Setting your browser back to the defaults should be as easy as deleting your profile and starting a new one. I’ve provided a link in one of my earlier posts with instructions on how to do that.
I know that using a third-party password manager would be bypassing the problem, which is why I said a “work-around.”
As stated before, and re-iterated by David, it’s better to not have your browser remember your passwords. For me, it helps me remember by entering them every time. It also improves security as David said.
– SYSTEM BACK-UP & RECOVERY
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
If you have a back-up and recovery plan, you can recover from anything in minutes, not hours or days.
back-up all the things that you don’t want to lose, data files, like documents, spreadsheets, emails, email account details, registration keys, address book, favourites/bookmarks, downloaded files/programs, etc. the list goes on and on but if you don’t want to lose it back it up. There are many back-up programs that can simplify this task and run it every day.
Recovery - re-installing your system really is a poor choice and one of last resort. There are tools (Drive Imaging software) that take exact images of your Partitions or Hard Disks and these images can be restored in minutes if you suffer a major catastrophe and that doesn’t have to be a virus attack.
I do a weekly image of my partitions and save them to my 2nd hard disk, they can also be saved to off-line storage, DVD, USB external hard disk, etc. as part of my weekly system maintenance.
So if the worst comes to the worst at most I lose:
A. 6 days worth of program updates or new installations, but with my daily back-up I can recover most of that.
B. less than one days data files, emails, etc.
None of these is a problem and much quicker than a system reinstall and I don’t have to go on-line to download the myriad of security updates needed to secure my system where there is a chance to get reinfected whilst my system has vulnerabilities because of these missing patches. Not to mention all my system tweaks and program settings are retained and I will have saved myself many hours of work and a huge amount of stress.
Many of these programs cost, there are some free ones, but it will take some research on your part to find these tools and decide on what is best for you from reviews, user feed back, etc. good luck.
I downloaded Sxipper. It doesn’t change the way I have to log in. I still have to start typing my user name and then it will pull up the rest, just like Firefox does. Then I have to click on log-in. The old way automatically logged me in.
As far as all that other stuff, I’ll have to get someone to do all that for me. I don’t understand half of this crap anyway! I always mess something up and then I’m in a real pickle!
Tell me something. Are my user names and passwords at any more risk without a master password than with? The reason I ask is it takes as long to enter the master password as it used to to log in to the sites!
The thing is to take the steps for back-up and recovery, as small step at a time and when things are relatively stable, because when the dark brown stuff hits the fan all the good intentions go out the window.
To quote a very relevant part of one of your posts:
I always mess something up and then I'm in a real pickle!
So a good recovery strategy will help remove all that pickle ;D
That entirely depends on the password manager and how it stores your user names and passwords (encrypted and to what level).
But one major thing is if you don’t have a master password then it would be possible for access by anyone who has access to the computer. It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that that could be achieved remotely, especially if you always use an account with administrator privileges as malware if it gets on to your system inherits that privilege.
I live alone, so someone else using my computer isn’t a problem. My girlfriend could care less about the forums I frequent. (cameras, woodworking, paragliding, etc., etc., etc.) ;D I don’t intend to log any user names and passwords to financial or bank accounts on the Sxipper program, so that isn’t a problem either.
So I shouldn’t be using an admin account? I’ve been told if I set up another user account I can just transfer my docs and things over to it and that should bring everything back to normal…although I don’t understand why! ???
For what it’s worth, my problem is solved. I was on one of my regular forums and had requested help. This was what I got…and it worked!!!
[i]Click the Windows Start button, and type %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ in the Start Search box near the bottom of the Start menu
It should find a folder that has a name of random numbers and ‘default’. Open it. your cookies.sqlite file will be in there. deleted it and see if it starts remembering your password again.[/i]
As I mentioned it isn’t just people that can have physical access to your computer, but ensuring that remote access also can’t access the data.
Thanks for the update and the info about the cookies.sqlite file, whilst the deletion of the profile (suggested some while back) is a bit of a sledge hammer to crack a nut, would also have worked, but you wouldn’t have retained any personal settings.
I’m not quite sure what problems would be caused if someone, or some thing, had access to my computer. I have no private or sensitive data stored there. All user names and passwords to critical sites are stored in a physical file cabinet next to my desk.
Sorry, but I can’t find where the “cookies.sqlite” file delete was posted. I’m computer illiterate and didn’t notice it in anything mentioned…but that doesn’t mean I’m doubting you, just that I didn’t notice it. I have to have someone take my hand and lead me through the process. I hate computers and know very little about making my way around them! Frankly they intimidate me much of the time. Thanks for all your help.
The “cookies.sqlite” file delete wasn’t posted, the sledgehammer approach was, deletion of the profile was what I mentioned in the quoted text. See highlighted relevant part of the post below.