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Manfred21

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 29, 2007
19
0
I heard that you're not supposed to lift up and move around with your laptop. I heard it is bad for the harddrive. You should only move it when the computer is off or on sleep mode. Is this true?

Thanks.
 

iFizz

macrumors regular
Regardless of where you heard this....

Yes, "movement" can damage a hard drive. Let's define that movement.
Modern laptop HDs are designed with protection against sudden shock and vibration. Go to New Egg or Macsales and look at laptop HD tech specs and you will see the technology I am talking about. Little movements here and there are not going to kill your HD. Drop it from a coffee table to the floor, it may or may not break. Drop it from higher, it will probably break. Regarding movement while use, most laptop HDs are built to withstand 1G of vibration while operating (more or less, depends on brand, model, etc).
By the way, the same goes for your iPod Classic. Don't be paranoid, but don't be careless either.
 

DoFoT9

macrumors P6
Jun 11, 2007
17,586
98
London, United Kingdom
there is a certain threshold on the amount you can move it before the sensors will stop reading the HD, cauzing it to freeze up a little bit. moving it around like from table -table wont do any harm. if your gonna shake it, or drive around a curvey road then maybe it will jump.

in this case there is a slight possibility that it could wreck the HD, and eventually it will happen

but slight movements are fine.

N.B. (from personal experience) MOVE THE LAPTOP WHILE BURNING IS A NO-NO
 

chris y.

macrumors regular
Feb 27, 2006
121
0
los angeles, ca
I think its fine to move your laptop while its on, if its a short distance (e.g. from upstairs to downstairs). If you really wanted to be careful avoid making any sudden or jerky movements.

I know there is a potential for premature failure similar to jogging with hard drive based iPods, but even that doesnt consistently result in a HD failure.
 

Michael CM1

macrumors 603
Feb 4, 2008
5,681
276
N.B. (from personal experience) MOVE THE LAPTOP WHILE BURNING IS A NO-NO

Usually, I tend to not pick up objects that are aflame. :)

I would add that looking at a computer oddly while burning is a no-no. The SuperDrive is easily the best burner I have used (even better than the Sony I bought for my PC years ago), but we're still talking about frickin' lasers writing on frickin' discs.
 

DoFoT9

macrumors P6
Jun 11, 2007
17,586
98
London, United Kingdom
Usually, I tend to not pick up objects that are aflame. :)

I would add that looking at a computer oddly while burning is a no-no. The SuperDrive is easily the best burner I have used (even better than the Sony I bought for my PC years ago), but we're still talking about frickin' lasers writing on frickin' discs.

BAHAHAHAHAHA you bastard :p

'burning' as in writing data onto a removable storage device eheh :cool:

my mbp doesnt burn dvd;s anymore. its stuffed. :( gonna cost about $500 to get fixed aswell what a ruip!

but yes, they are amazing burners
 

Stang68

macrumors 6502a
May 29, 2007
793
0
USA
yea, i dont advise moving your mac while its running. I usually wait till it is in sleep mode. And definitely not when its burning something!
 

Abraxsis

macrumors 6502
Sep 23, 2003
425
11
Kentucky
Usually, I tend to not pick up objects that are aflame. :)

I would add that looking at a computer oddly while burning is a no-no. The SuperDrive is easily the best burner I have used (even better than the Sony I bought for my PC years ago), but we're still talking about frickin' lasers writing on frickin' discs.

Still not as scary as sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads. I wouldnt look oddly at them either
 

wordmunger

macrumors 603
Sep 3, 2003
5,124
3
North Carolina
You *can* move your MBP without damaging the hard drive. Indeed, the HD is designed to spin down to protect the data if there is a sudden movement. However, I've found that I'm more likely to drop the computer if I don't have it securely closed. This, obviously, can lead to serious damage.

Therefore, there is a rule in our household: if you're moving the computer off the table or surface it's sitting on, then close it! Even from one room to the next, or from one table to another. Why risk it? The computer wakes from sleep in 1-2 seconds anyways.
 

anirban

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2007
689
0
Houston, TX
I have moved my computer several times while it was running, and have not had any issues with it. The biggest issue that I have is what Wordmunger said- its risky to move a computer with its lid open. Increases the chances of banging it into something.
 
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