Windows 10: Nine things you need to know

Windows 8 has had a bit of a tumultuous run, something Microsoft is hoping to turn around with Windows 10. We got a brief glimpse at a Microsoft event on Tuesday, and while it did prove to be a tantalizing look at what's in store, there are still plenty of questions floating around, and a lot more to figure out before the final product is sitting on our hard drives.

How to export your Skype contacts

Changing Skype accounts soon? Grab a copy of your contact list information from your current account before you switch.

Whether a swarm of spammers is attacking your Skype, or you just decide that you're tired of your current username, you may want to export your contact list and move it to another account. Ghacks.net recently shared a post about an application that can show you all contact information in an organized window, but this example will use Skype's default tools. Skipping on the third-party application means the data will be a bit messier to look at, but you can still get the job done with relatively little effort.

Make calls with Google Voice without a Google+ account

If you're not a fan of Google+, then the ability to call people with your Google Voice number via the Hangouts app was probably not something you cared about. However, Google has now added calling privileges to the Web version of Google Voice. This means that users don't need a Google+ account, just their original Google email log-in, to place calls.

Here's how:

Locked out? Get back into Windows 8 by resetting your password

A forgotten Windows password isn’t the end of the world. You don’t have to trash the computer, or even perform a dreaded factory restore. There are many ways to remove or reset a Windows password, but how quickly and easily it can be done depends on the situation.

Password reset methods differ between Microsoft and local Windows accounts. If you aren’t sure which type of Windows account you have, it’s simple to find out: turn on your computer and see if an email address is displayed above where you enter your password to login. If there’s an email, it’s a Microsoft account. If not, it’s a local account.

Have operating system, will travel: How to run virtual machines from a flash drive

Most of the time, one operating system per computer is enough. But on occasion, you might want to boot up a second operating system for security reasons, testing purposes, or compatibility with specific software. Technical details typically restrict that alternate OS to a single PC, however. You can only install an OS in a single location after all.

But using a fork of Oracle's popular VirtualBox virtualization software, known as Portable VirtualBox, you don't have to limit secondary operating systems to a single computer or boot it up separately from Windows. Instead, you can pack it onto a portable USB drive and load it up on any PC while Windows runs in the background, like a virtualized version of the Windows to Go option found in Windows 8 Enterprise.

A beginner's guide to BitLocker, Windows' built-in encryption tool

The creators of TrueCrypt shocked the computer security world this week when they seemingly ended development of the popular open source encryption tool. Even more surprising, the creators said TrueCrypt could be insecure and that Windows users should migrate to Microsoft's BitLocker. Conspiracy theories immediately began to swirl around the surprise announcement.

Regardless of the true motivations behind the message, the TrueCrypt fiasco gives us a chance to talk about BitLocker—and how to use it.

Eight tips to get you started with Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft released an update to its Windows Phone operating system last month. The Windows Phone 8.1 update is currently available for developers and will roll out to current Windows Phone 8 users over the next few months, although there is a way to manually update your device now. These tips will help you navigate the revamped operating system and access all of the new features it has to offer.