The Password Problem

proxygo · Mar 8, 2026

Ben Arthur said:
That’s actually a pretty disciplined setup. Keeping multiple backups on USB drives is a good way to avoid losing everything if one device fails.

Having copies of your passwords and bookmarks going back to 2015 shows you’ve been thinking about backup and control for a long time. As long as those drives are stored safely, that method can work well too.

the drives are behind me in a mug in my book case
having 4 thumb drive back ups is a good idea

Ben Arthur · Mar 8, 2026

proxygo said:
the drives are behind me in a mug in my book case
having 4 thumb drive back ups is a good idea

That’s smart. Keeping them together in a safe spot like that makes them easy to manage but still out of the way.

Having four separate backups is definitely overkill in a good way. If one fails, you still have plenty of spares.

iwin88lat said:
You’re definitely not the only one. Managing dozens of accounts and tools makes it almost inevitable password managers have been a lifesaver for that.

Exactly. Once you start juggling so many accounts and tools, it’s impossible to remember everything. A good password manager really does save a lot of time and headaches.

SirTop · Mar 8, 2026

Never really had to use “Forgot password.”

Most of the time after I create an account, I save the password to Chrome’s password manager.

So for me, I don’t really have this issue

bixby1 · Mar 9, 2026

Try again

lucas999 · Mar 9, 2026

That happen to me right now

proxygo · Mar 9, 2026

Ben Arthur said:
That’s smart. Keeping them together in a safe spot like that makes them easy to manage but still out of the way.
Having four separate backups is definitely overkill in a good way. If one fails, you still have plenty of spares.

cant be to careful and backing up a password txt file
and a bookmark file, there not big files .

Ben Arthur · Mar 9, 2026

SirTop said:
Never really had to use “Forgot password.”

Most of the time after I create an account, I save the password to Chrome’s password manager.

So for me, I don’t really have this issue

That makes sense. If everything is saved automatically in Chrome, it definitely cuts down on the “forgot password” moments.

The only risk is if something happens to your browser or account, but otherwise, it’s a pretty hassle-free approach.

bixby1 said:
Try again

Lucky you

Having Chrome save everything definitely makes life easier. I just hope it keeps working smoothly because that’s when the real panic hits.

Morgan11 said:
That happen to me right now

Ouch

That’s exactly the moment you realize relying on just one place can backfire. Hope you were able to recover everything without too much trouble.

proxygo said:
cant be to careful and backing up a password txt file
and a bookmark file, there not big files .

Absolutely. A simple backup like that is low effort but can save a lot of headaches.

Since the files are small, there’s really no downside to keeping multiple copies.

tazarbm · Mar 9, 2026

Ben Arthur said:
Tell me I’m not the only one.

you're not the only one (seriously!) But I'm also not like that anymore either

I have jotted down in a .TXT file all of the login credentials of all of the websites and accounts that I frequent / have, and I keep this file opened at all times whenever I power the PC on (well, I never shut it down anyway, so it's basically always on...) and when I need a password for whichever site I simply copy-paste it from there, I have organized all of my stuff into categories for easier management, like..

forums (BHW, Tom's Hardware, etc)
payment gateways (Paypal, ING, etc)
affiliate networks (Clickbank, CJ.com, etc)
Hosting + Domains (Namecheap, Namesilo, etc.)
Miscellaneous

So, I'm pretty OK in this regard... unless I ever accidentally delete that file, or something bad happens to it and I can't access it anymore (God-forbid!), then I'm screwed

SilverClouds · Mar 10, 2026

Jason Starkey said:
I definitely do not trust password managers, that means you trust another software and people with your valuable keys to everything. Today it might be safe, until tomorrow there is a new method to grab your data.

Never forget things like this...

Code:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/12/14/lastpass-data-breach---insufficient-security-exposed-16-million-users/

Yeah, it's a good idea in theory but at the same time ALL your passwords are in one place, accessible from the internet - that just begs to be hacked

Ben Arthur · Mar 10, 2026

tazarbm said:
you're not the only one (seriously!) But I'm also not like that anymore either

I have jotted down in a .TXT file all of the login credentials of all of the websites and accounts that I frequent / have, and I keep this file opened at all times whenever I power the PC on (well, I never shut it down anyway, so it's basically always on...) and when I need a password for whichever site I simply copy-paste it from there, I have organized all of my stuff into categories for easier management, like..

forums (BHW, Tom's Hardware, etc)
payment gateways (Paypal, ING, etc)
affiliate networks (Clickbank, CJ.com, etc)
Hosting + Domains (Namecheap, Namesilo, etc.)
Miscellaneous

So, I'm pretty OK in this regard... unless I ever accidentally delete that file, or something bad happens to it and I can't access it anymore (God-forbid!), then I'm screwed

That system actually sounds pretty organized. Having everything sorted into categories definitely makes it easier to find what you need quickly.

The only scary part is relying on a single file. As long as you keep a backup somewhere, you should be fine. Losing that one file would definitely be a nightmare

saferidge · Mar 11, 2026

Me: types correct password

System: “Nope, wrong.”

Me: resets password to the same thing

System: “Not allowed. Can’t use previous passwords."

Internet, why you gotta do me like this?

Ben Arthur · Mar 11, 2026

saferidge said:
Me: types correct password

System: “Nope, wrong.”

Me: resets password to the same thing

System: “Not allowed. Can’t use previous passwords."

Internet, why you gotta do me like this?

Haha, that’s painfully relatable

You type the correct password three times, it still says wrong… then when you try to reset it to the same one suddenly the system recognizes it.

Sometimes it really feels like the internet is just messing with us.

vitor_003 · Mar 11, 2026

You’re definitely not alone, I think “forgot password” has basically become part of the login process at this point, especially when you’re juggling dozens of tools and accounts daily. At some point password managers stop being a luxury and start feeling like basic survival gear for anyone working online.

The Password Problem

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