If you have never traveled through an Airport with a laptop, it can be a bit of a pain. Tech Force has prepared some basic guidelines to make the process as smooth and painless as possible. With a little planning your vacation will go off without a hitch.


Packing

Always take your laptop as a carry-on. Baggage handlers are basically trained to move the baggage as fast as they can from cart to plane and back the other way, this means toss, shoving, throwing and yes, even dropping your luggage. Play it safe and keep this sensitive machine where you can keep it safe.
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Security check points

Make sure your laptop is turned off before you approach the checkpoint.  Some laptops take forever to wake up from “sleep mode” should you be asked to turn your device on for the personal at the checkpoint, not having to go through the “power off-power on” song and dance will make it easier for all involved.

Also be sure sure to place your shoes in the first bin, coat and toiletries in the next, then suitcase and bags, and your laptop the last. This will make it easier for you to gather your items quickly when reaching the other side.
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On the plane

Never place your laptop in the overhead bin. Unless you are over 6 feet tall you won’t be able to see the compartment clearly, and neither will anyone else. They will toss, throw (picking up on an airport theme here?), shove and drop anything in the way of getting their bag to fit in that tiny compartment. Laptops are best stored under the seat in front of you.

Just a reminder: Bulkhead seating does not have seat storage in front of it, but there is side storage for carrying on items. Ask an attendant for a secure space here if you are not planning on using your laptop while sitting in a bulkhead seat. If you are planning on using your laptop in flight it is best to ask for a “non-bulkhead” seat.

​These simple tips will help you and your laptop have a safe and happy trip. But if something should happen to your laptop while you are traveling to far off reaches, we here at Tech Force back in Mt. Pleasant, are always here to help you get your laptop back on track.

Let’s face it, most of us keep our lives, the lives of our children and some of our friends on our laptops. Losing this information can be catastrophic, especially when traveling. Last week we began covering the basics of how to keep your laptop safe. This week we will continue that discussion, and talk about some things that you can do to keep your laptop safe during your travels.

Make your sure Anti-Virus and Operating System are up to date.

This is something you should always do, even when not traveling. It not only keeps your data safe but keeps your usages smoothly running.

Back-up your data
Before you walk out the door in that new swimsuit and cabana sunglasses to board your plane, back it up. The most important thing about your laptop is the data it holds. Make sure that data never gets lost no matter what by safely uploading it to a cloud server or external hard drive that will stay at home.
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Don’t rule out a Safety Lock

It seems a little outrageous but if traveling to big City airports and bus stations it might be a good idea to get a security lock for your travel bag. It may not completely prevent the determined thief from taking your laptop. But it will cause the casual thief to think twice. There are several different types of these. Take a “Google” browse and see which one would work best for you.

Insurance

If you’re like a lot of people and keep your whole life on your laptop, it would definitely be a good idea to purchase insurance for it. Some business and even home owner’s insurance policies insure travel loss. Check with your insurance agent to see if you’re covered.

Make use of the Do Not Disturb sign

These days we take our laptops everywhere with us, to the coffee shop, to the library, on vacation. In our blog about safe wifi we covered how you can keep your data secure.  What about moving it from place to place or worse getting it conventionally through Airport security! If you have ever traveled through one of these checkpoints with a you know what a pain it can be.
This week we will review how to keep your laptop safe from breakage and thieves and cool during your summer traveling. Let’s start with some basics:
1) Keeping your laptop cool
Turn it off when not using it!  It only takes a couple of seconds, but it can save you money and heartache in the long run. We have already gone of the fundamentals of keeping your laptop cool when you are using it at home or even the coffee shop, but sometimes when you are traveling by bus, train or air it is easy to just shut it and shove it in the case when your boarding pass is called. This is a bad idea folks, laptops run hot, so imagine the heat that can generate by all those components when crammed into a laptop bag. Turning your computer off can save those precious components from overheating and ruining that wonderful novel you are working on this summer.
2) The bag you carry
When you are simply traveling from home to the office or a friend’s house using a simple laptop bag can be ideal. However, when you are traveling to far away ports via commercial channels things can get ugly. The bag is bustled, jostled, and at time has other things thrown on top of it. You want a sturdy laptop bag, one with padding, pockets and as plain as it can get.

Having a bag with pockets is brilliant for organizing and keeping all your laptop accessories together. Preventing from being carelessly jostled together in one area and scratching that gorgeous laptop case. Keep your bag “humble” by not having any logos, pictures or sayings on the bag. This keeps it from being eye catching to those that covet your laptop for its resale value.
3) Make sure to unplug all external devices
Before you hurriedly toss your laptop in its bag take a moment to unplug and detach. Those slender cords used for laptop accessories are fragile things, and blue-tooth adapters are easily squished. Making sure you unplug them will keep them safe from ripping, cracking or fraying. It also gives you more of a reason to buy a bag with all sorts of nifty pockets.
4 – Computer LoJack

If you are traveling a lot this summer laptop Lojack services can help you keep tabs and almost always find a stolen laptop. If you have private information on your laptop and the computer is stolen, this software will allow you to access it and delete those files before they are viewed. Lojack software will also allow your claim to law enforcement to go smoother. Nothing worse than having our portable life support system stolen and being told there is nothing that can be done.
5 – Write it down or take a picture

Somewhere on your laptop should be a service sticker. On the sticker is information that can help you identify and claim a stolen laptop. It seems that every laptop has this tag in a different spot. If you are having trouble locating this on your laptop feel free to give us a ring here at No Ware Computer Repair and we would be happy to help you. Before you leave on your trip either to the coffeehouse or to Tahiti, it is a great idea to record this information, either by writing it down in a notebook you will carry in a place away from the laptop bag, or take a picture of it with your phone.

And of course, if you have any questions Tech Force in Mt Pleasant is always here to help!