Right click on My Computer and select Manage. Then select Local User and Groups ““> Users. Right click on your username and select Set Password. Follow the prompts and set yourself a new password.

If you can’t get into Device Manager because you don’t have a user account to get into your computer, you can try opening Device Manager from another computer. Right click on where it says Computer Management (Local) and choose Connect to another computer“¦ once you are logged in to another computer within your home network.

Then enter your computer IP or Name. For example 169.168.x.x, 10.1.1.x or \\DesktopPC. (replacing x.x with your computer IP address. You can also click on Browse ““> Advance ““> Find now to browse for computers on your network.

If you are granted access to the remote computer, follow the steps I mentioned above and set a new password. If not, continue reading.

3. Reset The Password Through Safe Mode & Command Prompt

If the above steps have failed so far, you can try and boot into Safe Mode. To do this, press F8 while your computer is booting. Once in safe mode, you can try going into the control panel and reset your password. If you can’t, you can try and open up a Command Prompt by opening Run and typing cmd. Enter net user [username] [enternewpassword]. For example, If I want to change my account which is Jack to password abcde, I would type in net user jack abcde and press enter. Your password should now be changed.

4. Use A Live (Bootable CD)

If you are at this stage, and haven’t so far managed to get into your computer, you may want to use a Live Bootable CD. You may want to have a look at the post 3 Ways To Reset A Forgotten Windows Administrator Password and follow those steps.

Alternatively, you can use the Live CD so you can boot into your computer and access the files so you can back them up on an external hard drive or USB stick. If you can’t get into Windows, this is your only option.

5. Remove Your HardDrive, Backup, Format, Reinstall

One final way, and probably a good thing to do if your computer is running really slow, or you can’t get into Windows at all; take out your hard drive, put it into another computer, backup your data, format the hard drive, put it back into the original computer, and re-install Windows. You may want to have a look at The Idiot’s Ultimate Guide to Building Your Own PC for some help taking out your hard drive.

So these are my basic tips if I can’t get access to a computer to a user account in a Windows XP computer. I hope these tips will come in handy.

Do you have any other tips to get access to your computer because you forgot the password? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit : Max (Tj)

How To Recover Your Lost Video Game Keys (Windows)

Simon Slangen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:01:41 +0000

Every gamer knows that video game keys are immensely important.

Of course, online serials or No-CD cracks can be found quickly, but for online games, amongst other things, an authentic serial code is a simple necessity.

Now you may be the school example of tidiness, keeping an alphabetical list of games, alphabetically sorting all yours by size, but most probably not.

If you’re even somewhat like me, often losing track of something after a mere five minutes, you can get in a lot of trouble – without those tiny scribblings, your sixty-dollar game becomes a useless piece of plastic.

Turning the house upside down might present a solution, but other methods don’t require quite so much bother. After all, we’re living in the digital age now.

Game Key Revealer

All your games’ serial codes get stored in the registry upon install – some even remain after removing the game in question! Though possible, manually searching these keys in the registry maze is a time-devastating task.

Luckily for you and I, people have been developing applications that can scan the registry in the search of keys from specific programs or games.

Game Key Revealer is one of these applications, supporting over 500 popular computer games from big-time game publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, THQ and LucasArts. Retrieving game keys of recent and popular games should be as easy as the flick of a mouse.

It really is that easy, running the executable and pressing one button to reveal most – probably even all game keys on your computer.

Now you’ve retrieved those keys, it’s advised to store it somewhere for safekeeping. Send yourself an email, save it on your stick, or print it out.

Game Key Revealer lets you export the keys to Notepad or Microsoft Word through File-Save.

Manually Retrieving a Key

It might happen though, that your game isn’t supported or found by the Game Key Revealer. If that’s the case, you can always manually scan the registry.

DISCLAIMER

Note that a computer’s registry is an extremely delicate place. Making mistakes – such as altering or deleting the wrong date – can easily mess up your whole system. Before working with the registry, always make a full back-up.

MakeUseOf will not be held responsible for any mistakes you make, nor any consequences of your actions – you’re a big boy/girl.

The process itself is easy enough. Do note that this is a hit’n miss technique. You might not find the key you’re looking for, or only be able to view it in encrypted format.

Searching the Registry

First we’re going to open the Registry Editor.

In Windows XP, go to Start -> Run… and type “regedit”.
In Windows Vista/7, go to Start and type “regedit” in the search box.

In the Registry Editor, press Ctrl+F or go to Edit -> Find…

Query for the game’s name, and wait for (any) results. Depending on your registry and the speed of your computer, this might take a few seconds or a few minutes.

If the serial key is not amongst the presented results, press F3 or go to Edit -> Find Next. The different pieces of data that relate to the game are often scattered across different pieces of the registry.

I hope this worked out for you. Do you know any other techniques to recover game keys? Or do you have a question about one of these? Don’t be shy, spill it out in the comments.