Computer Related > What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: L'escargot Replies: 24
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 12:58 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - L'escargot
I can't add much to the thread title really. I thought that perhaps laid on its side on something soft in the boot. I'm not keen on the idea of having something of that weight in the passenger compartment.
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 13:06 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Bromptonaut
Should be OK as it will be powered down and discs stopped. Secure it so it cannot move around under braking and perhaps cover with a sheet if cosmetic damage to case is an issue.

They survive factory to customer transport just fine. Neither do our work machines suffer when the techs move them between sites.
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 13:34 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - R.P.
Don't let it near a bottle of Soy Sauce - trust me.
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 13:49 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - devonite
I would also lay it on the Motherboard side, so that additives (pcl cards, etc) are sitting on it and not hanging from it, so that they don`t loosen as much should you hit a bump!.
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 13:58 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Zero
As long as you know which way is "up" ^
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 14:07 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - zookeeper
the mutherboard is usully screwed to the side opposite the door/ opening
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 14:17 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Zero
And how may people know what side the "door" opening is? Some cases I have used, both sides screw off!
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 17:14 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - bathtub tom
Inside?

You don't want it to pick up any bugs.
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Sun 22 Jul 12 at 17:15
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 17:21 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - swiss tony
>> I can't add much to the thread title really. I thought that perhaps laid on
>> its side on something soft in the boot. I'm not keen on the idea of
>> having something of that weight in the passenger compartment.
>>

Are you sure its a desktop, and not a server?
Some servers look like desktops, but are a lot heavier...
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 18:19 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - WillDeBeest
How about upright on the floor behind the front passenger seat, with the seat pushed back far enough to keep it from moving? (Maybe use a blanket for shock protection.)
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 18:51 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Victorbox
>> How about upright on the floor behind the front passenger seat, with the seat pushed
>> back far enough to keep it from moving? (Maybe use a blanket for shock protection.)

The blanket will be to protect seat trim from any sharp edges on the desktop case! I once had a plastic coolbox do something irreparable to seat material during a long journey.....
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 22:07 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - ....
I'm with WDB. Computer on the floor behind the passenger seat, something over it to protect the interior and move the passenger seat back to lock it in place.

Now L'es comes back and tells us he has a car full planned, roof box fitted, full trailer, and bike rack mounted :-)
Last edited by: gmac on Sun 22 Jul 12 at 22:08
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New Sun 22 Jul 12 21:59 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Mike H
They're not usually delicate, I'd just put it on the back seat and forget it. As someone else said, the biggest danger is sharp corners damaging the upholstery.
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 00:22 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - VxFan
>> I'm not keen on the idea of having something of that weight in the passenger compartment.

When I've previously transported something that will fit on a passenger seat, I put the seat belt around it. If it's good enough to restrain people, then it's good enough to restrain cargo.

It would probably stand upright in the front passenger footwell, and could be held there by a passenger with their legs either side of it.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 23 Jul 12 at 00:24
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 15:03 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - RattleandSmoke
I have no choice but to keep it on the back seat, the boot is too small to lay a desktop flat, a bug with my car I did not discover until after I bought it!.

I would not be happy about putting a desktop up right, if it fell down it will probably destroy the hard drive instant.

Also make sure you shut down the PC properly before transporting, so that the hard drive heads park up.
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 15:05 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - rtj70
>> I would not be happy about putting a desktop up right, if it fell down it will probably destroy the hard drive instant.

When not powered on and heads parked, a hard drive will take a few G's shock.
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 15:29 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Zero
Dropped my IBM thinkpad from my shoulder bag onto concrete, say 4 feet. Survived fine.
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 16:39 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - WillDeBeest
I seem to remember people trying something similar when theirs were overdue for replacement. It (the trick) didn't work; the Thinkpad was too tough.

I was imagining l'Es's PC as a mini-tower design, hence the idea of wedging in an upright position with something soft to protect it from knocks and the seats from it. If anything, a flat cake-tin PC would be easier - it could go in front of a fully slid-back front seat. Used to do this to fit our cat's travelling box into the Volvo, and I can promise you he's never suffered a hard disk crash. (Could do with a better mouse driver, though.)
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 20:31 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - spamcan61
>> >> I would not be happy about putting a desktop up right, if it fell
>> down it will probably destroy the hard drive instant.
>>
>> When not powered on and heads parked, a hard drive will take a few G's
>> shock.
>>

I thought all HDD heads have been self parking on power down since about 1995?
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 20:46 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - rtj70
They do self park. But remove power before it's shutdown properly and they might not have.

The ones in some laptops park if the running laptop is dropped (G sensors).
Last edited by: rtj70 on Mon 23 Jul 12 at 20:46
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 21:54 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - smokie
I think the parking is a function of the drive not the OS or BIOS, taking the power off a drive will park them regardless of the state of Windows. That's how I understood it anyway, could be wrong.
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 22:18 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - rtj70
I think you're right smokie and my understanding too. But on this site it's best at times to keep it simple ;-)

I don't see an issue with transporting the PC in the boot lying down. On the rear seat lying down. Or standing up in the car somewhere. Unless it's powered on whilst being driven via a 12v inverter.

I'd personally suggest it goes in the boot but is restrained from moving... these things tend to be heavy.
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 22:40 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - R.P.
Stick it in rear footwell, packed with a cushion !
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 17:31 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Stuartli

>> I would not be happy about putting a desktop up right, if it fell down it will probably destroy the hard drive instant. Also make sure you shut down the PC properly before transporting, so that the hard drive heads park up. >>

Transported quite a few over the years in a car. Simply ensured they were stable by using a seat belt and had no problems later...:-)
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New Mon 23 Jul 12 23:52 
 What's the best way to transport a desktop by car? - Alastairw
When we last moved office (8 years ago - time flies) I transported approx 10 desktop towers in my car - its only half a mile. All bar one survived the journey. Of course the one that succumbed to the journey was mine.
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