A Look Back at Chuka University's Laptop Revival Week

By Njeri Mickeydan Kioko

Students getting their laptops repaired during the Tech Week

Remember that feeling? The shared, unspoken problem that seemed to echo through every hostel, the library, and the lecture halls? The sigh you let out when your laptop’s fan roared louder than the lecturer, or the stubborn "Activate Windows" watermark haunted your screen? For one week in October, that feeling was replaced by the buzz of solutions and the quiet hum of rejuvenated machines.

From the 13th to the 17th of October, the Chuka University campus witnessed the 6th edition of the Laptop Service Week, and it was a resounding success. The sigh of frustration finally turned into a collective breath of fresh air. This was held just outside the university mess in a tent.

Led by the Chuka University chapter and hosted by Zayre Gadgets, this year’s event was powered by an unprecedented alliance. They weren't alone; they stood alongside partners like the Techno Science Club, Rotaract Club of Chuka, AIESEC, INOVA Branding, Pink Hub, Power Learn Project, Six Code Africa Chuka Chapter, Campus Review [CR], and Kool Laundry. Together, they created a tech hub of activity and expertise.

The week kicked off with a line of students, each carrying their "ailing" laptops with a sense of hope. The first 100 through the door were greeted with free laptop skins, a splash of personality for their newly serviced machines.

The team worked tirelessly. Licenses were activated left and right, banishing the plaguing watermarks for good. Fresh, legitimate copies of MS Office were installed, ensuring essays would format perfectly from then on. For those seeking a powerful, clean start, systems were set up with pristine installations of Windows 10 Pro + Office 2021 or the latest Windows 11 Pro + Office 2021.

But the team went beyond the usual. The curious were guided through Linux Ubuntu installations by the Techno Science Club, who patiently answered every beginner's question. Laptops were loaded with essential IDEs for programmers and the latest graphic design software for artists, with expert recommendations from the Digital Arts Alliance. The tent was alive with the silent, flashing progress bars of machines being reborn.

The "laptop survey," as the team called it, was a mission against overheating. Cases were popped open, and years of accumulated dust were gently blown away. Fans were carefully cleaned and lubricated until they returned to a whisper-quiet state. Groaning hinges were fixed, and keyboards, stiff from past spills, were meticulously un-stuck.

For the hardware enthusiasts and the Gaming and Esports Clubs, the team proved their expertise as gurus. They troubleshooted graphics cards like the AMD RX 580 and NVIDIA 3060, got RGB fans syncing and lighting up properly again, and even offered rough valuations for custom PCs.

True to their word, this event was as much about education as it was about repair. As Robin from Zayre Gadgets had promised, students came with a torrent of questions, and they left with answers, having learned more about the tech that powers their academic lives.

The event wasn't without its challenges. The issue of the temporary gate pass duration did surface, potentially barring some students from attending. Yet, the collective effort of the clubs and the overwhelming desire of students to get their essential tools fixed created workarounds and a determined spirit that ensured help reached those who needed it.

By the end of the week, the potential had been realized. Students walked out not just with fixed laptops, but with a visible weight lifted from their shoulders. The law student could now submit their briefs without a distracting watermark. The engineer’s laptop ran cool and silent during a critical project. Designers typed on clean, responsive keyboards, and media students could edit their work without a flicker of worry.

The poster, once an announcement, now stands as a testament to a successful collaboration. The contact number, 0719820819, had buzzed constantly, a hotline to solutions. Representatives from all the partner clubs—Jakes and his team from Kool Laundry, Robin and his team from Zayre Gadgets, Gift and her team from AIESEC, Sherry and her team from Pink Hub, Lameck and his team from Techno Science Club, Dennis Elvis and his team from Campus Review, and many others—were present, not just fixing laptops, but building community.

So, if your laptop was one of the ones that sighed back in October, you know it didn't have to for long. That week, its comeback story was written. And this whole team of campus experts was thrilled to have helped write it.