using a laptop on the lap

is using your laptop on the lap/bed dangerous to the harddrive? more precicesly moving/shaking a laptop while it is operating be bad to it? will it reduce its operating life? because as i understand harddrive is a very fragile, delicate instruments.

so do you use your laptop on your lap or bed? (i know many people do this, at least once while owning a laptop)

should i be worried about damaging my harddrive?

 

I use the laptop in my bed and lap all the time. It should be fine as long as the air intake/exhaust vents are not obstructed. Violent shaking isn't good for it, but small movements should not damage it.

 

It all depends on the intensity of the shock itself...

Certainly, shaking the laptop while the hard disk is running brings a *small* risk of hard disk crash...small but possible.

If you move it gently there is no problem.

Also, don't know what is your notebook, but maybe you have extra protections on it like ThinkPad's active protection system or HDD shocks absorber

(not hard disk related, but using it on the lap for extended period of times and in a bad way could lead to fertility problems; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041208235208.htm)

 

As danny2001 stated, I would be more concerned with blocking the air flow in or out of the laptop. When on the bed, I usually place a book under it to allow airflow. When on my lap I make sure that I'm not blocking the air inlet.

As long as you handle it with care I wouldn't be to worried about harddrive.

 

i have a macbook, so venting it is not a problem as the vent is in the back of the laptop; not in the bottom.

so gentle movement while on the lap/bed is allright? and will not effect any long term reliability or lifespan?

i'm gonna start a poll.

you know how there is some sort of gyro effect when a round disc things rotate. will something like a harddisk be worn out faster/damage/operating out of spec because of this?

 

rarely due to i get a weird feeling in my leg after 30 min

 

I used to never use my laptops at anywhere but a solid table-type locale, but college classes force me to use it on my lap... though the majority of the time, it's still sitting on my desk in my dorm.

 

Doesn't Apple include a built-in HDD protection system on the macbook that senses rapid movements and prevents the hard drive from being damaged?

 

I find that hard to believe. The "core" reproductive organs are deep inside the body so I don't see how they can be significantly warmed from the outside without causing serious burns. There is a lot of blood flow around those organs, and the blood is obviously very regulated in temperature. Blood is mostly water so it has a very high specific heat. The small amount of heat that conducts in would simply be dissipated elsewhere as the blood carries it. Most likely the normal body temperature variations would be far greater than the very tiny increase caused by a laptop.

I suppose that if the trivial amount of heat from a laptop is a bad thing, then more common activities like showering or even going outside on a sunny day must be a really bad thing.

(Note that I'm not a doctor and it has been years since I studied biology.)

 

with regards to scrotal warming... makes a change from global warming I guess
I agree with previous post it's sounds hard to believe for me too... either the chaps involved are contortionists or blind!.. Sitting on a chair whilst using laptop in a position which means the warmer part of laptop is over the scrotum makes it very difficult to see the screen or use the keyboard! or if they are lying down in bed with the warmer part of laptop over their scrotum then the screen is way too close and it's still difficult to use the keyboard!

Yes I tried it out lol as it sounded so unfeasible! and no I'm not weirdly deformed (imo!) I'm 6ft 4" with normal eyesight and find best place to use my laptop if/when I use it on my lap is on my lap/thighs (no really!) with front end of laptop a few inches away from the previously discussed body part!

Thinking about it does this also mean that nudists have higher sperm counts?!

anyway getting back to the OP if I use my macbook when I'm in bed I just sit it on a book or my laptop sleeve. Oh and yep bmcc... you're right both current MacBooks and MacBook Pros have the sudden movement protection thing.

 

When did between my legs become deep inside my body?

star882 you need to respect the human body it is not a circuit board, this is heat not related to current. Ever say to yourself why are my huevos on the outside (oops your a girl anyway) they are sensitive and being inside would seem more advantageous. But it is not, sperm is very susceptible to temperature. The temperature maintained by the testes and scrotum is actually lower than the body temperature. As you stated if they were so sensitive to temperature fluctuations inside the body would have an effect. You are right with that statement but remember the organs are outside the body. Think of the scrotum as a radiator. The temperature is controlled and maintained. Tight underwear and tight pants can have the same effect lowering sperm count and that is just body heat not 100F+ from a laptop. So it is true not a joke, also just so you know it does really really hurt when they get hit, that's not a joke either.

Edit: Here is a link to explain Link.

 

I guess that shows how much I know about biology. (I'm an electrical engineer.) I'm pretty sure my "core" reproductive organs are deep inside and well protected, though. (In my view, sensitive parts without much protection is not very good engineering.)

But yes, the "hit between the legs" does hurt, as I found out back when I was working on an A/C unit and I reached down to unscrew the gauges, at which point some refrigerant blew out and hit me right there. It stung pretty bad, but luckily there was only a tiny amount of refrigerant so no damage was done. Now I know to make sure refrigerant cannot splash on that area!

 

It's very much a fact that small temperature changes (just the difference between wearing boxers or briefs) can affect sperm count. That's why the scrotum relaxes away from the body when warm and pulls the testes back towards the body when cold. It's actually amazingly intelligent how the male body is made to maintain those sperm at lower temperatures than the rest of the body.

 

i don't think the heat from the laptop is that dangerous, i never have any problem with too much heat down there while using my laptop. as the heat are mostly towards the bottom towards the back right. i guess it depends on the notebook. if the heat is mostly under the touchpad (bottom, middl,e front), that might cause a problem.

 

Maybe, but if you aren't trying to have kids it really does not matter as no one is saying it is going to kill you. So how would you know, or why would you care?

And to star882: It is brilliant engineering recognizing one problem takes priority over the obvious (internal vs external) and that is how most mammals have evolved. Think outside the box.

 

But one question remains unanswered: If laptops may cause fertility problems, shouldn't hot showers as well? Or even moderately warm showers? Or, even more so, saunas/hot tubs? Granted, you probably take showers for shorter periods of time than using a laptop, but unless you've got a really poorly engineered laptop, it should be much cooler than the water in the shower/sauna/hot tub.

Funny how far off the original topic this got. It's an entirely different discussion now - a biology discussion, really. Though just seeing the title of the thread, I kind of expected this to be the original topic of discussion, so I'm not surprised it got sidetracked to this.

*returning to original topic*

My laptop was on my bed when I started reading this thread. I voted 40% - my bed is more comfortable than my chair, so I've started using it in bed more often. Heat hasn't been a problem, even with the vent partially blocked. Can't say that long-term it isn't harmful to the hard drive, but unless you drop it the jostling is a lot less than it'll sustain being used while driving - make that riding in a car - or in an airplane if you hit turbulence. I wouldn't be concerned about it.

 

I use my Portege in bed a reasonable amount sitting on my lap. The bottom does feel warm but I have the temperatures of the cpu and HDD monitored by NHC and they dont really go up when the laptop is resting on the deuvet.

 

For what it's worth, a relatively small increase in temp can cause temporary fertility problems in men.

EDIT: Sorry didn't notice that somebody already answered this, in great detail

 

Well, the problem is that some laptops have air intake vents on their underside, and if you block them, the fan cannot draw air in. Here's my experience: i played NFS: Carbon for about 3 hours on my packard bell in bed and the hdd(which normally stayed at 35 C) got to 49 C, even tough it was not very stressed

 

Then explain why I'm different. I guess I just have a different solution to the problem. (I don't know exactly, but I think my organs were "designed" to take the heat. Maybe one of the biology majors understands.) Maybe some XORs of my DNA with other DNA can show the differences.

But yeah, in my case, I would be more concerned about the laptop than myself. I take care not to block the vents especially when playing D2X-XL.

 

i've read studies on the internet and seen reports on tv that males especially young males should not use their laptops directly on their lap due to the heat that is transferred from laptop to crotch area. It said it reduces your sperm count.

 

by the way I think your "core" is supposed to be at 76 degress farenheit. Thats why they go up when its cold and really low when its hot.

 

94f
...........

 

Because the sperm count for most women is pretty small.

The rest of the body has no problem with body temperature. Sperm cells do, for whatever reason.
Men have different cooling needs than women because our reproductive bits are different. Which means a few bits have to be exposed to get better airflow (at the risk of getting kicked in the crotch )

Personally, when I keep my laptop on my lap, it's really more on my knees. I have long legs and a small laptop, so I think I'm pretty safe (I hope so). But shorter guys (or people using bigger laptops) might want to be careful.

I'd assume so. But as you say, it's shorter time (and I suppose less warm water comes into contact with those bits than with, say, your head or torso, which reduces the impact further).

 

Eggs never leave the body; sperm do . Although the two are both haploid cells, they have very different life cycles.

 

Normal body temperature is actually about 37C (98.6F), although it can easily vary by about a degree and still be normal.

 

It will reduce your fertility only if you use the laptop on your lap frequently and for a long time (say, every day for a few months). In other words, a lower sperm count is the result of chronic exposure to heat.

 

Ha ha, I am aware of that, the temp I was referring to is the temp the sperm is maintained at. Back to "why" they are not housed in the core of the body.

 

Well, think. The testes drop out when it is hot to protect the sperm inside (better "airflow") but pull back in when it is cold. Ever wonder what "balls dropping meant?" It happens because sperm is being produced, and the body finally says "Uh-oh! We've got to protect XXX's children!"

Either way, in the interest of laptops, understand that the position in which your legs are when you use a laptop is not in the best interest of the reproductive system. The testes actually do extend, but there is no room to extend to, and they become scrunched up. Imagine dual HD2900 XTs in a Shuttle PC case. Or a 7950 in an ultraportable.

 

I use it on my couch pretty often, but it's still on a mini table sorta thing when I use it on my couch.​