Q. This is a safety hint, rather than a response to a specific question.

A. You have probably grown used to reading in computer news how such-and-such a big site has been hacked and all of its usernames and passwords stolen. It may not seem terribly important, after all most sites don't store any financial information. But hackers know that most people use the same username and password for different websites. John Smith very likely uses the same password for his Yahoo! email account that he does for his PayPal account. Minutes after breaking into Smith's email account, the hackers could use PayPal to empty his bank account. Each site you use should have a different password or, at the very least, you should use a different password for each site with access to your financial information. Protecting your online accounts is extremely important!

Q. I want to be able to store all of my passwords, and personal data, securely on my Windows computer. Do you have any suggestions?

A. There are a number of options for storing passwords and personal data on a computer. The one that I recommend is the free KeyWallet, which uses good quality encryption, and for which you create a master password. Make sure that the master password is at least eight characters and includes numbers and both upper and lower case letters.

Q. I am unable to make some changes, such as install certain programs, on my Windows PC because it asks for the Administrator Password, which I either never knew, or cannot remember. Is it possible to get around this?

A. As part of installing and setting up Windows, the operating system requires you to create a password-protected administrator account. Typically this has been done by the manufacturer before you receive the PC, and you are not told the password. When you first use the PC it prompts you to create a standard user account which, even if you select the administration type of account, is not  the PC's actual primary administration account. This is all very confusing, for which apologies, but it means that many people find themselves in this position. Anyway, yes, there is something that can be done. Go to http://www.lazesoft.com and download the free Lazesoft Recover My Password. Install the program and load a blank disc, or insert a USB flash drive/stick, and follow the instructions. As the website advises, doing this to your own PC is fine, but don't do it to someone else's without their permission!