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Learning to use Password Manager - questions from reading the manual


Userlevel 2
Hi, folks,
 
I'm putting Password Manager through its paces for the first time, and I've noticed (mis)behaviors that appear buggy to me. It's not intuitive to me how some of the functionality accessible from the browser add-on menu integrates with that of the web console, so I'm assuming--for now--that the "bugs" are pilot error. I have decided (gasp) to read the manual to learn how the PM was designed to be used.

I have two questions so far:
 
1) When I launch the WSA dashboard from the system tray, I see version 8.0.4.70 under My Account. The user guide I downloaded for PM says it's Version 8.0.1. Can anyone confirm the UI hasn't changed between these two versions, so the guide will be accurate?
 
2) I was disconcerted by this sentence on page 6 of the guide: "After the Password Manager downloads (see “Configuring the Password Manager” on page 3), a Webroot icon appears in the toolbar of your Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers." I use Chrome all the time. Was Chrome support an afterthought? Is the Chrome add-on and web console it fully supported, fully functional and as robust as for Firefox?

I'm sure I'll have more questions as I continue reading. I will add them to this thread so I don't muck up the forum, unless that will make it harder to get a response.
 
Thanks in advance,
 
LauraB
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Best answer by shorTcircuiT 16 April 2014, 19:23

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Userlevel 7
Hello LauraB and welcome to the Webroot Community!
 
I have a question for you: could you provide the link you used to download the User Guide for the Password Manager?  There may be some changes since that was last edited, and I would like to take a look at it.
 
 
Ok, now on to my answers!
 
1) The current version of WSA as you noticed is 8.0.4.70  The notation 8.0.1. would be for an earlier version of the WSA Windows program, but not the Password Manager... Password Manager is actually, as you have noticed, a set of browser extensions.  The have a version number beginning with 2, such as 2.0.0.0 
 
Please note, however, that there may be differences in the Password Manager UI among different browsers.  This is due to how different browsers handle extensions and toolbars.  I have all three browsers installed, and the Password Manager looks a bit different in all three.
 
 
2) Chrome is fully supported.  My own default browser is Chrome and the Password Manager works very well for me.  I do not know the order in which the different browsers were added to support, but I have been using Chrome and Passwords together for well over a year.
 
If you have any more questions, let us know!  We are always happy to answer what we can 🙂
Userlevel 2
David, thank you for your warm welcome, and your speedy reply.
 
Here is where I found the PM User Guide.
 
Sounds like you don't mind if I keep adding questions to this post, so I'll wait until I've made it through the manual before marking my questions solved.
 
So before resorting to cracking the manual, I searched YouTube for videos on the PM functionality that was giving me heartburn. I only found the short official ones by WebRoot, nothing from superusers here on the boards. Not part of the culture here to share knowledge that way, I guess. Or maybe my search was lame...
Userlevel 2
David, thank you for your warm welcome and speedy response.
 
This is the PM User Guide I downloaded. 
 
Reading on in the guide, I found two other disconcerting passages:
 
Accessing passwords from a browser (p. 5)
1. Open Internet Explorer or Firefox.
 
Using other browsers (p. 9)
If you do not have Internet Explorer or Firefox, you can create Bookmarklets to enable password functions in other browsers. For example, to use Bookmarklets with Chrome, you would drag Bookmarklet links to Chrome’s Bookmarks Bar, then click on the bookmark to use automatic login. Bookmarklets can be used with Safari, Chrome, Opera, Konqueror, and other browsers.
 
I assumed that since the major and minor version number matched (8.0.1, 8.0.4.70) , this guide was appropriate for the latest version/update of WSA. But now I really wonder if this guide is obsolete.
 
Hmmmm....
 
 
Userlevel 2
I have twice tried to reply to David's post, and it's not showing up when I'm coming back to the thread, even though my reply displays back to me at the time I enter it. Are newbie's replies moderated, and should I just wait awhile? I'm trying to enter this with Quick Reply.
Userlevel 7
Badge +56
Not that I know of let's see what @ has to say!
 
Daniel 😉
Userlevel 2
Thanks, Daniel. 
 
I can see my Quick Reply post, BTW.
Userlevel 7
Badge +56
Sorry about that - your posts got caught in the spam filter.  I've restored them.
Userlevel 7
Hi LauraB!
 
I am on a quick break from work, and not at computer.  I will reply in more detail tonight, but i do have a quick insight or two for you.
 
When I first started using Password Manager, I saw the same thing.  The 'Bookmarklets' fir Chrome are NOT needed.  I believe they still work, but the extension/toolbar work far better.  I had actually forgotten about that documentation that Chrome requires the bookmarklets.  @  thw documentaion is old and needs revising.  :-) 
Userlevel 2
Ok, so that UG is out of date. I found it by Googling, not through help from the main app, or by following a link on the website. Maybe public access was no longer intended.
 
The information in the website help for Password Manager does appear to be up-to-date: Chrome is treated as a first class citizen there. That's reassuring.
Userlevel 2
I'm done reading the guides now.
 
As I mentioned before, at this time the website help appears to be the most up-to-date reference for Passwords.
 
There is a downloadable UG for WSA with a section on Passwords that is also out of date WRT Chrome, if anyone (besides me) cares about such things.
 
The guides did not enlighten me as to whether or not the difficulties I'm having with Passwords are pilot error. I will begin posting specific usage questions tonight.
 
I've marked this topic solved now. Thanks for your guidance DavidP, nic and TripleHelix.
 
LauraB
Userlevel 7
You are not the only one that cares... I didnt know about the out of date stuff or I would have mentioned it too.  I did @ Nic on it the other day, so hopefully he will be turning it over to the tech writers to have it updated.  I will check with him about it :)
 
Thanks Laura!
Userlevel 2
Oh, cool. Someone else who likes documentation! :D
 
Thanks, David. 

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