(And by the way, if you like these tips, be sure to check out "Tips for Laptop Users.") Remember these three tips the next time you travel: Give Your laptop batteries a Longer Lease on Life Does your laptop spend more time on your desk than your lap? See, it's a sad (and expensive) fact of life: You're lucky to get 18-24 months from a battery before it loses a good chunk of its charge capacity (meaning it no longer powers your laptop for as long as it used to). Most laptops can run on straight AC power, so there's no need for the battery. Turn Vista's Sleep Button Into a Power Button As a recent Windows Vista convert (I just couldn't cling to XP any longer--a subject for another day), I'm mostly liking the OS. But I do have one small grievance: When I click the Start button and then click what looks like a power button, my system doesn't actually shut down. Fortunately, there's a way to reprogram that "sleep" button to become an actual power button.