Mr. Modem: Logging in and out of online accounts

When I go to my online bank accounts and other sites that I have to sign into, does it make any difference whether I sign out or just click the X to leave?

Yes, it makes a huge difference. Never leave an account that you logged into without logging out. Failing to log out is tantamount to departing your home and leaving the door open. Most of the time — 99.99 percent — everything will be fine when you return, but it’s only going to take one time when you find everything gone that it’s going to make a difference. And then it’s too late.

Always log off — it doesn’t matter whether it’s an online bank account or your Gmail account or anything else. You log in for security purposes, and you must log out to close and lock the door behind you, otherwise you are leaving that account door open and making yourself and your data needlessly vulnerable.

Most log-in venues will have an automatic log-out feature so if your account has no activity for a period of time, you will automatically be logged out.

Unfortunately, there are also evil people out there who know that many users are lazy or simply don’t know any better and will walk away from accounts without logging off. That creates a golden opportunity to wreak major havoc on your account(s) and adversely affect your life in the process. It only takes a split second to log out so it’s well worth the effort for the peace of mind alone.

How can I change it so my keyboard beeps at me when I accidentally press the CAPS LOCK key?

I am occasionally all thumbs on the keyboard and manage to press the Caps Lock key without even noticing it. The next time I look up at what appears on my monitor, I see SOMETHING LIKE THIS. Grrrrrrr..... One of my favorite Accessibility Options is Toggle Keys which makes an audible beep every time I accidentally press the Caps Lock key.

You didn’t mention what version of Windows you are using, but in some versions, go to your Control Panel > Accessibility Options > General or Keyboard tab. Place a check mark beside Toggle Keys to enable it, followed by Apply > OK.

In other versions, go to the Control Panel > Ease of Access Center > Change How Your Keyboard Works and place a check mark beside Turn on Toggle Keys, followed by Apply > OK.

In still other versions, if you hold down the NumLock key for more than five seconds, a dialog box will appear with the option to cause a sound to play when you press the Caps Lock, Scroll Lock or Num Lock keys.

This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Mr. Modem: Logging in and out of online accounts."