Your laptop is only as good as your next drink, especially in summer. Stay hydrated while multi-tasking on the patio, but protect your laptop from beverage spills, and avoid exposing it to direct sunlight. There is no sunscreen for laptops.

We're still not encouraging clients to move from Windows XP to Vista, for many reasons. Perhaps most importantly, the new operating system doesn't change how you work - just how the screens look. Your experiences in Quicken, Word, Excel, are all the same, so there's not much reward for the learning curve and expense.

For email, the transition is even worse:

Vista does not support Outlook Express. It's been replaced by Windows Mail, which has no calendar interface.

If you're moving to Vista, you may not be able to use web-based email, such as HotMail. Microsoft is disabling the ability to use web mail. Makes no sense--especially since they own HotMail. We expect there will be a 'fix' for that marketing snafu.

We previously mentioned Vista's incompatibility with most printers over a year old, and with older versions of many, many programs. If you buy a new computer, and choose Vista, you may have to spend $500 or more upgrading everything else, to work the way you did in Windows XP.

Our recommendation is to continue to wait.

Read on, before you print too many vacation photos...

In the long run, are inkjet cartridges more expensive than toner cartridges for a color laser printer?

The very funny David Pogue, tech columnist in the "New York Times" says: "Getting to the bottom of this question is like trying to calculate the interest on the penalties for late payment of the alternative minimum tax on non-farm income. It’s extremely complicated."

Even buying refilled inkjet cartridges at Cartridge World, the cost adds up. Many people find their color cartridge dries out before it gets used, and the black ones might be $20 each, several times a year. Some printers refuse to print if one cartridge fails, sending you out for yellow you don't even need, just to print in black and white.

Our best choice used to be inkjet, to print both color and black and white, vs. a laser printer, limited to black. Now, as laser printer costs continue to drop, prices for color laser printers are down to about $200 or $300, not thousands of dollars.

So what's the difference in cost of ink vs. toner? Staples ran the number for us and their research shows:

It costs approximately $114 in toner to print 6,000 pages on a color laser printer. Printing the same number of pages on a color inkjet costs between $1200 and $4500.

Even if your cost to print 6,000 pages with an inkjet printer is just $1200, it looks like you can replace the old, slow, messy inkjet with a color laser.

1. Check local gas prices before you fill up, at www.autos.msn.com.

2. Are you still using Microsoft Office the same way you did four years ago. Visit their site for fresh templates and ideas to jazz up your work. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx

3. Stop by your website. Does it need a fresh look? If summer is a slow season for your business, spend some time updating your site. Target your message to the people you want to reach, and offer something of value for all visitors.

4. If you have a laptop and want to practice wi-fi for free, visit your local library, a Panera Bread restaurant, or Sweet Dreams Cafe in Glenview. It's best to practice the sometimes cryptic route to wi-fi before you need it on vacation or business.

5. Why didn't I think of this: http://www.demystifyingdigital.com/ is a new web site from USA Today. The site is packed with information, organized by type of user from "Run Around Moms" to "Biz Fast Trackers" and cross-referenced by product to find just what you're looking for: info on cell phones, digital cameras, wifi, and more. Go learn something new.

Have a wonderful Summer!

Watch for my new book coming out before Summer is over. "Release Your Writing: Publish Your Book, Your Way," helps writers navigate the route to successful book publishing. Helen Gallagher Phone: 847-998-6240, www.cclarity.com

Feel free to forward this issue of Computer Clarity's monthly e-newsletter to your friends, or invite them to subscribe at www.cclarity.com. There's no charge.