are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

[bongoloid]

are metal detectors hazardous to laptops?

[minibubba]

afaik it's not a problem, but I'm not sure

[Mr. C]

I'm no metal-detector guru or anything like that.
I do believe that the technology utilized by such devices is basically a magnetic field.

Am I correct?

If so, I would have to assume, that the generation of such a field would be potentially harmful to sensitive electronic devices that might happen to be a bit too near.

It's just a guess, but hey, it sounded almost like an educated guess, didn't it

[Chezman29]

Walkthroughs, no. The x-ray machines, yes.
If you are talking about an airport or something. They make you take it out and turn it on prior to walking through the medal detector, your bag then goes through, and your laptop does not go through the x-ray machine.

Otherwise your information might go

Chez

[Mr. C]

ooooh, my bad :(

I was thinking of the type of unit that treasure hunters use.

Guess maybe I should get out and travel more, huh?

[elrado1]

If a treasure hunter finds a laptop buried in the ground, I think the effects of the metal detector will be the least of your worries. :rofl:

[aamybush]

Re: are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

Nop as it is metal detector...

[soldier]

Re: are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

If it's going through those x-ray scanners then yes. Both my sister and cousin lost their dvd-rw drives like that.

[NimrodAUS]

Re: are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

If it's going through those x-ray scanners then yes. Both my sister and cousin lost their dvd-rw drives like that.

How? In Australia anyway, they make you take your laptop out of the bag, but no to turn it on just so they can put it through the X ray scanner by itsself. Mine has been through 20+ times and never had a problem. But Toshiba are good now arnt they?

[Thorhall]

Re: are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

As I am also in Australia, thought I might chip into that.
Have a work lappy which is an apple. That doesn't like going through the x ray scanner at all.
First time some data got corrupted (I first thought I suffered from 'dog ate my homework' sort of thing). Secondly, the USB keyboard is now giving me little electric buzzes. Yay for that - at least it keeps you wake ;)

[NimrodAUS]

Re: are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

I just thought of something actually. I had an old ericson mobile phone you know the ones with the single digit hight display and the antenna on top. It went through an X Ray machine (turned on) in Brissy Airport and never worked again. So Fraks me????

[ChiefUno]

Re: are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

Well...dont go apple then :)

I have both a Toshiba laptop and a Dell XPS...Both have been through airport x-rays plenty of times with absolutely no problems

[Unframed Obituary]

Re: are metal detectors hazardous to laptops

X-ray scanners are more harmful but there's a moderate chance going through a walkthrough metal detector could atleast wipe a HDD. I'm curious though how that other fellows DVD+RW drives failed because of a scanner.