Protect Your Computer from “Little Hands” with KidSafe

20
Jan/10
0

Are you looking for a way to keep your computer, settings, and files safe around young children that love to “play” with the keyboard? Then you will want to take a look at KidSafe.

Note: There are two versions currently available…a regular zip file setup and a portable apps version. For our article we are using the portable.

Setup

The great thing about the newest version of KidSafe is that it comes in that wonderful portableapps.com format so that it can go where you go.

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The “Program Folder” has the usual contents…just place the folder in an appropriate or convenient location, create your shortcut and you are ready to go.

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Since this software is still new to the portable apps format you will see this when the program starts…but do not panic or worry. The program worked very well on our system.

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KidSafe in Action

As soon as your start KidSafe your screen will be “covered” while setting the program up. Notice that there are two menus (Tools & Help) in the upper left corner. Accessing the options in the “Tool Menu” will require the password that you will set up for KidSafe…so no worries about a young child simply going in and changing your settings to gain entry without the password.

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A closer look at the active part of the screen shown above. Click on “OK” to get started with the options/setup.

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There are three options/setup windows for KidSafe. Here in the first one you can change any settings that you feel necessary for keys, keyboard combinations, Task Manager access, etc. On our system we definitely “locked” the “Windows Key” since it was not a keyboard combination…

Note: Highlight/select existing entries from the right side to change them.

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If you are wanting more information about a particular setting simply hover your mouse over the yes/no blank and a tooltip with a description of what the setting does will appear.

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The second window will let you choose the “KidSafe Mode” that best suits your needs. You may also choose a specific wallpaper background (.bmp, .jpg, or .png format) if desired or let KidSafe use a default one (leave it blank).

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Here are the “KidSafe Mode” choices available in the drop down menu.

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The final window will be where you set up your password for KidSafe. Click “Finish” once you are done.

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As soon as you click “Finish” in the options/settings KidSafe will be active. We gave the keyboard a “pretty rough go” on our system and KidSafe did a perfect job. The only way we got back into the system was to use the password…

Note: This is not the default wallpaper for KidSafe.

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To unlock KidSafe you will need to enter your password and click on “OK”. Hitting “Enter” will not work…

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Conclusion

If you have been looking for a good program to help keep your computer safe from those “little hands” that love to play with keyboards, then you might want to give KidSafe a try.

Links

Download KidSafe PortableApps Version (Software Homepage)

Download KidSafe Zip File Version (Softpedia)


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Protect Your Computer from “Little Hands” with KidSafe

Encrypt Your Personal Information with Steganos LockNote

2
Jul/09
0

Do you need a quick and easy way to store your personal information? With Steganos LockNote, you can encrypt your information and take it with you wherever you go.

Getting Started

Double click the LockNote exe file to get things started. Here is what you will see the first time you open the file…a nice little intro with some quick tips to help get you started.

locknote-01

A Quick Look at the Menu Toolbar & Right Click Menu

The File Menu.

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The Edit Menu.

Note: LockNote does not allow editing of Font Type or Size.

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The Help Menu.

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The Right Click Menu

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Unicode Control Character types that can be inserted into your encrypted document.

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Saving Your Encrypted Document File

Time to save and encrypt the document. Please notice the original file name at the top of the window “lock-note-(1.0.4)”.

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When you go to save your document (for our example we will name the document “angelic-secrets”, you will be prompted for a password with the following window. The file name noted above will remain (even after saving the document) until you close the window.

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Here you can see the original file that we started with and the one that we have just saved. Double clicking the original file will open the same beginning window as shown above ready to be turned into a whole new encrypted document (unless you saved the file under the original name).

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Double clicking the newly saved document will immediately bring up the prompt window for the password you chose.

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Our example document opened very quickly and is ready to edit and/or use. Notice that the new file name is displaying at the top of the window now that it has been reopened.

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Changing the Password

If for some reason you need or decide to change your password, go to the “File Menu” and select “Change Password…”. You will be asked for your current password to begin the process.

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Now you are ready to enter and confirm your new password.

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Once you have entered and confirmed your new password, you will see the following message window.

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That is all there is to it!

Features

  • Works with Windows 2000 and above
  • Small and portable exe file format (no installation required)
  • AES 256 bit Encryption
  • Store your personal information in encrypted easy to open LockNote files (just double click and enter your password)
  • Automatically encrypt existing text files by dragging and dropping them into a LockNote window

Links

Download Steganos LockNote (version 1.0.4)

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Encrypt Your Personal Information with Steganos LockNote

Share Files and Printers in Windows 7 with HomeGroup

9
Jun/09
0

The new HomeGroup feature makes sharing files and printers between Windows 7 machines very easy.? Today we will take a closer look at this new feature to show how easy the sharing process is. Setting up your HomeGroup ? There are several ways to access the HomeGroup feature, go to Control Panel and click on “Choose homegroup and sharing options” or just type “homegroup” without quotes into the start menu search bar. Next click on the Create a homegroup button

Read more here:
Share Files and Printers in Windows 7 with HomeGroup

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