It seems not a week goes by without some panic over a virus or hack attack that exploits a new Windows security leak. We may not be able to rewrite Windows XP code, but we can make the OS a bit more secure. The first step in any security plan is to protect your system with a password. Here are the ABCs (and some XYZs) of password protection in Windows XP.

Make your password difficult to crack. You already know, of course, that you should never base your password on your name, your pet goldfish's name, or even your favorite aunt's name--unless she's affectionately known as Aunt Y#Ji7_Q. Other fundamental password-creation rules aren't so obvious, however. For example, Microsoft claims that the type of encryption Windows uses makes passwords that are either 7 or 14 characters long harder to crack than passwords of other lengths. In addition, the company recommends that you use a mix of alphabetic characters, numerals, and typewriter symbols in your passwords, and specifically that you include at least one symbol in the second through sixth characters.

Give yourself a clue. Windows XP lets you create a hint to jog your memory in case you forget your password. (Note that this option works only if your computer is not part of a network domain. To check, right-click My Computer, select Properties, click the Computer Name tab, and then look for an entry for 'Domain'.)

Open Control Panel and click or double-click User Accounts, depending on your setup. If you're an administrator, choose your account name. Click Change my password or Create a password (if you don't have one). Enter your existing password (if you have one), your new password, and your password hint. Even if you're just adding hint text, you still must enter the old password in the top boxes.

Make your hint clear enough to remind you but vague enough not to reveal your password (since anyone can view your hint). When you're finished, click either Change Password or Create Password. The next time you forget your password when logging on, click the ? button to the right of the password prompt to see your hint.

Prevent forgotten passwords. If hints don't do it for you, Windows offers an alternative. (If your PC is part of a network domain, skip to the second paragraph down.)

Open Control Panel and click or double-click User Accounts, depending on your setup. If you're an administrator, click your account name and look for a link on the left that reads Prevent a forgotten password. Select it to start the Forgotten Password Wizard, which enables you to create a "password reset" disk that lets you devise a new password.

If your computer is connected to a network domain, log off and then log back on to the local computer only (this tip applies to your Windows log-on passwords, not to your domain passwords). Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and then click Change Password. Finally, click Backup to launch the Forgotten Password Wizard.

The wizard warns you that you're making a disk anyone can use to change your password and log on to your account. Follow its prompts until you've clicked Finish and completed your password reset disk. Put the disk in a safe place.

The next time you forget your password, retrieve your reset disk and log on using a random, incorrect password. When you press Enter, a dialog box or pop-up balloon will appear, depending on whether you're connected to a network domain (see FIGURE 1). Click Reset or Use your password reset disk to start the Password Reset Wizard. Follow the wizard's prompts to create a new password and hint, if you want one. Then click your account again and type the new password. You can now return your reset disk to its hiding place. No need to create a new one: This disk will work fine no matter how many times you change your password.

Seek a higher power. Even if you forget your Windows log-on password and have no password reset disk, you may be not be entirely out of luck. If your PC has an administrator account, log on to Windows using that account and reset the forgotten password for the other account. Once again, open Control Panel and click or double-click User Accounts, depending on your setup. Select the forgetful person's account and click Reset Password or Change Password (depending on whether your PC is connected to a network domain). Enter the new password twice, as indicated in the dialog box, and click OK. (Note: The Reset Password button may be disabled for users who log on to a network domain; this tip works only for Windows log-ons, not domain passwords.) Resetting Windows' password can cause you to lose others, such as the passwords for Web sites and network connections, but at least you're not shut out of your account completely.

Salute before you log on. Setting your PC so that it requires you to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete before you log on to Windows protects your computer from Trojan horse programs, which can imitate log-on screens and trick you into revealing your user name and password. Using the "three-finger salute" ensures that you see the authentic Windows log-on screen. To enable this setting for a computer connected to a network domain, log on as the administrator, open the User Accounts Control Panel as described above, and click the Advanced tab. Under Secure Logon, check the option Require users to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete. Then click OK.

If your PC is not connected to a network domain, log on as an administrator and open User Accounts. Click Change the way users log on or off. Uncheck Use the Welcome screen and click Apply Options. Users will now have to type both their account name and their password after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete. They also lose the ability to do fast user switching, but the PC will be a bit more secure.

Use the keyboard to lock your system. Going for a cup of coffee? Lunch? A meeting? Play it safe and lock your PC so that you have to enter a password to use it again. If your system is connected to a domain, simply press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and click Lock Computer. You'll have to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete again and enter your password when you return. If you're not on a domain, press Windows- L to bring up the log-on screen without closing any apps. When you come back, pick your account and enter the password.

Or lock your PC with a shortcut. If you're a mouse maven, you may want to lock your computer by double-clicking a desktop shortcut or by choosing one on your Start menu. To create a shortcut, open the folder you want to put it in, right-click inside the folder, and choose New, Shortcut. Type rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation (include a space after '.exe') and click Next. Type a name for your shortcut and click Finish. If you don't like the shortcut's look, right-click the icon and choose Properties. On the Shortcut tab, click Change Icon; then click Browse and find a file with the icon of your choice. For example, you can select the Shell32.dll folder in Windows' System32 folder, click Open, and then choose one of the key icons in this file (see FIGURE 2). Click OK twice to assign the icon to the shortcut.

Set a backup lockdown. If you think you'll forget to lock your PC when you leave it, you can have your system automatically lock when the screen saver, standby, or hibernate features come on. These settings should be on by default, but it never hurts to check: Right-click the desktop and choose Properties. Click the Screen Saver tab and choose a screen saver from the drop-down list (if needed). Specify the wait time and check On resume, display Welcome screen or On resume, password protect. Now open Control Panel. If you're using Category View, click the Performance and Maintenance icon. Click or double-click Power Options. Click the Advanced tab and make sure Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby is checked. Click OK.

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