catching some rays

i was startled to notice in my laptop manual "when travelling, computer may pass thru X-ray machines without harm, but DO NOT put thru a metal detector!!"

huh? is this for real? this sounds like the type of fear a novice has upon buying their very first laptop...until realizing that older/wiser folks have long since abandoned the thought.

i'm sure mine has been thru any number of metal detectors. not just at airports, but occasionally in a govt. building, school, event hall, etc. etc.

what's the deal here?? safe or no?!

i don't recall such warnings in previous manuals.

 

I'm going to take a wild guess that the metal detector warning deals with the data on the hard drive.

Most metal detectors use a magnetic field as their search method. If a magnetic contact (metal) is sensed, the alarm goes off.

Since a standard (non solid state) hard drive uses magnetism to read and write data, a magnet or magnetic field placed on or near the drive will corrupt or erase the data.

Although this is common knowledge among geeks, average users and/or TSA Agents may be unaware of it. My guess is manufacturers have added this to their litany of warnings due to a few or more customers attempting the sue over loss of data caused by a metal detector -- similar to the warnings now placed on motorcycle and ATV gas tanks stating, "Warning! Do not operate under the influence of drugs or alcohol!" (Uh, DUH :heli ).

Finally, it is very, very unlikely your notebook (or anything you place in the x-ray bins at the airport) will ever be subject to magnetic screening. Metal detectors are used on people to find concealed weapons; if you beep it's off to a cubicle for junk touching time. :-D

 

Ta, magnetism though I doubt the magnetic fields used are strong enough to wipe a drive as they detect only, not made for wiping. Like was said, an anti-sue clause.rolleyes. Keep fingers away from rotating blade, you may lose them along with the grass.:-D If I had floppies then I'd worry more compared to hard drive which is encased in metal. I used to love passing a magnet on a CRT when a kid.

 

yeah, i know all about the magnetics, but how STRONG are those detectors? on a scale of 1 to 100, how likely is it that any data will EVER be affected?!

i thought that as long as u don't park your laptop atop a tv (or an old-school stereo speaker), the risk of magnetic influence was pretty much "urban legend".

yeah, in the x-ray bins, sure. but what about the many times you walk thru the detectors with case in hand?! geesh, and here i was thinking the TSA was cutting me some SLACK giving me the "wave-thru"....

not to mention highschools, courts, etc., where it's metal detector or nothing. i can think of several places i go where there is simply no other option besides the metal detector. should i be making a stink about passing my laptop around the OUTSIDE of these?

btw, on a related issue, what happens when you can't "turn on" a laptop? they often demand this at airports, but, more often than not, my battery is dead.

best one of these ever was on a baby stroller: "remove child before folding"....

i kid u not!

 

In the mid 80's, I placed a Walkman (the cassette tape type) in my motorcycle tank bag that attached with both straps and magnets. The Walkman was at the top of the bag above a rain suit. After a few hours on the trip, I was scratching my helmet on why the sound quality was so bad. Hard drives may be more resistant to magnetic issues than cassettes were; however I'd prefer to err on the side of caution.

In a "walk-through" detector, there is typically about 12" of free space around you (unless, of course, you take up two seats on the plane :-D ). I suspect the wand types they hold against your body (if placed directly on a notebook PC) would be more likely to create hard drive issues.

One of two things:

* You're asked to plug it in and show it works, or

* The TSA Agent (having watched Beavis and Butthead Do America the previous evening), yells out, "Full Body Cavity Searches For Everyone!". :-D

I believe it. If you want some really bizarre ones, check out www.engrish.com.