I suppose that's one way to look at it.

I've never been comfortable with Apple. To a certain extent, I am intimidated by Apple, how it all hooks together, in ways I din't use or need. It is all behind closed doors so to speak. I have no idea of the consequences of the choices offered, often, or forced, more often.

Maybe it seems that way because Windows, for all its faults and peculiarities, doesn't seem that way. Partly it is because I'm an old dog dealing with new tricks. I was among the last to put Windows on any of my machines but now, decades later, I still have some idea of file layouts, structure.

I've come up closer to speed with internet issues, thanks in significant part to folks on this forum. I'm not ready to "turn pro" but there are fewer mysteries in the basics anyway. I can manipulate the IP addreses of devices, but have no idea what that might be on the iPad or where it might be found, or how to fiddle with it, if need be.

I delayed the new password because I couldn't come up with one that Apple would permit and I could hope to remember. When they forced the upgrade, that blew it up. When it did, it turned into a frustrating crisis, because there was no guide, no explanation that made any sense, and lots of misinformation about a key. It became an ordeal of several hours of fruitless button mashing, going back and re-doing, checking other boxes. I had to enter my security questions over and over, nearly every step, two steps forward, 1 back, two forward, 3 bavk, start over, etc.

A few days ago, my wife put her photos to the cloud. All of them disappeared and we haven't been able to get them back. Maybe someone at the genius bar will be able to. There are no instructions, no icons to press, no idea.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
There seems to be some confusion on this point.

There are several posts in this thread that claim there are passwords for the Apple ID and separately for iCloud.

You only need one AppleID, for both iTunes and iCloud, and most people probably do only have one. However, you can have more than one AppleID (many if you wish). For security purposes, I have created a second AppleID that I use only for iCloud, and it has no valid credit card information associated with it. My main AppleID is the one I use for all of their stores (iTunes, App Stores, the Apple site store itself), AppleCare, etc.
 
In your situation, my first stop would be Apple's Manage your AppleID site. See if you can log in with the credentials you remember. It will ask you your "security questions" which you may have forgot the answers to (I've started writing them down in a text file). You can reset your security questions there, and once you get in, take a look at all of the information to make sure it is correct.
 

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
There seems to be some confusion on this point.

There are several posts in this thread that claim there are passwords for the Apple ID and separately for iCloud.

You only need one AppleID, for both iTunes and iCloud, and most people probably do only have one. However, you can have more than one AppleID (many if you wish). For security purposes, I have created a second AppleID that I use only for iCloud, and it has no valid credit card information associated with it. My main AppleID is the one I use for all of their stores (iTunes, App Stores, the Apple site store itself), AppleCare, etc.
 
In your situation, my first stop would be Apple's Manage your AppleID site. See if you can log in with the credentials you remember. It will ask you your "security questions" which you may have forgot the answers to (I've started writing them down in a text file). You can reset your security questions there, and once you get in, take a look at all of the information to make sure it is correct.
 

I passed through there yesterday, several times, actually.

What good does it do to have all that info in a text file if you can't open your device without the information you can't remember?

That was one of my extreme anxieties yesterday. All my codes and passwords for devices, websites etc, gun safe combination, critical details, etc were on a Notes page. If I couldn't access that, I'd have to move to a new town, change my name and start life all over from scratch.

I suppose I could print that stuff on a piece of paper so it could disappear into a drawer of my desk, or be thrown out by the maid, or stolen and held for ransom. I would e-mail it to myself, but then NSA and Google would have it.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
What good does it do to have all that info in a text file if you can't open your device without the information you can't remember?

That was one of my extreme anxieties yesterday. All my codes and passwords for devices, websites etc, gun safe combination, critical details, etc were on a Notes page.

Aye, an' there's the rub.

The very first step is get out of the habit of storing sensitive information like that in a plain old text file, and of having it accessible from only one device.

Never mind what would happen if you lost access to it. What would happen if, at the same time, somebody else got hold of it?

I don't know about Apple, but, in the Android world the idea of local, private sync is essentially dead. So you're left with having a single copy on a single device (bad!); syncing amongst several devices via some third party's servers (bad!), or, if you're paranoid and the possibility exists: Compatible apps on multiple devices and sync "manually": A form of "sneaker-net."

That last is what I do, using Password Safe-compatible apps on phone, tablet and desktop.

Mistakenly tested out iOS 10 on the iPad and hate it, especially since it can't be undone (fuckers). Email passwords also didn't carry over, even though encryption was enabled. Email gone forever. iPhone 6 still runs iOS 8.1, and will never be updated. Phone will be eventually.

When the iPad flashes the when to install iOS 10.XX update, I click LATER and delete the stupid update, forcing it to auto-download and bother me again at a later time.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
What good does it do to have all that info in a text file if you can't open your device without the information you can't remember?

That was one of my extreme anxieties yesterday. All my codes and passwords for devices, websites etc, gun safe combination, critical details, etc were on a Notes page.

Aye, an' there's the rub.

The very first step is get out of the habit of storing sensitive information like that in a plain old text file, and of having it accessible from only one device.

Never mind what would happen if you lost access to it. What would happen if, at the same time, somebody else got hold of it?

I don't know about Apple, but, in the Android world the idea of local, private sync is essentially dead. So you're left with having a single copy on a single device (bad!); syncing amongst several devices via some third party's servers (bad!), or, if you're paranoid and the possibility exists: Compatible apps on multiple devices and sync "manually": A form of "sneaker-net."

That last is what I do, using Password Safe-compatible apps on phone, tablet and desktop.

That's basically what I'm doing too. I use a password vault (mSecure) on multiple devices. Several iOS devices plus a desktop. When I update a password in one place, it replicates everywhere. You can choose to do this via wifi or via a service like Dropbox.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
That's basically what I'm doing too. I use a password vault (mSecure) on multiple devices. Several iOS devices plus a desktop. When I update a password in one place, it replicates everywhere. You can choose to do this via wifi or via a service like Dropbox.

For passwords, yes, I likewise use a vault (1Password), which syncs with my other two Apple devices. For just the security questions themselves, I keep them in a text file, and that text file exists on two of the three devices.
 

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
That's basically what I'm doing too. I use a password vault (mSecure) on multiple devices. Several iOS devices plus a desktop. When I update a password in one place, it replicates everywhere. You can choose to do this via wifi or via a service like Dropbox.

For passwords, yes, I likewise use a vault (1Password), which syncs with my other two Apple devices. For just the security questions themselves, I keep them in a text file, and that text file exists on two of the three devices.
 

1Password has a Notes sections, which is a good place for security questions (and answers).

quote:

It is still carping about two factor authentication. I refuse! I can't be sure I can remember one factor, let alone 2. I have no iTunes password, either.

Apparently you have no idea what 2 factor authentication is.

[quote]I've come up closer to speed with internet issues, thanks in significant part to folks on this forum. I'm not ready to "turn pro" but there are fewer mysteries in the basics anyway. I can manipulate the IP addreses of devices, but have no idea what that might be on the iPad or where it might be found, or how to fiddle with it, if need be.

I delayed the new password because I couldn't come up with one that Apple would permit and I could hope to remember. When they forced the upgrade, that blew it up. When it did, it turned into a frustrating crisis, because there was no guide, no explanation that made any sense, and lots of misinformation about a key. It became an ordeal of several hours of fruitless button mashing, going back and re-doing, checking other boxes. I had to enter my security questions over and over, nearly every step, two steps forward, 1 back, two forward, 3 bavk, start over, etc.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yeah all of that and more. I used to think it was me and a technology issue. It is far beyond that. We have come to accept that we will have to figure this stuff out on our own, unless of course you work for a corporation that has tech support do all this for you. It is not an age issue, I know plenty of people in their twenties that struggle with the same technology issues. At least the gun manufacturers have above par customer service.