Dangerous to transporting MB while it's turned on.

[Halcyon]

I constantly transport my 13" white MB while it's turned on. That is, I close the lid, put it inside its neoprene sleeve and into my backpack...to be lugged around for the rest of the day.

Is this safe? Can it suffer from HD failure at some time?

I was under the impression that once the lid is closed the computers goes to sleep and nothing "spins" any more...so what damage can occur, right? Well, a friend just had to replace the HD on his MB and the tech guy said that it was damaged because he never turned it off before moving it around.

Can I keep doing this and be on the safe side? Should I shut it off before transporting it? I use my computer while visiting clients, so powering down and then turning it on for every visit I make is not only bothersome but most of the time impractical because I can't sit in my clients office and wait till the computer shuts off before leaving...you get the idea.

What's the final word on this?

 

[ECUpirate44]

There is no risk doing this. When you close the lid, the MB goes to sleep after a few seconds and the HDD stops spinning. That "Tech guy" has no idea what he's talking about, no worries.

 

[S.B.G]

When you close the lid on the laptop, it goes to sleep and stores its state in RAM and the HDD stops spinning. It is perfectly fine to carry it around all day in your bag. I've been doing this on my early 2007 MBP for years and the HDD is fine.

That tech guy cannot say with certainty that carrying it around is what caused the HDD to fail. HDD's fail all the time and is common. I am skeptical that it being carried around is what caused the problem.

 

[vincenz]

As long as you make sure the hard drive is asleep when the MacBook is asleep, there's nothing to worry about.

 

[Halcyon]

I did some googling and what you guys mention is correct. Once the lid closes the HD goes to sleep...

Thanks.

 

[S.B.G]

Here is some additonal good information on the laptop HDD and motion sensor from Apple:

Apple Portables: Advanced tips for Sudden Motion Sensor

Summary
Beginning with the PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz), PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz), PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz), and iBook G4 (Mid 2005), Apple portable computers feature a Sudden Motion Sensor. Intel-based Apple portables such as the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air also make use of the Sudden Motion Sensor.

Sudden Motion Sensor technology is built-in protection for the hard disk, designed to help prevent disk issues if the computer is dropped or if it senses unusually strong vibration. Apple has adjusted this feature carefully to provide the best balance between protecting the hard drive and preventing unwanted activation of the Sudden Motion Sensor. Most Apple portable owners never need to turn this feature off. Apple suggests that you not modify the settings unless absolutely necessary.

In some environments, such as live concert halls, recording studios, or dance clubs, external vibrations may be major enough to cause the module to unexpectedly park the hard drive heads, resulting in interrupted sound or video playback. In these situations, you may find that you want to disable the feature temporarily.