Bringing bare hard drives to the airport?

[Heat]

Yeah, I'm the only one on the planet who doesn't have an Ipod or a similar hard drive player. :)

I am flying to MA to see my sister this summer, so I have to leave my computers at home and I wanted to put all the data from the computers and put it in a hard drive then encrypt it and take it with me on my trip cuz I don't want to leave all my data in one place when I'm gone, I think I will only be carrying on one bag and nothing else. I'm concerned that the airport may not allow me to carry the hard drive on the plane. Or I shouldn't worry about it?

[dittohead]

external - definately no probs
internal - i doubt it...but airport x-ray machines
i cant see a problem.
except physical damage

[Heat]

Yeah, I wanted to take an internal hard drive. I was planning to just put it in an anti-static bag and cushion it with my clothes. I dunno if the x-ray machines would damage that...

[dittohead]

i dunno, cos i heard an old college colleague got her portable cd player damaged in x ray....but i would never call her a reliable source.

im sure, but not quote me :D, uk or overseas companies buy/import hdds and probably goes through xray and customs...but thats just me guessin

also, dont ppl bring laptops through airports?

[Heat]

I'm not sure how it works for laptops. I think that many people do carry it on, but I don't think it goes through the x-ray machine but I think people have to show the inspectors that their laptop works. I'm concerned that a bare IDE HD might raise eyebrows and was wondering what the consensus was here.

[ghettocomp]

been there-done that, that (expletive deletable) Homeland Security cut the locks from my luggage and messed everything up. then they taped my locks and Hard Drive to a form letter explaining they had a "right to search everything"

I found out after several phone calls (heated of course) that there was nothing I could do, The government has full right to do what ever they want. Period.

Edit: They are a sore spot with me, but I guess they were trying to do their job --whatever it is supposed to be--

[L337 M33P]

been there-done that, that (expletive deletable) Homeland Security cut the locks from my luggage and messed everything up. then they taped my locks and Hard Drive to a form letter explaining they had a "right to search everything"

I found out after several phone calls (heated of course) that there was nothing I could do, The government has full right to do what ever they want. Period.

Edit: They are a sore spot with me, but I guess they were trying to do their job --whatever it is supposed to be--


Heh

I've taken 3 (yes 3) hard drives in simple boxes through internal British flights with my hold luggage - not a peep out of them :d

Multiple times as well - I don't like doing it as the pressure/shock may break them eventually.

[Malpine Walis]

Well lucky you lee7. Here is what I have experienced both before and after 9/11:

I have never tried bringing a bare hard drive (do you mean to use it as a player somehow? If so how about a link to how it is done?) but i have brought other stuff on. Whether it is a camera, computer or just a radio, bring it on yourself. Once you are in the terminal, you can often watch the luggage handlers loading your plane out the window and they pretty much just grab stuff off of the rolling cart and hurl it at the airplane. If you want to get stuff back in the same number of pieces that you brought it into the airport, hold onto it.

The only exception is small metal bits like change, belt buckles, lighters, etc. For that stuff, have a piece of luggage with a small zippered compartment that you can dump stuff into just before you check it in.

Now, for cameras, radios and other small stuff, just leave it in your bag and let it get xrayed. Despite what anyone has told you, there is nothing in anything that is xray sensitive. I have even brought loaded cameras through carry on and the film has survived the trip. If you are going to travel with actual xray film, then ask a radiologist what to do but apart from that, there is no bad magic to deal with.

For laptops, they don't tend to want them being xrayed. Most of the older laptops out there used a sheet of metal that was more than half the size of the whole unit as a heat sink and sheets of metal can be used to hide stuff from xrays. Probably, most modern lappys with heat pipes would not have that issue but the powers that be have no way of knowing what lappys have what for cooling so they all get the same check. They are going to pull it off the line and check it with one of a few different technologies. Don't worry about it and don't ask too many questions. You can always google for stuff when you get home if you really feel the need to know what they did.

Also, don't bother locking stuff. It is not like the locks that most luggage come with are anything other than total cheese-ball stuff anyway. The handlers can open most bags with a fork if they really wanted and they could probably re-close it so that you would never know. Locking stuff just makes you a general PIA for the baggage screeners. And trust me on this one: you would rather they just get into your stuff and get out of it without getting annoyed if you don't want your stuff taped to a letter saying “whoops! Tough s**t deal with it.”

[LutaWicasa]

Until I broke down and got a lappy, I used to take a rig (in parts) when I did out-of-town jobs...never had any issues with luggage being x-rayed causing damage, everything has always worked fine.
As to locking your luggage...since the inception of "Homeland Security" I have seen it plastered all over airports, announced over paging systems and told at check-in as well as security screening points to not lock...locks will be cut/forced for inspection purposes ;)

[rpwinters]

Well, I just flew from California to Florida and I have done numerous trips to New York from California. I take my laptop most of the time. They tell you to take it out of the case and put it in it's own bin and run it through the X-Ray machine. Not once have I been asked to turn it on. I have traveled with lots of things in my carry on: Power supply, RAM, HDD. No problems, no questions. Just don't put a PSU right next to a block of fruitcake. That stuff is so dense that it looks like C-4. That would definately wig out the X-Ray tech and make for a very long day for you.

[Mr.Guvernment]

Just take the hard drive on your carry on luggae - i do this 3 times a year from costa rica to miami to toronto and back and never once have i been stopped or questioned - i have also brought binders of CD's that i made and 100' cd spindles and never once been stopped, only what is this and i say "cds" and thas it.

[threeme2189]

gettings your locks cut is crappy....get really good ones that will bust their tools just to **** em off. and fill the suitcase with trash.

[JDXNC]

If in doubt, mail the drive to your sisters place then take your flight :p Then mail it back to yourself, wouldn't cost too much.

[ghettocomp]

.....Just don't put a PSU right next to a block of fruitcake. That stuff is so dense that it looks like C-4. That would definately wig out the X-Ray tech and make for a very long day for you.

OH.. Thats what made them do that to me. I had a bundle of candles my wife had purchased from some shop, I guess the hard drive and adaptors with those candles upset them. Funny, they left the candles alone...

[dark_15]

I had a 8 port switch and a bunch of cables connected to it in my carry-on bag... the scanners really thought I DID have a bomb...

That was a mess to take care of... :p

[Sjaak]

just don't put a PSU right next to a block of fruitcake. That stuff is so dense that it looks like C-4. That would definately wig out the X-Ray tech and make for a very long day for you.

LMAO...got examples? how'd you know that?

[ghettocomp]

I had a 8 port switch and a bunch of cables connected to it in my carry-on bag... the scanners really thought I DID have a bomb...

That was a mess to take care of... :p

Try them with a couple of cans of Pringles and an alarm clock packed together :rolleyes:

[Enablingwolf]

[dumb idea]If you really want to be a jerk. Rub fireworks all over your elecronics before you go to the airport. Bet that would delay you travelling by a day or two. Might even get a finger wave.[/dumb idea]



One good way is to call the carrier and ask if you need to follow special instuctions for sensitve elecrtonics or what not. :thup:

[Aslan]

I had a 8 port switch and a bunch of cables connected to it in my carry-on bag... the scanners really thought I DID have a bomb...

That was a mess to take care of... :p

Only an OC'er would take an 8 port switch with cables in a carry-on bag onto a flight. ;)

[MadSkillzMan]

x-ray wont hurt, its light remember? not magnetic

FILM in an Xray machine is a different story lol

[fuzzba11]

I've carried my whole desktop onto a plane before :D They wanted me to put it in cargo, but I told them there wasn't the slightest chance of that happening. So I bought it a ticket and strapped it in next to me :p

[Sjaak]

I've carried my whole desktop onto a plane before :D They wanted me to put it in cargo, but I told them there wasn't the slightest chance of that happening. So I bought it a ticket and strapped it in next to me :p

That is the geekiest thing i ever heard.

[>HyperlogiK<]

I'm not sure how it works for laptops. I think that many people do carry it on, but I don't think it goes through the x-ray machine but I think people have to show the inspectors that their laptop works. I'm concerned that a bare IDE HD might raise eyebrows and was wondering what the consensus was here.

My laptop has been through the xray machines in the US and Turkey (due to stupid customs officials) and it didn't seem to get damaged.

[Mr.Guvernment]

^^^ nope, same with me, numerous times and never any issues - floppy disks and all - and tey all work fine.

[ghettocomp]

I have never had any trouble with electronics going through Xray machines. Film would be another story. You can buy Xray resistant envelopes for film at many camera shops, but it makes them open luggage anyway. as far as carryon goes they will look inside but ther should be no real probs. could always stick your HD's in one of those bags as well if you are worried about them.

[Heat]

Buying a plane seat for your desktop. :lol: That is funny. I guess I will go ahead and bring the hd with me. Trip isn't til late July though. :)

[Elif Tymes]

You can take it, but make sure you pad it well :-p.

My friends HDD took a couple nasty bumps :-p.

[Mr.Guvernment]

thas why u put it in your carry for starters :D tuck it in a sweater or something.