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.