Laptops on Planes?

[lazidazi07]

Not quite sure if this is the right place, but I'm going for it anyway...

I know this may sound extremely computer ignorant, but me and DBF just got brand new laptops for graduation and would love to use them to watch DVD's and such on the plane ride to MCO. We have NO idea how to turn on and off our internet/network stuff. My tech savvy brother set that up, I just click the explorer button! But my question is, how do we turn that off so that it doesnt connect when we turn on our computers? He's got a MacBook and I have a ...um, Toshiba? I know its Windows Vista. I seriously get paranoid when I fly about the whole "cell phone" interference conspiracy. I dont wanna be a part of it!

Help anyone?
TIA.

 

[SnowWhite12]

I am definitely no expert either. You gave me a great idea to use the laptop on plane for DVD's----just not sure if I really want to have to keep up with it. Unless you have wireless internet, you won't be able to connect to the internet anyway.

 

[Alacrity]

You will need to be able to turn the wireless ablities when using the laptop. There should either be a switch that you can turn off or on or a program you run to disable the wireless. My Toshiba has a switch and you may find it on the side. Using the laptop for DVDs will work just fine but, you will probably find that the battery life will be somewhat short. The drive itself pulls a lot of power! If you can convert the DVDs to a file stored on the laptop ahead of time you will have much better battery life but that will require some know-how and a piece of software you may or may not have.

Good luck and don't for get a splitter for the headphones! I may be sitting next to ya!

Not quite sure if this is the right place, but I'm going for it anyway...

I know this may sound extremely computer ignorant, but me and DBF just got brand new laptops for graduation and would love to use them to watch DVD's and such on the plane ride to MCO. We have NO idea how to turn on and off our internet/network stuff. My tech savvy brother set that up, I just click the explorer button! But my question is, how do we turn that off so that it doesnt connect when we turn on our computers? He's got a MacBook and I have a ...um, Toshiba? I know its Windows Vista. I seriously get paranoid when I fly about the whole "cell phone" interference conspiracy. I dont wanna be a part of it!

Help anyone?
TIA.

 

[lazidazi07]

You will need to be able to turn the wireless ablities when using the laptop. There should either be a switch that you can turn off or on or a program you run to disable the wireless. My Toshiba has a switch and you may find it on the side. Using the laptop for DVDs will work just fine but, you will probably find that the battery life will be somewhat short. The drive itself pulls a lot of power! If you can convert the DVDs to a file stored on the laptop ahead of time you will have much better battery life but that will require some know-how and a piece of software you may or may not have.

Good luck and don't for get a splitter for the headphones! I may be sitting next to ya!

Thank you SO much! I think I get it now. I see a button on the side with the little signal symbol. YAY! Thank you!

 

[KJF]

I travel w/ mine for work. When going through the security checkpoint, you have to remove it from your bag & place it in one of the bins. It does not have to be turned on, but they do scan it in the machine out of the bag. I didn't know that the first time & they had me take it out once it was through the machine so they could put it back through. Just wanted to help speed up the screening part!

 

[lazidazi07]

I travel w/ mine for work. When going through the security checkpoint, you have to remove it from your bag & place it in one of the bins. It does not have to be turned on, but they do scan it in the machine out of the bag. I didn't know that the first time & they had me take it out once it was through the machine so they could put it back through. Just wanted to help speed up the screening part!

Thank you!

 

[NotUrsula]

If you are going to travel to a resort destination with a laptop, I would advise investing in a good combination cable lock for each of them, so that you can lock them to a piece of furniture or a closet shelf when left in your room.

They probably will not fit in the room safe, so if you don't lock them up but want them secure when you are not there, I would advise putting them in a bag and taking them down to be locked in secure storage while you are out -- they will give you a claim check for them.

 

[dizzy203]

Sorry I don't know how you would turn the internet on/off. I have a wireless card so I just don't use the card. I've been bringing my laptop with me for the past few years, it seems to makes the flight go faster. My DS13 watches a dvd on the plane. The flight is about 2 3/4 hours and my battery last 2 hours. It's just enough time since he can't turn it on until we get in the air and then he needs to turn it off early to get ready to land. I've never locked them up but I've always worried about leaving it in the room. How do you use the combination lock on them? Do you wrap the cable around the laptop and then around the shelf?

 

[Indy's Girl]

Just to add another tip, make sure that your laptop is OFF when it goes through the securtiy x-ray thing. A friend of mine just returned from a trip, and put her laptop through in sleep mode thinking it was off. Her hard drive was completley wiped! She had to order a new drive and pay someone to try and extract her old files. She had many people (both airline and computer) tell her that this happened because her computer was not off. I personally don't know fi the x-ray machine things could do that, but better safe than sorry!

 

[Kies99]

If you are going to travel to a resort destination with a laptop, I would advise investing in a good combination cable lock for each of them, so that you can lock them to a piece of furniture or a closet shelf when left in your room.

They probably will not fit in the room safe, so if you don't lock them up but want them secure when you are not there, I would advise putting them in a bag and taking them down to be locked in secure storage while you are out -- they will give you a claim check for them.

I stayed at POP and my Dell laptop did fit in the room safe. I had to turn it on end though and I was slightly concerned when I first put it in that it might fall out when I opened the door. I was just very careful and didn't have any issues.

 

[Chrisypoo]

I've never locked them up but I've always worried about leaving it in the room. How do you use the combination lock on them? Do you wrap the cable around the laptop and then around the shelf?

The cable gets secured around something that doesn't move...dresser leg, desk leg, bed leg, etc. There's a lock at one end of the cable that has a kind of prong that fits into a hole on the laptop (it's usually on the left side, near the back and has a picture of a lock over it). Once in the hole, you just spin the combination or use a key to lock it up.

 

[huskies90]

If you are going to travel to a resort destination with a laptop, I would advise investing in a good combination cable lock for each of them, so that you can lock them to a piece of furniture or a closet shelf when left in your room.

For whatever it is worth, when I travel on business I take a combo lock but I find it "safer" to hide the laptop at the bottom of my suitcase. If somebody really wanted your computer, even the best cables seem like they'd be easy to cut and if it is locked to desk, it is sitting right out to tempt someone. If it is hidden, it is out site, out of mind.

 

[WillCAD]

For whatever it is worth, when I travel on business I take a combo lock but I find it "safer" to hide the laptop at the bottom of my suitcase. If somebody really wanted your computer, even the best cables seem like they'd be easy to cut and if it is locked to desk, it is sitting right out to tempt someone. If it is hidden, it is out site, out of mind.

I do both - I put it out of sight, and I lock it with a cable.

 

[GBShorts]

I've often thought of taking my laptop on planes with me, but the truth is, if I just want to use it to watch DVD's, I'd be better off going to Best Buy and dropping a hundred dollars or so for a mini dvd player. The one I bought has a 4 hour battery and they sell an external battery that provides 8 hours more of watch time...so a trip from say Wisconsin, where I am, to Anaheim allows me to see several movies and still have juice left, including a layover!!

In addition to that, since it isn't a computer it doesn't have to be removed from the case for security check in.

If you have some spare cash lying around or a friend with one to borrow, I'd highly recommend it. You can even find them with external RCA outputs to plug into your hotel's TV if you'd like to watch a movie in your room one night or whatever

 

[nbodyhome]

I do wish the screeners would be more careful with the laptops - they tend to treat them pretty roughly going through (I always try to get through the walk-through scanner quickly, so I can get it before it goes down the rollers!)

 

[SnoopyDancer]

Another tip, in case you didn't think about it, is to take a power strip with you. That way, you can charge your cell phone, ipod, computer, etc. easily.

Have fun!