--- Forwarded Message from Bob Majors <[log in to unmask]> ---

>User-Agent: Microsoft-Entourage/10.1.1.2418
>Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 14:09:24 -0700
>Subject: Re: #7269 Mac vs. Windows
>From: Bob Majors <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information    Forum   <[log in to unmask]>
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>

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Betty,

There's enough in your questions to fill up several pages of responses, but
I'll toss in a few things that might help.

> Doesn't running RevRDist or something equivalent on them before
> the class starts get them to be uniform?

If PCRDist or equivalent is set up right, and works with your environment,
yes. 

> If classes are contiguous, is it likely that individual machines will get
> messed up enough not to work for the second class?

Not if the image is refreshed, and/or you use some of the Windows
capabilities. For example, our machines are locked down (in a software
security sense); the users are Restricted Users; and the user profile is
Global Mandatory Roaming, so that at each login, the profile is renewed to
its pristine condition. (The roaming profile is stored on a Windows file
server.)

Our biggest problem lately is keeping the machines patched regularly to
avoid the increasing number of exploits. Automatic Windows Update daily is
one method; commercial products like Shavlik's hfnetcheck can push patches
out to machines.

Bob Majors
Language Learning Center
University of Washington