Hard Drives and planes.

[agent006]

I've got 3 hard drives to take with me on an internal flight tomorrow. A few questions.

Will the Xray machine damage them, i'm not bothered about the data, just need to be re-formattable.

Will they actially be allowed on the plane (easyjet)? In a cardboard box with IBM written on it. As hand luggage?

[dontlift]

agent006 said:

I've got 3 hard drives to take with me on an internal flight tomorrow. A few questions. Will the Xray machine damage them, i'm not bothered about the data, just need to be re-formattable. Will they actially be allowed on the plane (easyjet)? In a cardboard box with IBM written on it. As hand luggage?

Xray - if you declare them then you should be able to pass them around it, although my laptop went through a couple of times with no ill effects.

And yes they should allow them on the plane (although this will be your one item of hand luggage)

If you are really worried, why not just ship them ahead of you by courier and have them sat waiting the other end

>> Edited by dontlift on Wednesday 5th November 13:49

[bga]

you'll have no worries with hd's or film or anything that could be sensitive. If the scanning kit damaged laptop drives the manufacturers would have been sued out of existance by now.

[meeja]

My laptop has been through more airport x-ray machines that I've had hot dinners.

Hard drive has never missed a beat!

[sheepy]

The only thing I've ever had which was affected by the Xray machine was my mobile phone (which I forgot to turn off).

[agent006]

dontlift said:

If you are really worried, why not just ship them ahead of you by courier and have them sat waiting the other end

I'm taking them to avoid having to pay for shipping and a flight!!

I'll just have to take the chance that the checkin and security people can tell the difference between hard-drives an a bomb.

[Plotloss]

The only issue I have ever had with a laptop is taking one with a Notes client on it into the US.

Swines.

[dontlift]

Plotloss said:

The only issue I have ever had with a laptop is taking one with a Notes client on it into the US. Swines.

What was their issue with it having lotus notes on it?

[dontlift]

Plotloss said:

The only issue I have ever had with a laptop is taking one with a Notes client on it into the US. Swines.

What was their issue with it having lotus notes on it?

[meeja]

agent006 said:

I'm taking them to avoid having to pay for shipping and a flight!! I'll just have to take the chance that the checkin and security people can tell the difference between hard-drives an a bomb.

I have taken some quite bizarre looking broadcast equipment on flights before now (cables here there and everywhere!) and once or twice they have asked to have a look at it close up after seeing it on the x-ray, but has never caused a problem, and more importantly, has never held me (or anyone else in the queue) up for more than a couple of minutes.

[Plotloss]

dontlift said:

Plotloss said: The only issue I have ever had with a laptop is taking one with a Notes client on it into the US. Swines. What was their issue with it having lotus notes on it?

Its a very long and boring, but quite unbelieveable reason. The edited highlights are basically that it was to do with Notes encryption system and the CIA/FBI not being able to hack it so it used to be flagged at Customs as a point to stop and search...

[meeja]

Plotloss said:

The edited highlights are basically that it was to do with Notes encryption system and the CIA/FBI not being able to hack it so it used to be flagged at Customs as a point to stop and search...

They just needed to employ a few more spotty teenage geeks.....

[Bodo]

Plotloss said:

Its a very long and boring, but quite unbelieveable reason. The edited highlights are basically that it was to do with Notes encryption system and the CIA/FBI not being able to hack it so it used to be flagged at Customs as a point to stop and search...

So you had to delete your hdd, because you wanted to (illegally) export PGP or escrow (or whatever encryption) from the US, which you've imported legally from the UK before then? Or did you come around deleting the entire hdd?