MANAGE YOUR PASSWORDS SMARTLY

Passwords are always a problem to handle. Firstly, picking the right password always makes us scratch our heads, and then comes the problem of remembering these passwords over a period of time. This problem arises because most of us have multiple IDs (or logins) on different sites, and with all the hype of keeping away from using the same password in multiple sites.

There is however something that can help us out of this mess without asking for much. It's called 'LastPass Password Manager'. It is a Mozilla Firefox add-on that supports versions from 2.0 to 3.7. Follow these steps to install and configure your passwords with LastPass.

• Visit https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/8542.
• Click the 'Add to Firefox (Windows)' button.
• The installation dialog box will open up.
• Once the installation is complete, restart Firefox for the changes to take effect.
• Click the logo on the far right corner of the navigation toolbar.
• It can be found on the right of the search box. It is shaped like a black square with a white password character embedded on it.
• You will be asked for your email address and for a master password.
• Click the 'Create an account' link on the 'LastPass Master Login' dialog box.
• This will launch the setup window. Select your language of choice and click 'Create an account'.
• On the next form enter the details that are asked like your email address, master password and other fields.
• Your master password will help you take control of all the information you share with LastPass, such as passwords of various sites that you sign up for.
• Check all the checkboxes at the bottom, especially 'I have read and agree with the terms of service and privacy statement' and 'I understand that my encrypted data will be sent to LastPass'.
• As you fill in the master password, you will notice that the bar below the field is filled with color indicating the strength of the password. The strongest password is that which is filled with color.
• Click 'Create an Account' again to proceed.
• Just to make sure that you do not forget the master password that you set earlier, LastPass will ask you to reenter the password. Do this and click 'Create an Account' to continue.
• The next options are crucial. Select the first radio button that lets you choose the items that you want to import.
• Click 'Continue'.
• A smaller dialog box will appear with the list of logins that are registered to the email address that you had entered. Click 'Import' after selecting all.
• Keep clicking 'Continue' on the following steps to complete the registration process.
• Once you have done this, the completion of your registration process will be confirmed.
• Make sure that you do not share your master password with anyone.
• Every time you visit a page that requires you to log in simply ensure that you have signed into LastPass.
• The application asks you to enter only the master password.
• The rest is taken care of as your email address and password is entered automatically after a brief reference to the application's list of logins.