Winbook XL2, User Manual

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This aggressive form of password protection can be used to limit access to
your system and files. If this password is set to always activate, it will
restrict the computer from booting unless your password is provided. It
will not, however, protect your data if the drive is removed and placed into
another machine. See above for information about setting this password.
Windows 98 passwords: These are designed primarily to distinguish
between multiple users of a machine and to load that user’s preferences. It
does not offer any significant protection of your data. The password screen
can be bypassed by pressing the [Esc] key, loading Windows 98 and allow-
ing access to all of your files.
Screen saver password: If you use a screen saver in Windows 98, you
can set the system to require a password to resume normal functioning.
This can be used to protect your current session from a casual observer, but
it does not provide any substantial security.
Network/ISP passwords: These passwords are used to restrict use of your
network or modem connection. Although many programs, including
Windows 98’s Dial-up Networking, allow you to store these passwords so
that you will not have to enter them every time you connect, you should
consider how secure your environment is before storing such passwords.
If you work in a sensitive environment, you might want to clear lists of
recently used documents or recently visited web sites. There are tools
included on the Windows 98 CD that provide such protection. Check
Windows 98 documentation for information about such features.
Encryption
Since passwords listed above will not protect your system from an aggressive
attempt to gain access to your files, you might want to consider looking into
file encryption for sensitive files. Encryption software is readily available
and can provide a much stronger set of protections for your data.
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User’s Manual