So many passwords! Who can remember them all?

From turning on your computer and connecting to the Internet, to getting your email and getting into private sites, whether you're joining a discussion forum or a chat group, you've probably got several user identities and passwords that you use while you surf the Internet.

We can't help you sort out all your passwords, but we can help you make sense of the personal user information and passwords you use to access the Sympatico service and parts of the Sympatico site.

• help with Windows login name and password
• Sympatico User ID and password
• Passwords used on the Sympatico site
  
• Saving your password
  
• Lost or forgotten your password?

  And if you don't like your password...
  

• Changing your passwords

You might acquire many more passwords than these as you browse the Internet. Remember to write it down as soon as you get a new user name, user ID or password which you use to identify yourself whenever you're required to join, register or log in to a Web site.

Some computers require that you enter a password to log in during startup. Some people use screensavers on their computers which can be configured to require a password to regain access to their screens.

Windows users are sometimes requested to login during the startup routine. It's important to log in correctly to Windows to prevent being needlessly asked for your Sympatico password every time you connect to the Internet.

When you join the Sympatico service and set up your Sympatico software, you are given a unique User ID, email address and password, which are used every time you dial up to the Sympatico service. Your User ID is usually a mix of eight letters and numbers (like b1wxyz99). You can usually choose your email name, the part that precedes @xx.sympatico.ca. in some instances you can also choose your password of eight letters. It is usually generated automatically for you and is used both for connecting to the Sympatico service and for retrieving your email. You are reminded to record your Sympatico user information in the Getting Started with the Sympatico Service user guide (that came with your Sympatico starter kit) in case you need it at a later date.

Your personal Sympatico user information includes:
• User ID (used for dialup connection and email retrieval)
• Password (same password used for dialup connection and email retrieval)
• Personal Identifier (also called SPIN) Sympatico Personal Identification Number; sometimes required for when you call Member Services)
• email address (in the form of yourname@xx.sympatico.ca)
• Local dialup number (for modem connection to the Sympatico service)

  Your outgoing and incoming mail servers, news server and domain information depends on where you live; see the Sympatico service provider setup information page.

If you participate in any of the Sympatico discussion forums, you are encouraged to register before adding your own messages. Registering for Sympatico forums simply means that you create a forum name and a password for yourself that you then use to log in to a specific Sympatico discussion forum, such as Computer Talk.

Be careful that you do not try to use your Sympatico User ID and password for logging into Sympatico forums, or vice versa. Your login names and passwords for connecting to the Internet and getting into Sympatico Forums are not the same and are not interchangeable.

You use the same password to connect to the Sympatico service (Dialup and High Speed Edition), to log into your Sympatico provider's Customer Self-Care site, and to get your Sympatico email. But you may not like having to enter your password each time you connect and each time you want to get your email. You can configure your dialer and email software to save either or both your dialup and email passwords.

• Saving your dialup password
• Saving your email password with Netscape Communicator 4, Netscape Navigator 3, or Internet Explorer 4 and 5.

Your Sympatico email password and Sympatico dialup password are the same password. Since your Sympatico software can store your password, you may not remember what it is - but it's still used to connect to the Internet and retrieve your email.

• If you can still connect to the Internet, but have forgotten your email password, and are being prompted for it by your email software, simply type the same password you use to dialup to the Sympatico service.
• If, however, you have also forgotten your dialup password (for user privacy it appears disguised in your dialer software as "*******" symbols) your only recourse is to call Sympatico Member Services for help (310-SURF if you're a member in Ontario or Québec, except Northern Telephone and Lino Solutions members; elsewhere in Canada call 1-800-773-2121).

  It's a good idea to record your password (and User ID) in the back of your Getting Started with the Sympatico service user guide for future reference.

If you want to change your Sympatico passwords, here's how:

• Changing your Sympatico email or access password must be arranged with your local Sympatico service provider, but since they are both the same password and in some cases, also used to publish to your personal Webspace, changing them may not be permitted. See Can I change my email password?
  
• Changing your Sympatico forums password can be done on the Sympatico forums site, but you have to log in to one of the forums first.
• Changing your Sympatico password (used to Sign in to the Sympatico home page, Tripod.ca) can be done on the Sympatico home page.