Airport security

I would suggest hand inspection. Many x-ray machines have other features such as metal detectors that will damage the HD.

It's a funny thing. Airlines would *much* prefer that you have your computer x-rayed. The "x-ray machines" in major international airports are much more than that these days. They are sophisticated bomb detectors. Hand inspection can never be quite as thorough. For you, the advantage of x-raying your laptop is speed and safety.

Your laptop would prefer to be hand inspected. X-rays are pretty powerful, they can damage the hard disk, CPU and memory in subtle ways. (For technical details, read the NASA reports on the radiation-resistant Hubble computer installed last year. It's a lowly 486!) I can promise you that one trip through the x-ray scanner will not affect your laptop in any way. Multiple trips may cause data loss or permanent hardware failure. If your data is lost because of x-rays, you can't prove it.

To make things worse, if they can't see inside they boost the power! This is why lead film bags don't work.

I always get my laptop hand inspected. While in the screening line I boot the laptop and put it in sleep mode. I hand it to the security personnel and wake it up when I'm on the other side. Security is satisfied with a glowing screen with a logo. Fast, efficient and never any problems.

Fred Haibach

Sorry to disagree with you Fred, but as a frequent traveller, I went through this at length with Dell a while ago. Here is the real deal:
1) X-Rays are fine. They will not damage your laptop. X-rays are x-rays, no matter how powerfull they are, they still don't use magnets or magnetic forces. My computer has gone through over 100 times, no problem.

2) Under no circumstances let your machine get near a metal detector of any kind (walk through or hand held). These devices rely heavily on magnetic forces to do what they have to do. This will wipe out your HD.

I do agree with you though, on the best thing you can do is to turn your machine on five minutes before you have to go through (make sure your batteries are fully charged) close the lid and slide it in your bag. That way if some over zealous airport security person wants to check out your machine, all it takes is for you to open the bag and flip open the lid. You will get through easily. Do not forget to shut the machine off very quickly thereafter because a machine in suspend will overheat in your case very quickly. I have had troubles with trying to get airport personel to "hand inspect" my machine and have been pushed aside to wait for a supervisor to do it.
Happy Travels,
Greg
(the source of this information can be verified in your "Dell User Guide - Travelling with your computer")

Yes I went through the airport a number of times too and as long as you let your laptop go though the xray machine instead of carrrying it with you through the metal detector, it should be okay.

I have a sort of new question on this topic. I just recently traveled and upon reaching my destination I found that the screen on my laptop has been distorted.. I cannot see the screen clearly. I can see it enough to guess where to login and where some icons are. I have been able to open programs so the HD isn't wiped out. But there are major lines across the screen. I have talked to some tech people and they think it was the xray machine at the airport that might have caused it. I just need to know how to fix it! Please help...