Is it okay to walk around with "MacBook"

I do it frequently and I've never had a problem... just don't drop it and it'll be fine.

It's generally not recommended because of hard drive sensitivities to movement. Theoretically moving around an undamped hard drive could subject it to a greater risk for hard drive crash. However - a lot of people (myself included) move around their hard drives and laptops without issue.

If there is any possibility of something going wrong, it would only be with the hard drive. The electronics can take it with no problem.

that is most likely one of the main reasons that apple came up with the sms (sudden motion sensor). it is used to detect every single movement made with the laptop and will stop the discs and heads from moving in the case of to much movement to protect the hard drive and the computer from any possible risks.

I don't believe it actually stops the disk from spinning; my impression is that it just suspends any disk access operations to prevent the heads from crashing into the platters. I'm not certain whether it does this by merely delaying transactions, or if it goes as far as to park the heads.

--Matthew

Never a good idea to move a computer when it's in use no matter the process.



Carolyn 🙂

All of this is correct unless of course you're using an SSD. 😉

Even with that... hard drives are fairly robust. Unless you have a major bump while the drive is running, you should be fine. Millions of people move around while their system is running and I don't think I've ever heard of a failure from doing this... even before more current systems started using sudden motion sensors. If you just use a moderate amount of care you won't have a problem.

What nonsense about keeping your macbook stationary while using it. It flops and moves around while just sitting on your lap.

I hardly ever shut mine down. I use the MacBook in bed most of the time, and am constantly moving it from my chest to my night table next to the bed without shutting down or sleeping it.

If you wanted to be super careful when moving from room to room, you could choose to Sleep it from the Apple Menu which parks the heads.

Of course, you want to move it carefully. (I wouldn't jog with it unless it was in Sleep mode.)

rtjones wrote:
What nonsense about keeping your macbook stationary while using it. It flops and moves around while just sitting on your lap.

Then tell Apple that. It's not necessarily that you'll see a catastrophic crash, but maybe just one damaged sector after the head contacts the platter.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA25026

Products Affected

MacBook Pro, MacBook

When putting your Apple portable computer into sleep mode, be sure to wait a few seconds until the sleep indicator light starts pulsing before moving your Apple portable computer. The pulsing light indicates that the computer is fully asleep and the hard disk has stopped spinning.

Important: Moving your computer while the disk is spinning can damage the hard disk, causing loss of data or the inability to startup from the hard disk.

Its NOT a good idea to walk around with you Apple MB running IF you're walking down the halls of the Microsoft Campus. Hey, its not safe to drink coffee while using your MB also IF you are going to turn the cup upside down while it's over the keyboard.

Otherwise, its a question of how safe you want to be. I've been walking around my home with every laptop I've ever owned without ANY problems. The only thing you have to be aware of is that you're getting "out on the edge" if you were to trip and end up toss the MB at the same time. ANYTIME I carry my MB and especially while it's running, I'm especially careful about where I'm stepping and other surrounding that might make me drop it if I were to bump into them.

Life's too short to never take a teeny step out on the edge.

Another thing to consider. Most laptops are built pretty sturdy. A few years ago I had an IBM Thinkpad that was a pretty good notebook, but like all of them, it came time to get a better one. So I advertised in on Craigslist, made a contact to sell and while I was waiting for the buyer to come over to pick it up, it fell off my kitchen counter and bounced on the hardwood floor. I figured it was toast, but I went ahead and turned it on and it booted right up. Not a ding one on it. I sold the computer with a 2 week guarantee and never heard from my buyer again so I assume there no damage that I didn't notice.

So, live a little and carry it around when you want to share something with your family or friends and I doubt you'll ever have a problem.

As far as the Apple warning about moving while the computer is on, that's their lawyer talk. Same as the warning about not using a hairdryer in the bathtub.

Well, in a perfect world - yes you would NEVER move your laptop while it is on. In reality, well we do all the time! I often will close my laptop and take it downstairs or outside to enjoy the sunshine and I have never had any problems. They actually handle the movement quite well. I would suggest, however, that while you carry it, you pay a little more attention to NOT dropping it. It isn't good for your computer!

On that note: I generally advise NOT to leave your laptop on while traveling. This means, throwing it in your bag and going out. While, just like before you not have any problems with the movement - I've noticed that I tend to be less attentive when it is out of sight. A few times, my laptop has dropped while in the bag. Luckily, it has been off every time. It provably saved it.

Hope that helps!

y pw wrote:

Important: Moving your computer while the disk is spinning can damage the hard disk, causing loss of data or the inability to startup from the hard disk.

And I've got a ladder that has a big label on it telling me not to jump off.

If my macbook is that delicate then I bought the wrong machine.

rtjones wrote:
If my macbook is that delicate then I bought the wrong machine.

It's not necessarily a MacBook or Apple issue. It's generally the nature of hard drives. I have heard of some setups that go at great lengths to "dampen" hard drives from the effects of movement for mobile applications. It's sort of CYA to publicly state it, but these companies have done enough research to known that excessive movement for a standard hard drive results in increased chances of suffering a hard drive problem.

Maybe it's not a catastrophic crash, but you've got a head flying a few nanometers along a cushion of air from the platter. If it contacts the head (it happens from time to time) there's a chance that it might destroy a little data. Sometimes the Sudden Motion Sensor could be a bit too sensitive - I've even heard of some people finding that their machines got a little bit batty because they were placed too close to a bass sound source - maybe a subwoofer.

http://seagate.custkb.com/seagate/crm/selfservice/search.jsp?DocId=195931&NewLan g=en

Can I physically install my drive sideways, upside down or vertically?

All Seagate & Maxtor's internal hard drives can be fitted sideways or upside down. As long as they can not be moved during use and get enough cooling it is irrelevant in which direction they are mounted.