One of the questions I'm often asked is why we erase and reprogram all of the classroom and lab computers every summer. The answer is rather simple- computers, like hall closets, tend to collect miscellaneous items. Anyone who's had a computer for more than a couple of years can attest to the fact that they tend to become bogged down over time. Various fragments of programs you thought were removed long ago stick around and get in the way. Over time your computer starts to develop certain idiosyncrasies, little things that are kind of annoying but aren't big enough to warrant a call to tech. support. A common complaint among owners of aging PCs is that they “just run slow.”
      While there are certain moving parts on a computer that can simply wear out over time, for the most part a well-maintained computer will run as well when it's seven years old as it did when it was seven days old. It's that maintenance that is the key factor. By erasing all existing data every summer and reinstalling new, updated software we're able to provide our students and staff with a “like new” user experience year after year. On the first day of school our students get to sit down at a pristine, updated, and refreshed computer, without having to deal with the missteps of those who used that computer the year before.
      A side-effect of this process is that it requires the technical staff to interact with each computer at least once during the summer. This is when we find most of those minor hardware problems that no one has thought worth mentioning. This is when we find the broken speaker, or the blurry monitor, or the sticking mouse. It's during this refresh process that we find and repair the majority of physical problems with your computers.
      The end result of this annual refresh process is that you get a more reliable, and more functional computer for a longer period of time. In an effort to see that our students and staff have modern equipment on which to learn and practice, we make every effort to replace our classroom and lab computers every five years, and the annual cleaning and repair cycle is crucial to ensuring that our computers are as functional on the fifth year as they are on the first.