In my last column I explained how to backup your Pocket PC (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/Jul01/underhood.stm). A current backup insures that you have a current copy of your data in the event that your Pocket PC is lost or stolen. However, the backup does not prevent the wrong person from seeing the data on your Pocket PC. Like any computer, or for that matter, paper planner, sensitive information can be exposed if it is not secured. In this column I will show several ways to secure information on your Pocket PC.
Turn on password protection
The simplest way to secure your Pocket PC is to turn on the device password. When this feature is enabled, you are prompted to enter a password every time you turn on the Pocket PC. To turn on a Pocket PC's password protection, tap Start > Settings > Password. You are presented with a numeric keypad (see Screen 1), which you use to create a four-digit password much like the PIN used with an ATM card. After you create the password tap the check box next to "Require password when device is turned on" and then tap "OK." When you turn on the Pocket PC you see a keypad and a prompt to enter your 4-digit PIN to access the device. The numbers of the keypad are large enough so that you can tap them using a finger. As soon as the correct digits are entered youare provided access to the device. If you enter the wrong digits a message box displays, telling you to re-type your password. At this point, you need to tap OK to return to the keypad.
Screen 1: The Pocket PC's Password protection feature presents you with a numeric keypad, which you use to create a four-digit password.
Security experts consider a four-digit pin to be a very weak password. After all, you only need to enter 5,040 combinations to hack your way through the password, provided you have the time to enter that many combinations on the screen. Microsoft uses time as a way to make this four-digit pin more secure. If you try entering the wrong password over and over again, you will notice that each time you tap "OK" to clear the Password Incorrect message box it stays on the screen longer. In fact, the amount of time approximately doubles each time you tap "OK," making it very difficult to actually enter all 5,040 combinations.
To conserve power, Windows Powered devices are set up to "time out" after a short period of inactivity. This reduces power to the screen and CPU to conserve the batteries. If you have the password feature enabled, you have to enter the password to use the Pocket PC after each time out. The Power utility (Start > Settings > System > Power) lets you set the amount of inactive time before time out. You can set it to from one to five minutes, or deactivate the time out feature completely. If you find yourself constantly entering your password, you might want to increase the amount of time before timeout. However, I do not recommend deactivating timeout—it will put a greater draw on your batteries.
Hewlett-Packard Pocket PCs and the newer HP Jornada 720 Handheld PC 2000 come with "HP Security," a replacement to the built-in password protection utility found on other Handheld and Pocket PCs. HP Security deals with the problem of having to continually reenter a password. It adds a feature that delays the activation of the password after a timeout. For example, if you set this feature for 15 minutes, then every time you turn off your Windows Powered device, or it times out, you can turn it back on again for up for 15 minutes, without having to enter the password.
To set, change, or activate the password on a Jornada Pocket PC, tap Start > Settings > HP Security; on a Jornada 720 H/PC 2000, tap Start > Settings > Control Panel > HP Security. The HP Security screen on a Pocket PC looks very similar to the built-in password screen on other Pocket PCs. The HP Security screen on the Jornada 720 looks very different (see Screen 2). However, both screens have a checkbox labeled "Delay (password) activation after suspend for:" Check this box, and enter the number of minutes you want the password feature delayed (default is 15 minutes). Then tap "OK."
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