Back to School: Reduce, Reuse... Repurpose?

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Now that summer is practically at a close, chances are most parents are thinking about or have already gone shopping for back-to-school supplies. For parents, going back to school means preparing your kids for the classroom by equipping them with the necessities they'll need for the upcoming academic year. Back-to-school season is the second-most-important selling period for retailers, behind the November-December holiday season, as reported in a recent USA Today article. Pencils, notebooks and backpacks are the usual suspects when it comes to back-to-school shopping, but computers are now being included in that round up. If you're thinking about buying a new computer on top of all the other supplies, you may be looking at a hefty spend.

As a father of two and a Geek Squad Agent, I know the headache potential of back-to-school shopping. My kids want the coolest supplies - from folders to gadgets - and of course, at their young age, I have to break the news to them that they probably don't need a $600 cell phone. However, on a serious note, when it comes to computers, an upgraded one can help them get a jumpstart on new programs and applications.

One thing you need to consider is, now that you've bought a brand new laptop or desktop for Little Johnny or Jane, what do you do with the old one? You can, of course, recycle it so it doesn't negatively impact the environment, however, there's always the option of repurposing the old machine. After all, just because the new computer has taken over the prime position of "family computer," it doesn't mean the old one has to go to waste- especially if you aren't ready to let it go. The old one can give you many more years of service, and getting it ready to do so is easier than you think.

Although there are numerous ways to repurpose an old computer, here are a few recommendations from Geek Squad:

Bring it Back to Life

Taking the time now to bring your older computer to peak performance will pay off in the long run. First, transfer the essential data from your old computer to the new one. Then, take the following steps:

Go to Control Panel, then double click on "Add or Remove Programs." Remove anything you know you'll no longer be using on this computer.
Run a complete virus and spyware scan using your favorite updated virus protection software.
Delete unnecessary files. Chances are you have lots of old music, documents and other items cluttering up the old system. If the computer won't need them for its new role, then deleting them will help improve performance and free up space.

Create a Digital Photo Station

One of the great things about digital photography is learning the ins and outs of taking pictures without investing in huge numbers of prints. Once you've gotten the basics down, you can turn your old machine into a one-stop photo shop. Here's how:

Select photo editing software: you can choose from easy-to-use options (like Google's free Picasa, or Apple's iPhoto), or take it to a higher level with programs like Corel Paintshop Pro or Adobe Photoshop. If this is confusing, there's always an expert around to help- possibly someone with a crisp white shirt and black tie?
Calibrate your monitor: Compare a photo you've printed to the same picture on the monitor, and adjust the settings until they match. Once this is done, you can be confident that the changes you make to your picture will be reflected when you print.
Add an external hard drive: Digital images take up lots of space, and you could find yourself running out of room quickly. Fortunately, hard drive prices have dropped quite a bit, and you can get a spacious external drive for not much money.