Five different tips on improving battery life were covered in this episode.

First, buy an extended life battery. While this will cost money, the investment tends to pay off in terms of battery life.

Next, under Vista, use the power settings to go to power saver when running on battery. While some computers may have custom power settings, using the lowest power settings really stretch the battery to its limits by shutting down everything that isn't necessary.

One of the biggest drains on the battery is the display. By changing the brightness to the lowest setting that is comfortable for seeing the screen.

When you are not using the internet, shutting off wireless can give a few extra minutes of life. This is typically a physical switch or a button combination that physically cuts power to the chip.

The last tip is closing all unnecessary applications. By not having lots of extra programs running, the computer isn't working as hard and will last a little longer on battery.