Passphrase Keeper FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
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Getting Started:
Install/Uninstall/Upgrade:
Tips and Tricks:
Troubleshooting:
Security:
 How do I start using Passphrase Keeper?
1. Create a database to hold your passwords by starting Passphrase Keeper,
clicking on the "Database" menu item, and selecting "New" from that menu. Assign
a file name and password (up to 8 characters) to the new database as prompted.
2. Add password entries to the database with the "Add Entry" item on the "Edit"
menu or by clicking the toolbar "+" icon.
3. Save your database using the "Save" item on the "Database" menu.
4. Once you have entries in your database, there are several ways to copy
information from the entries in Passphrase Keeper to other programs or websites:
- The Fill-In button (first button on the toolbar) will do an automatic
copy-and-paste of the username and password fields from the selected entry in
Passphrase Keeper into the active application, whether it is a web browser or
other program. The actual sequence that Passphrase Keeper pastes in is
<username> <TAB> <password> to let it move from one field to the next in a
web-based form.
- Double-clicking on a field in a Passphrase Keeper entry will copy its
contents to the active application at the current cursor location.
- You can drag-and-drop the data from most fields in Passphrase Keeper to a
web-based form or other application.
- You can assign Hotkeys to fill in the username, password, or both.
- Finally, you can right-click on a field in a Passphrase Keeper entry and
select "Copy" from the pop-up menu, and then paste that information into
another application.
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How do I have Passphrase Keeper
create a password for an entry?
You can have Passphrase Keeper create a password for you when creating or
editing an entry. First, set the length of the password you want Passphrase
Keeper to create, and then simply click the button marked "..." to have
Passphrase Keeper create the password. You can click the "Reveal Password"
button to view the password.
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How
do I install Passphrase Keeper?
If you have downloaded pkeeper.zip:
Open the pkeeper.zip
archive you downloaded (you will need a program that can handle ZIP archives,
such as Winzip. You can get it at www.winzip.com),
double-click the file ppksetup.exe and follow the on-screen instructions.
If you have downloaded ppksetup.exe:
Double-click the file ppksetup.exe and follow the on-screen instructions.
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How
do I uninstall Passphrase Keeper?
Exit Passphrase Keeper completely using the "Exit" item on the Database
menu, and then:
Click Start, point to Programs,
point to Passphrase Keeper, and then click Uninstall.
OR
Click Start, point to Settings,
click Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, select
Passphrase
Keeper on the list, and then click Add/Remove button.
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How
do I upgrade Passphrase Keeper?
- Download the new version. The setup program is now an executable
file, ppksetup.exe. (Some download sites are still using the .zip
format file, pkeeper.zip. If you download from one of those sites, you will
need a program that can handle ZIP archives, such as
WinZip.)
- (Optional) Exit Passphrase Keeper (don't just minimize it), and then
uninstall it. If you skip this step, the installation program will now
prompt you to close Passphrase Keeper before continuing, and will simply
install over your older version.
- Open the folder containing the setup file for the new version,
double-click ppksetup.exe, and follow the on-screen instructions.
(If you downloaded pkeeper.zip, you will need to un-zip it first.)
- When you run Passphrase Keeper you may be prompted to purchase or
enter a registration key. If you have received your new key, click the
"Enter Key" button and enter it; otherwise, click "OK" and continue to run
Passphrase Keeper. You will be able to run Passphrase Keeper for up to 30
days before entering your new key. (See "I have just installed Passphrase Keeper, how do I enter my registration key?
" below for details.)
If you are upgrading from version 2.55 or newer and have successfully
entered your username and key for that version, Passphrase Keeper will
detect the existing key and won't prompt you to enter it again.
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Where do I get the latest version?
You can download it
here,
here, and at many
shareware download sites.
Trial and licensed users download the same file, there is no specific version
for each type of user. The only difference is that licensed users have
entered their registration key that removes the trial restrictions. Licensing
details will be preserved during the installation.
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Can I use Passphrase Keeper on more
than one computer?
Yes, as long as only one copy of Passphrase
Keeper is being used at a time. If more than one person has Passphrase Keeper
running at the same time, you need to obtain a separate license for each person.
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What's new?
New in version 2.70:
- The registered version can now be run entirely from a flash drive or other
removable storage device, allowing you to carry your important account
information with you wherever you go.
- Database entries can now hold passwords up to 4096 characters in length.
(Note that the password used to create and open the database itself is still
limited to 8 characters to comply with U.S. encryption export regulations.)
- Option to allow databases to be created and opened without prompting for a
password.
- Option to keep the Passphrase Keeper window on top of all others on the
Desktop.
Important Upgrade Information:
64-bit (8 character) passwords enforced:
As of version 2.55, Passphrase Keeper will no longer allow the use of passwords
longer than 8 characters (for its own database only - the passwords you store IN
the database can be of any length). If you are using a longer password, you must change
the password to one that is 8 characters or shorter before upgrading to 2.55.
New registration key required if upgrading from 2.50 or
older:
If you are upgrading from version 2.50 (or
older), you need a new registration key. Just send a copy of the original purchase confirmation email, which
contains your registration information and registration key, to
support@swidgets.com and we will email you a new key. If you no longer have your original confirmation
email, send email explaining the situation and including the email address used
to register, your registration key if you have it, and the site you purchased
from (such as Regsoft.com or Panicware.com). In either case, please include your
first name, last name, and the email address you would like your registration
information sent to! You only need
to do this once - your new key will unlock all version 2.x updates unless you
are notified otherwise.
As of version 2.42, Passphrase Keeper is now limited to 64-bit (8 character) passwords FOR ITS
OWN DATABASES ONLY (i.e. for the password to protect and encrypt your
Passphrase Keeper databases). You may still store longer passwords in the
"Password" field of each entry.
If you have databases created with an older version of Passphrase Keeper, you
can still open them using version 2.42; however, you will not be able to change
the password to anything longer than 8 characters.
IMPORTANT! Once you edit or save a database with version 2.42, you will not
be able to open it in any older version!
This change was made to comply with U.S. export requirements governing products
using encryption.
Version 2.43 includes a minor bugfix to prevent Access
Violations if the Passphrase Keeper tray icon is double-clicked with no database
open.
Version 2.50 fixes a bug sorting columns with some Windows regional date
settings.
Version 2.50 adds the option to make rows double-height.
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How can I safely
store my credit card information in Passphrase Keeper?
Passphrase Keeper doesn't have a specific "credit
card number" field, but you can keep this number safe and secure by storing it
in the "Password" field. You can drag it, assign a hotkey, hide it or reveal it
just as with any password. Store the name on the card in the "User name" field,
the credit card company's website in the "Web site" field, and notes in the
"Notes" field.
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How can I change the width of the
columns?
You can change the width of the columns in Passphrase Keeper just as in most
Windows programs, by left-clicking on the column separator and holding down the
left mouse button while you drag to resize the column.
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How can I run
Passphrase Keeper from a USB flash drive?
Once Passphrase Keeper is installed and registered on your PC, simply copy the
Passphrase Keeper folder (by default, C:\Program Files\Passphrase Keeper) and
any databases you want to take with you to your USB flash drive. That's
it! You can now run Passphrase Keeper by double-clicking the Passphrase Keeper
program in its folder on your flash drive.
If you like, you can even install Passphrase Keeper directly to your flash
drive, but then it will only be available on your PC when the flash drive is
connected.
Remember, your Passphrase Keeper license allows you to run the program from more
than one PC as long as you are only using it on one PC at a time. We only ask
that you don't share your registration key with others or install the program
for others to use without buying a copy of the program for them - and we thank
you for your support!
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I have
just installed Passphrase Keeper, how do I enter my registration key?
Versions prior to 2.55:
Click Register on the Help
menu and copy/paste the key into the edit box. (Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V
to paste).
Versions 2.55 and later:
You will be prompted for your registration key each time you start Passphrase
Keeper in evaluation mode:
Click on the "Enter Key" button to get to the screen where you can enter your
username and registration key:
You must enter your name and key exactly as shown in the email you
receive with this information. You may want to copy and paste the information
from the email. Whether you type in the information or copy and paste, make sure
there are no spaces before or after either your username or registration key.
Entering your registration key will permanently
unlock Passphrase Keeper and turn off the registration key prompt when you start
the program.
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I’ve
forgotten my master password.
There is no way to retrieve
the data in a .pk database without the master password. Please remember the
password you assign to the database.
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My
password won’t open my database!
The master password you assign is
case-sensitive. The following passwords are all unique:
x78rg5wd
x78rG5wd
X78RG5WD
Check the CapsLock key (when the
CapsLock is active, you type all letters as capital letters)
As of version 2.55, Passphrase Keeper will no longer allow the use of
passwords longer than 8 characters (for its own database only - the passwords
you store IN the database can still be of any length). If you are using a longer password, you must
change the password to one that is 8 characters or shorter before upgrading to
2.55. If you have already upgraded to version 2.55, you can change to a shorter
password as follows:
- uninstall Passphrase Keeper version 2.55
- install the version you were using previously
- change the password to one that is 8 characters or shorter
- uninstall the older version of Passphrase Keeper and reinstall version
2.55
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How do
I sort my list of entries?
Click the appropriate column header.
For example, to sort the database by Title, click the Title column header.
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Help!
My database is corrupt.
If you think you have a corrupt
database try to open the backup copy. If you can successfully open the
backup copy use the Database | Save As... menu command to rewrite
the database using the original database name.
Passphrase Keeper will make a backup
copy of your .pk database by default. I strongly recommend that you leave
this option checked.
To make certain this option is enabled,
click the Options toolbar button and select the Make backup copies
check box. You can optionally specify a backup folder if you do not want
the backup database to be created in the same folder as the original .pk
database.
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Uninstalling
and reinstalling Passphrase Keeper fails with "Error 5".
This error occurs when you have Passphrase Keeper running
when you uninstall it and also when you reinstall it. In that situation you will
receive Error 5 because Passphrase Keeper is open and some files can't be
overwritten. The solution is to exit Passphrase Keeper before reinstalling;
even if Passphrase Keeper was open while uninstalling, this will allow the new
installation to overwrite the old one.
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Will
Passphrase Keeper work with Windows XP?
Yes, Passphrase Keeper works with
Windows XP as well as Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Millennium. Note that for
Windows NT/2000/XP your login account must have administrator privileges.
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Is
Passphrase Keeper Year 2000 Compliant?
Yes, Passphrase Keeper is fully
Y2K compliant.
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I upgraded, and now the "Stay On Top"
feature is gone. This feature
was removed from Passphrase Keeper as of version 2.40 due to reported problems.
It is back as of version 2.70, though!
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I double-click on the "Web site"
field, but nothing happens.
Turn off the "Always launch URL in a new browser window" option (under the
Database | Options menu option, on the General tab). Open your browser and then
in Passphrase Keeper double-click on the "Web site" field again. If this works,
leave the "Always launch URL in a new browser window" unchecked. This is
actually a Windows issue, but this workaround should let you use Passphrase
Keeper with your browser.
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Can I keep my
encrypted passwords on an external hard drive or on a disk so that I can have it
disconnected from my system while I am on line? Just for extra security.
You can keep your passwords on any drive you
wish. Just move the file with the 'pk' extension to a new drive and open it (by
default the databases are stored in the '...\My Documents\Passphrase Keeper'
folder). You might also want to change your Backup folder (on the Database menu,
click Options).
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Does your program have
any back-doors?
Absolutely not. Passphrase Keeper doesn't send any
hidden information, nor does it act as a host for incoming connections. You can verify this
for yourself by using a packet-sniffing or traffic-logging program such as
Ethereal, Analyzer, AtomicLog, or others.
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