Is it safe to send a laptop computer through the conveyer belt at airport security?

Question

Are there magnets or any other devices in the machine that might hurt a laptop?

I know this is probably a silly question, but the laptop doesn't belong to me, so I wanted to be sure.

Answer 1

Lanani, It's not a silly question at all, especially if you're concerned about protecting someone else's belongings.

From personal experience, I used to be a very frequent flyer on computer consulting gigs. I never had a problem with putting my various computer systems, floppy disks, usb drives, cd's or dvd's through the x-ray machine.

The x-ray machine is electromagnetic in nature, which is a bit different from being magnetic. In fact, the one place that could hurt floppies, usb drives, etc is the metal detector that you have to walk through. That IS magnetic.

You don't need to worry about it and have a nice trip.

If you want some nifty diagrams and techno speak, here's an interesting entry on "HowStuffWorks" http://www.howstuffworks.com/airport-security4.htm

Answer 2

if u mean for the x-ray, yea its perfectly safe. I send mine through all the time. They are designed not to harm them, otherwise they wouldn't require you to send them through them.