Backup Robo Form data

After using Robo Form for a while, the passcards list tends to increase and also safenotes, identities or bookmarks. So, if something would happen to your hard drive it would be pitty to lose the Robo Form data. Thus, backing up your data is important. For this tutorial I backed up on the same hard drive, but I recommend backing up to an external hard disk or USB drive (in an encrypted form).

First step in backing up is opening the Options page. Either from the Robo Form tray icon or the RoboForm button in your browser toolbar, click on Options:



Once that Options window is opened, click on the User Data tab. From those buttons click on Backup... to start the backup wizard, just like you see below.



What will happen next is that you'll get a window to browse to a folder where you want to backup your data. For better handling just create a new folder and name it in a manner that will allow you to remember what it contains (for instance Robo_Form_backup_01012006). What Robo Form does is a mirror backup, meaning an exact copy of the data. It would be great if they would integrate incremental backup and automatic folder naming.



Once you click on the Ok button, you'll get a confirmation window asking you to confirm the files transfer. Click on Ok to start the actual backup process.



If everything went well you will get a Backup Complete message. Click Ok to close it.



Of course the wisest thing would be to also manually check if everything went well and that you have your Robo Form data backed up. For that open Windows Explorer (or Total Commander) and go to the folder you created for this backup. You should see a list with files having the extensions: .rfp (roboform passcard), .rfn (roboform safenotes), .rft (roboform identities) and .rfo (roboform options files):



That's about it. If you have questions send an email to spuby2000@gmail.com and I'll try to answer it.

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.4
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.4

Robo Form 6.6.4 and search box tips

Robo Form 6.6.4 was recently released. On their news section there aren't any new changes added so I suppose this was only a maintenance release (they fixed some minor bugs). You can download this version here: Robo Form 6.6.4

Robo Form searchbox is an easy way to search several search engines without opening them directly. First of all, it will detect when you do a search on Google for instance, and pop-up a window to announce you that an easier way is to use the Robo Form search box.



So, if you write some text down in the Robo Form search box, you can press Enter to perform that search. The only thing is that when first used, this has Yahoo selected as the main search engine and also searches in your Robo Form 6.6.4 data for similar names.



So, if you want to change the default search engine to a more popular one (Google), either click on that Customize Search Box link or go to Robo Form Options->Search. In here you can change the main search engine by selecting Google. If you want to keep more search engines, use the Move Up button to move the search engine that you use more first, and also select the other ones that you want (you can choose yahoo, msn, ebay ...). The thing is that if you have more selected, when you'll enter a search query and press Enter, you will use the first one in list (except if you press the assigned keyboard button).



You also have the option to add a new search engine to that list. Also, your search history will be kept (by default the last 28 queries).

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.4
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.4

Robo Form integration and interface

As stated on their website, Robo Form works best with IE 5.0, IE 5.5 and IE 6.0. IE6 is the recommended browser to use with Robo Form. Latest Service Packs and Security Patches must be installed for all IE browsers.
I use it mainly with Maxthon, a popular browser that uses the IE core, thus the integration is similar to the IE one, meaning you get a "genuine" Robo Form toolbar.



The most used button (by me) is the Logins button. Because instead of browsing to Yahoo for instance, I just click on Logins and select Yahoo and it will automatically go to the website and fill in the login details. So it works as a combination of bookmark and password manager. When you visit websites that you have saved login details for, you'll see the Passcards button automatically displaying the login details that you saved previously for it. If the page is new, usually after you enter the login details on the page and click on Submit (example), Robo Form will pop-up a window asking if you want to save the passcard.

Back to the Robo Form toolbar that is integrated in the browser, if you right click on the RoboForm button, you get a menu to further customize the way Robo Form behaves.



Robo Form installs also a tray icon. Right clicking on that you get about the same option, except that you also have the option to Show Toolbar, in case it's not integrated already on the browser. While the browser toolbar fills in information on webpages you visit, the Robo Form tray icon remembers and fills in the information if the toolbar is disabled.



The Robo Form toolbar is customizable. Just right click on it and you will be able choose the way buttons are displayed (with or without text) and to customize the buttons that appear. Thus, if you don't want to have a crowded toolbar you can only keep your most used buttons:



To have a button removed from the toolbar, select it from the Current Toolbar Buttons and click on Remove. In the same manner, add buttons to the toolbar by selecting them in the left window and clicking on Add. Reset brings you to the default options.

Still on the integration and appearance of Robo Form, you can install and use it in several languages: English, Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (BR), Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian. Just visit their Languages page and click on the appropriate link.

Robo Form has also an auto-update option, and automatically monitors their web site for new versions and it will offer you the option of upgrading when a new version is released.

Robo Form integrates also in the popular FireFox and in the Avant browser. Pitty that it doesn't integrate in Opera and Safari (Apple). Other important browsers supported by Robo Form: AOL, MSN, Mozilla, FireFox, Netscape, Avant, MaxThon, NetCaptor, Slim. To be able to integrate it into some of these browsers (like FireFox), you need to download and install an additional universal adapter.

Of course this means you have to have the main Robo Form application installed.
Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

Robo Form Freeware vs Trial vs Pro

Robo Form has a freeware and a paid version too (called Robo Form Pro). Now, when you first download and install Robo Form you actually have installed the professional version, and have a 30 day trial version. After those 30 days, you will be able to either pay and upgrade to Robo Form Pro, or don't pay and use the freeware version.

So what differences are between these editions? Here is a list of features for each edition:

Robo Form 30-day trial:

• Business/Government Use: Allowed


• Number of Passcards: Unlimited


• Number of Identities: Unlimited


• Tab Instances in Identity: Limited to 3


• Custom Fields in Identity: Limited to 3


• Support: Online Only

Robo Form Freeware:

• Business/Government Use: Not Allowed


• Number of Passcards: Limited to 10


• Number of Identities: Limited to 2


• Tab Instances in Identity: Limited to 3


• Custom Fields in Identity: Limited to 3


• Support: Online Only

Robo Form Professional:

• Business/Government Use: Allowed


• Number of Passcards: Unlimited


• Number of Identities: Unlimited


• Tab Instances in Identity: Unlimited


• Custom Fields in Identity: Unlimited


• Support: Online Only

So, the bad part is that after the 30 days you are only allowed to have 10 passcards and 2 identities. So if with the trial you stored more than 10 passcards, now a window will prompt you to either upgrade to the professional version or delete some of the passcards. Same with identities.
Another thing is the business/government use prohibition. Good is that they don't say anything about educational use, so that's free too.

The professional version costs $29.95, but I've found out how you can get a $10 discount on Robo Form Professional, down to $19.95, if you have less than $20,000 income per year. This is their statement:
You can claim a US$ 10.00 discount if your 2005 income is less than US$ 20000.00. To claim the discount enter SNC into the Discount Code field and click Update button. By claiming the SNC discount you certify that your 2005 income was less than US$ 20000.00 and you agree to send to Siber Systems documents that verify your income, if requested.



Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

Robo Form Security and Encryption

Robo Form has the option to password protect passcards, identities and safenotes. It can also logg off automatically after a certain time (or when the screensaver starts), empty the clipboard and set a dual password (this is nice).



Features of the security and encryption option in Robo Form:

• Strong Encryption Algorithms Used. Robo Form uses: AES (128-256 bit keys), Blowfish (256 bit key), RC6 (256 bit key), 3-DES (64 bit key) and 1-DES (64 bit key). AES key length depends on Master Password key length: 128 bit for MP less than 32 chars, 192 bit for MP from 32 to 47 chars, 256 bit for MP 48 chars or longer.


• Encryption by Master Password. You can protect all your Identities and Passcards with the Master Password thus making them inaccessible to unauthorized users and unreadable by hackers even if they are stolen.


• Master Password Caching. Once you enter Master Password, it is kept in memory, so that you do not have to reenter it for every passcard. Logoff command purges cached password from memory.


• Defeats Keyloggers. When Robo Form enters the saved password into form fields, it is not typing them through keyboard, so if a keylogger is installed on your computer and it is monitoring keyboard events for passwords, it will get no keyboard clicks when you use Robo Form to enter passwords.


• Auto-Logoff. You can ask Robo Form to purge cached Master Password from memory after a specified period of inactivity.


• Change Master Password. You can ask Robo Form to reprotect all passcards with the new Master Password. Also password protection can be removed or added to all passcards.

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

Robo Form Password Generator

Robo Form has a password generator that gives you the option to easily create and use strong secured passwords.
The Robo Form toolbar has by default a Generate button that once pressed it generates automatically a random secured password.



Checking the Copy Generated Password to clipboard will automatically copy the password in the clipboard and you can use the Paste option to use it. If that's not checked pressing the Copy button will do the same thing. The Fill button will paste the password in a field if the current opened page contains this.

Other options:

• Generate random password of any length, up to 512 characters


• Specify set of characters to appear in the password, including special characters


• Option to exclude similar characters


• Option to generate hexadecimal passwords


• Password bit strength indicator


• Option to set a minimal number of digits

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

Robo Form Safenotes and Bookmarks

Robo Form Safenotes are a good way to store senzitive data in a quick manner. It's like writing important details in notepad and having the option to password protect it.
You can create separate folders in different categories where you can store your safenotes. When creating a Safenote remember to click the Create In button to define in which folder it will be stored and also to mark Password Protect if you want the note to be accessible only by the password owner:



After pressing Ok the Safenote Editor will open where you enter the actual data you want to be stored:



Features:

• Save Secret Text Data to Safenotes. You can store offline data in Robo Form Safenotes that are encrypted by your Master Password. Examples of things to store in SafeNotes: software registration codes, ATM (cash machine), passwords, lock combinations, UNIX command line logins.


• Use Safenotes as extended Clipboard. You can store non-secret texts such as standard replies to emails in Safenotes too. Each Safenote can be individually password-protected or not.

You can also save and manage web bookmarks (internet favorites) with Robo Form. Bookmarks options:

• Save Bookmark. Every page with forms can be saved as Passcard or Bookmark. Bookmark is a passcard without form fields that contains a text comment on the site.


• Go to Bookmark. Select bookmark from Logins menu and Robo Form will navigate your browser to it.

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

AI.Roboform.v6.6.3-TE

If you find on some websites a file called AI.Roboform.v6.6.3-TE you are strongly advised not to download it, not to mention installing that onto your computer.
It is not an official Robo Form release from Siber Systems, it is a version modified by crackers. If you download and install that file, you are assuming a lot of risks:

• sometimes these files contain a little "present" from the crackers, such as a trojan horse that gives them access to your computer


• this is a modified file by crackers, thus it will have problems running correctly


• this type of file is illegal to download and install

If you are looking for an official Robo Form release, visit their main site and download it: Roboform.com
Robo Form has also a free version, thus assuming all the above mentioned risks it's not justified. Just visit their website and download a legal version instead.

Robo Form Identities

Robo Form is able to store identity information too. This is useful when you visit for instance sweepstakes websites, or when you are completing long registration forms or checkout forms. You can create multiple identities each containing information and custom fields that apply for a certain category of websites. For instance, you can have a identity called Sweepstakes where you have information that is required to be entered when you participate in a contest (your address, name, email, phone etc.). And a more Private identity where you also store your credit card information (you can use this identity for online shopping).
The information can be easily edited using the Identity editor shown below:



Robo Form Identities are most useful when filling long forms. Features:

• Quality Artificial Intelligence. Robo Form is really smart in filling in forms; it is the most precise form filler on the market. It uses Artificial Intelligence techniques to achieve this kind of precision.


• Not Limited Only to Forms it Knows in Advance. Robo Form can read and fill any form, even a form that it has never seen before. This is because Robo Form does what humans do when they fill a form - it parses the form, "understands" it and makes field filling decisions.


• Multiple Identities. You can have many Identities and you can easily switch between them. Your identities do not have to be real persons. Use fake identities to preserve your privacy.


• Contact: a Small Identity. Contact is a small Identity that usually is not offered for form filling. You can use Contacts to create your own Address Book, with folder tree structure.


• Multiple Credit Cards, Addresses, even Persons in Each Identity. Every group of fields found in Identity (Credit Card, Address, Bank Account, Person) can have multiple instances. That is, you can have several credit cards, addresses and persons (usually members of one group) in one Identity.


• Selective Form Filling. You can ask Robo Form to fill just a part of your form, rather than the complete form. Simply select (highlight) the fields that you want Robo Form to fill and click any form filling button - only the selected fields will be filled.


• Filling Selection and Radio Button Fields. Robo Form correctly fills selection fields presented as drop-down lists of items. Example: if you car expiration date is in February, Robo Form will select "Feb" or "February" or even "02" in the field. It handles radio buttons in a similar fashion.


• Filling Partitioned Fields. Robo Form also fills out fields that are divided into several sub-fields. Example: the "Phone Number" field could be in 3 fields of 3+3+4 digits, 2 fields of 3+7 digits, or one field of 10 digits. Robo form fills out all of these correctly.


• User-Defined Custom Fields. In each Identity you can have custom fields for which you specify the field caption that is used to recognize the field.


• Country-Sensitive Form Filling. Robo Form can fill forms in multiple languages, not just in English. List of supported languages is available at the Translation Page.
  Robo Form lets you select the country you are in, and then it customizes its form filling rules based on the traditions of your country. For instance, it knows that in the US the date format is MM/DD/YY but that in the UK it is DD/MM/YY.


• Machine Translation: Just a Little Bit. You can set the selection value in one language (for example: you create your identity with Titre "Monsieur" in French) and Robo Form will correctly fill this value in any language that it can handle. For example: it would put "Herr" into the Titel field in a German form.

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

Robo Form Passcards

Robo Form allows you to easily save and fill passwords and forms.
The Robo Form Passcards contain the stored information for the page where you filled a form or entered username/password. For instance, when you go to the yahoo mail login page, after you enter your username and password a Robo Form window will prompt you to save the passcard for your email account. This passcard will contain your username, your password and the URL where you entered them. The next time you'll visit Yahoo you don't have to enter username/password by hand because Robo Form will do it for you.

If you click on the Logins button from the Robo Form toolbar (in your browser) you will see a list with all your stored Passcards, just like it is shown below. Clicking on any of the Passcards will automatically take you to that website and log you in.



Robo Form Passcards features:

• Save Online Passwords. Robo Form offers to save the online login form into passcard when you click Login/Submit button on the web page.


• Fill Saved Online Passwords. Robo Form offers to fill the saved online passwords into online form when you visit the page for which passwords were saved.


• True 1-click Login. A single Login command causes: (i) navigation to a site login page, (ii) automatic filling of the login form, (iii) submission of the login form.


• Matching Passcards button Toolbar. Matching Passcards button on Robo Form toolbar shows the top passcard that matches the online page shown in the browser. If you mouse over this button, all matching passcards are shown.


• View and Edit your Passwords. Passcard Editor allows to easily view, edit, copy, rename and delete your passcards (each passcard stores login info for one account).


• Turing Number fields Ignored. Fields that require entering different data on every login (Turing Numbers) may be set to be ignored both for AutoFill and AutoSave.


• Handles Most Complex JavaScript. Login page JavaScript designed to thwart password monitoring programs does not prevent Robo Form from doing its job saving and filling passwords.


• Basic Authentication. Robo Form can AutoFill and AutoSave login info from Basic Authentication dialogs (they are not in HTML) and Windows dialogs as long as their appear on top of HTML page.


• Print a List of your Passwords. Print a list of all your Passcards and get your precious passwords backed up to the most reliable medium (paper).


• Save Any Form to a Passcard. You can save any typed-in form to a Passcard, not just login form. You can fill any form from the saved passcard. An example: save Free Magazine Subscription online application form and use it 6 months later to renew the subscription.


• Add Notes to Passcards. You can add a text Note to Passcard that describes the saved form.

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3
Download portable version of Robo Form from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

Robo Form 6.6.3

Robo Form 6.6.3 is the latest version of the well known freeware web form filler and password manager.

Main changes in this version:

• Change Login/GoFill Opens Site option to better reflect available browser choices.


• By default create Robo Form data folder in My Documents\My RoboForm Data.


• Alt option to block ALT+click and SHIFT+enter as combinations that force AutoSave.


• Add option to install for All Windows Users.


• Add customization for Matching Passcards button width.


• Rename Robo Form Users to Profiles to distinguish them from Windows Users.

Download the latest version here (approx. 2MB): Robo Form 6.6.3

Pass 2 Go is a Portable version of Robo Form that works directly from USB key, without a need to install it on computer. It gives users ultimate in portability, security and ease of use.
Download latest version from here: Pass 2 Go 6.6.3

Robo Form, best password manager

Robo Form is the top-rated Password Manager and Web Form Filler that completely automates password entering and form filling.
Robo Form was named PC Magazine Editor's Choice, and CNET Download.com's Software of the Year.



Main features:

• Memorizes your passwords and Logs You In automatically.


• Fills long registration and checkout forms with one click.


• Encrypts your passwords to achieve complete security.


• Generates random passwords that hackers cannot guess.


• Fights Phishing by filling passwords only on matching web sites.


• Defeats Keyloggers by not using keyboard to type passwords.


• Backs up your passwords, Copies them between computers.


• Synchronizes passwords between computers using GoodSync.


• Searches for keywords in your passwords, notes and Internet.


• Portable: Pass2Go RF runs from USB key, no install needed.


• PDA-friendly: sync your passwords to Pocket PC and Palm.


• Neutral: works with Internet Explorer, AOL/MSN, Firefox.