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Many Solar Computer Systems (SCSs) have been deployed in developing countries, with the aim of improving educational outcomes, and in some cases, providing autonomous energy supply to the community more broadly. A number of systems have been installed in schools of the Nepali hills. This paper describes a techno-economic field investigation into 8 case schools. The PV systems and loads, including computer systems, were examined; and system specifications, operation and diagnosis of any failures that had occurred were recorded. The findings from the investigation indicate that long-term sustainability of service from the systems is jeopardised by poor maintenance of the energy systems and an even higher high failure rate of the computer systems, primarily due to computer viruses. A simple economic analysis indicates that there is an opportunity to utilise low power laptops to improve system service while cutting cost of hardware.