Windstream Communications provides phone and internet services throughout portions of the Atlantic seaboard of the United State. When you sign up for an account with Windstream, the company should provide you with a username and password to access and modify your Windstream account and any services offered by Windstream, such as e-mail.

If you experience problems with your username and password, you can contact Windstream customer service directly. They have several help numbers, depending on what username and password you need assistance with.

• If you need help with your actual internet connection, with your e-mail, or with any personal Web pages hosted by Windstream, call 888-292-3827. (This is a toll-free number.)
• If you need help with any of Windstream’s internet services for business, call 800-316-4581. (This is a toll-free number.)
• For help with any other issue, call the Windstream Help Desk at 800-990-4449.

You can also access online support information at http://www.windstream.com/support/

One common task at many websites is the requirement to “sign in” in some way. Not all websites require signing in, but some do, and it is becoming more common. Signing in may provide additional features or may give you access to information that the general public doesn’t have.

Different websites have different requirements when it comes to signing in. Most require (at a minimum) a username and password. Some sites require other things. For instance, my bank also requires that I provide a bit of account information besides the username and password. Whatever the requirements, the items you need to sign in are known as credentials—they establish your authority to access whatever features or information is provided to site members.

To sign in, look for a small form that allows you to enter a username or a username and password. This form could appear most anywhere on a page. For instance, here are two examples from online banking sites:

Some sites don’t provide forms on the main page. Instead they provide a link to a sign-in page. Look for links that use the words “Sign In” or “Log In.” Click these and you can then provide your credentials. Here’s an example of such a link on Yahoo!:

If you don’t have an account with a website and you want to sign in, look for information that uses keywords such as “setting up an account” or “joining” or “become a member.” These will generally lead to more specific information that you’ll find helpful in establishing your own account.

Did you forget the username and password for your Linksys wireless router? Chances are good that the username and password for the router have not been changed from their defaults. (People, for one reason or another, seldom change the default login information for wireless routers. Why? I have no idea.) Here are some of the defaults used on various Linksys routers. Give them a try:

Notice that most of the default usernames and passwords are consistent—there is no username and the password is admin. This is not the case for all models, however. In some cases the username and password are both admin.

Of course, you need to connect to the router’s web interface before you can login. See our article on figuring out the wireless router’s IP address for more information.

Most routers available on the market these days allow you to configure the router by using a normal web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. You simply “point” the browser to the IP address that is used by the router and then you can make any configuration changes you desire.  The problem is figuring out which IP address to use.

The best thing to do is to dig out the documentation provided with the router and see what IP address it provides. If the documentation isn’t available (and you cannot, for some reason, download it from the Internet) then you can gratefully check several default IP addresses used by routers. In order, you should check the following IP addresses:

• 10.0.1.1
• 192.168.0.1
• 192.168.1.1
• 192.168.2.1
• 192.168.123.254
• 192.168.2.1

You can use these addresses by entering “http://” followed by the IP address. For instance, you could enter the following address into your browser:

http://192.168.0.1

Of course, these are just the common configuration IP addresses. Assuming you are connected to the router using a PC, you could display a command prompt window and use the IPCONFIG command to determine the IP address you need to use, as shown here:

The IPCONFIG command displays, among other things, the default gateway address.

Note that the IP address you should use in your browser is returned by the IPCONFIG command as the “Default Gateway” address.

When you find the correct IP address, make sure you jot it down for future reference. When you successfully connect to your router, your browser will typically display some sort of welcome screen or some sort of login screen.

It is a no-brainer that “password” is not a good password. Anything that can be easily guessed is, obviously, a bad password. But what makes a good password? What characteristics make for what people call a “strong” password?

In general, most security experts agree that the following represents a good start towards a good password:

• Your password is at least eight characters long.
• Your password does not contain your name or the names of family members, friends, the company you work for, or any groups to which you belong.
• Your password does not contain easily identifiable number sequences, such as your address or birth date.

In addition, you can make your password even stronger by making sure it includes one or more of these characteristics:

• Your password contains a mix of lowercase and uppercase letters.
• Your password includes at least one digit and one special character (such as a period, dollar sign, underscore, or the like).
• Your password does not contain any complete words that may appear in a comprehensive dictionary.

See! Figuring out a good password isn’t all that hard. Basically, anything you can do to make your password harder for others to guess makes it stronger and, therefore, more secure.

Got that great, sexy Mac, but need to change the password for your user account so others can’t get into your great, sexy Mac? (Or, perhaps, so that you can get into your own Mac just a bit easier?) Changing the password for a Mac user account just takes a few steps to accomplish. Assuming you are logged in, follow these steps:

1. Click the Apple icon on the menu bar.
2. Click System Preferences. The System Preferences dialog is displayed.
3. In the System group click Accounts. The dialog box now looks like this:


The Accounts dialog box

4. In the list of accounts at the left of the dialog box, click the account whose password you want to change.
5. Click Change Password. You’ll see a drop-down box appear.
6. Enter your old password.
7. Enter your new password.
8. Verify your new password.
9. Provide a password hint (recommended, but not mandatory.
10. Click Change Password.
11. Close the System Preferences dialog box.