Laptop in Tibet

It might work, it might get damaged or it might quit working and the hard drive will be irretrievably damaged. The issue is the read/write head of portable hard drives flies on a thin cushion of air. At high altitude the air is too thin to support the head and it might scratch and destroy the disk surface. This seems to be especially true if the drive is shaken around during operation (iPod etc).

It is not a question of easy and cheap. The issue is safe versus sorry. There are always some people who report that they used their portable drive without problems, but there are also iPod /portable drive/ laptop users who report having lost their entire photo or music collections, data, email, etc.

Search for something called an Otterbox. This will keep the ambient pressure at whatever altitude you are when you seal it. It's fitted with a coin slot handle so that you can open it after descending more than a thousand meters or so. Avoid boxes with automatic pressure relief valves.

Also ask on the Cameras, Computers, Phones branch.

Ruth

At our place we met quite some people with a malfunctioning iPod, some said it was the problem of the attitude, I don't know if it's true.

I'm using a Fujitsu P5010 here in Lhasa and some other higher places while cycling, we got no problem at all.

There are a number of internet cafes in Lhasa so presumably their equipment wroks OK, I think Lhasa is about 3,400m. Personally I wouldn't risk it, I understand you can damage the HD permanently.

WeiLong in Tibet

The issue for desktops and for laptops is VERY different. The small harder drives in a laptop mean that there is less room for error/movement and more possibility of damage plus lap tops are designed to be used in your laptop while no one moves the CPU of a desktop machine.

Unless you have backed up your entire hard drive and left it someplace at a lower altitude and understand completely the risk of hard drive failure, I would NOT recommend even taking your laptop to high altitudes. Same with an ipod or any device that uses a small or mini hard drive. This is not an issue with a flash drive which does not have moveable parts. Just carrying a device even if you never turn it on runs some risk.

Again for more expert advice, ask this question on the Cameras, Computers and Phones branch.

Ruth

While it's always good to play it safe, I think it's important to emphasize of the existence of the many computer shops in Lhasa selling laptops, if those small 2.5" notebook hard disk failed to work in Lhasa, then it doesn't really make sense why they're selling this in Lhasa and customers seem to be happy.

Thank you Everbrite, thank you Pazu.
Probably I could use my laptop in Lhasa and other lower places, but I don't want to risk.
But... if the problem is in the hard disk, this means that there should be no problem using a photocamera whith a memory stick. Right?

No, memory sticks have NO moving parts. OTOH if your videocamera uses a mini drive, then there could be issues.

Ruth

wow, i was thinking of a long visit to tibet, never considered the altitude would affect
my laptop. a quick search found:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=231762

"You should look for a laptop with a solid state drive. Mechanical hard drives need the air to be thick enough for the head to fly above the platters."

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/adsahdcf.asp

and this looks good...seagate EE25, operating altitude to 5000 meters.
(80gb on ebayland for $150)

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/consumer_electronics/ee25_series/

please post again if you learn more.

I've never had a problem with ANY electronics in Lhasa (alt: 3650m) or similar altitudes, but I have had problems at Namtso Lake.

Namtso is at an altitude of 4718 meters, which is quite high. A number of travelers I was with reported that their iPods, CD players, or other small electronics were not working properly. However, once we returned to Lhasa, everything was working fine.

No problems using cameras (low-end and fancy ones) at any altitude thus far.