Hello. I have a MBP 17" 2010 model. These days, I travel often between cities. I wonder if I will damage the hard drive by using the MBP on the bus or in the train or plane. I read that there is a motion sensor for the hard drive but a genius at the Apple Store said that it is not good for the hard drive due to vibrations. (At first he said that it would be ok if I put it on my lap. Then, he changed his advice.) I suppose it may be bad for the laptop if I use it under Windows Vista (did Apple include motion sensor control program in Bootcamp?) or switch on/off the computer when the transportation vibrates a lot. Any thought? Thanks.
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Will I damage my MBP if I use it on the bus or in the train?
- Thread starter hajime
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Surprisingly enough, I found that the bus gave me and my mbp a smoother ride than the train. There were some pretty wicked jostling on the train esp when moving at high speeds. I wouldn't recommend it unless you outfitted it with an SSD.
Thanks. So, that is another good reason to replace the internal HD with the SSD.
It puts a spinning magnetic hard drive more at risk of problems, but the level of the risk is probably not as much as a lot of people make it out to be. Provided you arent on one of those buses that are bawling over LA potholes at full speed, you will be okay.
You`ll be fine. Just use and enjoy, try not to "baby" your machine too much. Take care of it by all means but they are designed to be used. 
Just don't drop it during the ride. If you hear your hdd start to sound like it's scratching then the ride may be too bumpy , but other than that, it should be good to go!
, but other than that, it should be good to go!
Most laptop hard drives are rated for physical shocks of 300G or more while operating. To put that into perspective, dropping an MBP 3 feet onto a concrete might subject the drive to as much as 100G. Any physical shocks, or vibrations sufficient to damage a laptop drive would most likely be fatal to the user.
I've used my MB (non-SSD) on trains and planes, no problems there. I can imagine if the transport were too bumpy for a hard drive, then I wouldn't be comfortable staring at a laptop screen anyway. I can't read in a car or a bus (I know some can) without getting nauseous, so I wouldn't use my laptop on those conditions.
It's a mobile computer, of course it won't get damaged if you use it on the bus or train.
That's a rather rude avatar?
You'll be fine. Despite popular belief, an apple notebook is meant to be portable.
That's a rather rude avatar?
Thanks for sharing the experience. Anybody knows the following:
1. Is the motion sensor functioning (automatically) under Windows Vista 64-bit?
Sometimes I have to use Windows in transportations.
2. Is the sensor actually activated when the MBP is switched on?
I suppose it may be risky to turn on/off the laptop in bumpy ride.
In a bumpy ride, I heard the hdd started to sound like it was scratching. I immediately turned off the computer.
1. Is the motion sensor functioning (automatically) under Windows Vista 64-bit?
Sometimes I have to use Windows in transportations.
2. Is the sensor actually activated when the MBP is switched on?
I suppose it may be risky to turn on/off the laptop in bumpy ride.
In a bumpy ride, I heard the hdd started to sound like it was scratching. I immediately turned off the computer.
I love rude, inconsiderate posts.
despite being rude he has a very good point.
+1