Internet Explorer on Windows XP doesn't save password

Later Addition: I received an email from Bas Barten with a fix for this: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ProtectedStorage.htm and http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=885180.  This is the fix that I had been looking for.  Basically it's hidden in the Autocomplete and needs to be turned on. Bas Barten's fix is better in some situations that what I mentioned below because it allows the form to remember the password but still gives you the username/password prompt so that if the password changes in the future, or if you want to log in as a different user, then you have that choice.  Using the fix I mention doesn't give you that prompt but logs you right in automaticaly.  The issue with this is that if it's a site that you use for testing, or if you need to log on with different users, it can be a pain because you must first update the IE settings, then log on with the different user, then change the settings again.  It all depends on your situation which method is better.

Original Post: For quite some time I've been putting up with an annoying feature of IE on both my Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP desktops.  I found that most, but not all, of the password protected sites that I access that use Windows Authentication don't remember my password even when I ask it to.  Even though I use these types of sites daily, I just haven't gotten around to solving this issue.

I even did a quick google search on this a couple times but I didn't stumble across the answer so I just buried my head in the sand and simply got faster at typing the passwords that I needed to type over and over again.

Today I was looking through a list of FAQs on a random SharePoint site and stumbled across the answer.  In fact it works better than I expected.  The solution is simple.  The site needs to be added in as a web site to the list of trusted sites in Internet Explorer.  That's it.  Once added it doesn't even prompt me for the username/password, it just let's be right in. 

Here's now to do it:

1. In Internet Explorer click Tools on the toolbar and then click Internet Options. 
2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Security tab, and then select Local Intranet.
3. Click Sites
4. Click Advanced
5. Type the URL of the site that you want to trust.  You can type the domain name without the www for have a more general entry.  For example, entering 'domain.com' allows me to access http or https areas of fictitious site www.domain.com with or without the www in it.  Subdomains of domain.com will also work.
6. Click Add, and then click OK.

Caution: Of course you'll need to be careful as there are sites that you don't want anyone to gain access to if they were able to gain access to your computer. 

Why IE doesn't remember that password even when I check the 'Remember Password' box, I still don't know, but for now I found a solution that works.