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From: MacUserLabs@cup.portal.com (Stephan - Somogyi)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Floppy Disks and X-Rays
Message-ID: <43215@cup.portal.com>
Date: 12 Jun 91 17:43:34 GMT
Article-I.D.: cup.43215
References: <1991Jun6.190601.616@vax.oxford.ac.uk>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 29

feldman@vax.oxford.ac.ukw asks:
 
>How sensitive, if at all, are 3.5" floppy disks to airport-type
>security x-rays?  I have to bring about 100 disks on the plane, and
>the disks contain my only copies of all the software on them.
 
>Is there any worry?  Are there any precautions to take?
 
As someone else already mentioned, the x-rays themselves aren't the
problem (any more), the magnetic fields generated by the conveyor belt
motors are.
 
I've been travelling internationally with hard disks in my carry-on
luggage for a few years now and haven't lost data on either HDs or
floppies. As a caveat to this I must qualify that all of the airports
that I have gone through appear to have up-to-date equipment. It's
quite plausible that older equipment will eat data.
 
Most airports will allow electronic equipment or magnetic media to be
hand checked, even if it takes a little orneriness on your part to
make them do it. I don't even bother any more.
 
Heathrow, however, will NOT. I flew through there last year just after
they had instituted this rule and was told in no uncertain terms that
I could either put my HD through the machine or not get on my plane.
As of Sunday, this rule is still in effect.
 
______________________________________________________________________
Stephan Somogyi                   net.nerd                     MacUser