Wednesday 8^th July 2020

Passwords Saved in Browsers

It can be convenient to allow your web browser to store usernames and passwords for various web sites that you log into. But be aware that someone with access to your system may be able to see these credentials. Generally, by signing into Windows, your browsers and their stored passwords will be visible.

So, be EXTREMELY cautious about letting anyone have remote access to your PC, e.g. by TeamViewer or similar. Also, if, for example, you took your PC somewhere for repair and gave them your Windows logon details, they too could see all your store usernames and passwords held within your web browsers.

Just to confirm a comment made by Phil, you do NOT need to be signed in to the browser for it to store these usernames and passwords - they are stored locally on the PC. Signing in to a web browser (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc) allows you to sync these saved credentials and other things including bookmarks and browsing history with other devices were you use the same browser.

Chrome

Chrome offers to save passwords by default. To change this:-

1. Click on your Profile picture circle (top right).
2. Click on the key symbol.
3. Turn Offer to save passwords on or off as required.
4. If you are saving passwords, you can also choose to sign-in automatically here.

If you have saved passwords, you will see them here too. Click the ‘eye’ symbol next to a password to see it – the first time you do this after opening Chrome, you will have to enter the Windows password/PIN.

Edge (New Chromium version)

Edge offers to save passwords by default. To change this:-

1. Click on your Profile picture circle (top right).
2. Manage profile settings.
3. Make sure Profiles is selected (left-hand column) and click Passwords.
4. Turn Offer to save passwords on or off as required.
5. If you are saving passwords, you can also choose to sign-in automatically here.

If you have saved passwords, you will see them here too. Click the ‘eye’ symbol next to a password to see it.

Firefox

Firefox offers to save passwords by default. To change this:-

1. Click the 3-bar symbol (top right).
2. Options.
3. Privacy & Security.
4. (Un)tick Ask to save logins and passwords for web sites.
5. (Un)tick Autofill logins and passwords.
6. Click Saved Logins to see saved user names and passwords – click the eye symbol to reveal passwords.

Safari on iPad

Safari will offer to save passwords. To view/edit the saved passwords:-

1. Tap the Settings app.
2. Tap Passwords & Accounts.
3. Tap Website & App Passwords.
4. You will need to use your fingerprint/passcode to proceed.
5. Tap any item in the list to see the username and password.
6. Tap Edit (top right) to change or delete.

Safari on iPad and Chrome both require a fingerprint/password to view the saved passwords, adding a level of security.

You might want to look at all the web browsers on your system(s) to see if they are set to store usernames/passwords and, if so, to check what details they have stored and modify them if required.

Stay Signed In

Some web sites which require a login have a tick-box to select “Stay signed in”. This does not rely on the browser remembering usernames and passwords as described above. When you sign into a web site, a unique secure token will be stored in a cookie for that site. This token identifies you and confirms that you are signed in. This token will have an expiry time, which will usually be a few minutes after you leave the site. This allows for a brief break in your internet connection without the need for you to sign in again.

If you tick the “Stay signed in” box, the expiry time of this authentication token in the cookie will be extended from a few minutes to, maybe, a couple of weeks. So, if you return to the same site within the expiry time, you won’t need to sign in again.

This can be very convenient, for example, for accessing your email on the web. But NEVER, use “Stay signed in” on a public machine or any machine other than your own. Even on your own machine, ensure there is a password/passcode required to access the machine, just in case it gets lost or stolen.

Windows 10 File History

Linda raised a query regarding the File History backup system on Windows 10. File History is a backup function built in to Windows 10. It requires an external hard drive to be connected and it will backup the main system folders (Documents, Pictures, etc) every hour (by default). It backups up just the files which have changed and it retains previous versions of those files. Linda's external hard drive appeared to be getting full. There are some changes to the settings which might help.

Go to Start, Settings, Update & Security, Backup

Here you can turn on and set up File History. If it is already set up, you can click on More options where you can change the following:-

• Adjust the frequency of backups from every 10 minutes to daily (default 1 hour).
• Adjust how long files will be retained from 1 month to Never (default Never).

Reducing how long backups are retained will, of course, influence how full the hard drive might get.

If you scroll further down this settings screen you can click on See advanced settings. This takes you to File History in Control Panel. Here, you can click on Advanced settings (on left) where you will find the above two options repeated. In addition, you can click on Clean up versions. This allows you to delete versions of files or folders which are older than a chosen period of time which can be from 1 month to 2 years.

There is a description of File History and other Windows 10 backup functions in my "Backup in Windows 10" document which you can find on the Computer Essentials tab at:-

bit.ly/rogersdocs

iCloud Photo Library/Google Photos

Linda queried why using Free up space in the Google Photos app on her iPhone resulted in a message asking if these photos should be deleted from iCloud. The Free up space function in Google photos will check that photos are safely backed up to Google Drive and then, if so, delete them from the mobile device to free space. In Linda's case, she also had iCloud Photos enabled which also synchronises photos on the phone with iCloud. Because Google deleted photos from the phone, iCloud Photos wants to sync these deletions with iCloud.

In general, it might be simpler to use just one photo/cloud syncing function, rather than both iCloud Photos and Google Photos. iCloud Photos can be disabled on the iPhone by going to:-
Settings, tap on your username, iCloud, Photos.
Here you can turn off iCloud Photos.

You will notice there is also My Photo Stream here in the Settings. This is a separate system from iCloud Photos. Photo Stream holds photos for just 30 days so they synchronise to other Apple devices with the same Apple ID.

Windows 10 Task View - Deleting Items

Margaret raised a question about Task View on Windows 10. You can read more about Task View on page 9 my Windows 10 - In-Depth Guide which you can find on the Computer Essentials tab at:-
bit.ly/rogersdocs

Clicking on the Task View icon on the Windows 10 Taskbar will show all the apps and web sites (that are Task View compatible) that you have used/visited over the last 30 days. You can right-click on an item in Task View and remove it or remove all items from that day. However, on one of Margaret's PCs, removing the item left a 'ghost image' rather than completely removing it. I have not seen or heard of this issue before. I can only suggest that this is a bug in that particular version of Windows 10.

Syncing in Edge

Margaret raised a query about syncing in Edge. Like other browsers, Edge can sync your search History, Bookmarks/Favourites and saved login credentials (as described above) to Edge on other devices, provided they are all signed in to the same account. To activate/modify this syncing process in Edge, click on the Account Circle and select Manage profile settings as shown here:-

Then click on Sync and Turn on Sync to activate.

As mentioned above, all the web browsers have an option to sign in and sync browser information between devices. This equally applies to browsers on mobile device as well as PCs. For example, you can sync between the Edge browser on your PC and the Edge browser on your iPad (which you can install from the Apple App Store).

Photos - Editing Meta Data

Brian asked about editing things like the 'Date Taken' information. In particular, when scanning old negatives taken many years ago. This information, known as metadata, is stored with the photo file. It is also called EXIF data - Exchangeable Image File Format. I don't have any personal experience of editing this metadata, but programs exist to do this. I found this site which lists 6 free tools:-
https://www.geckoandfly.com/7987/how-to-change-exif-data-date-and-camera-properties-with-free-editor/

Photo Image Quality on iPhone
Margaret mentioned that she gets better quality photos from her iPhone than from a Nikon camera. The iPhone, and other smartphones, have a very powerful processor and very clever software that can process and improve image quality. While the actual lens quality on a dedicated camera might be superior to the smartphone, the extra processing power more than makes up for that.

Next Session

Wed 22^nd July 2020 at 2pm by video conference.