How to get my PC to the CON?

[Wanker]

I'm already starting to plan my trip to the con in October, and I was hoping to get an answer to the following question:

If I fly, what's the best way to get my PC safely to the con? Does it go like luggage, or would it be better to ship it via UPS or FED-EX?

Right now, I'm thinking of driving to Dallas just to make sure my PC makes it in one piece. But it's a 17 hour drive!

Also, do we have to bring our own monitor to the CON, or will there be any we can use/rent?

Thanks!

[easymo]

 Think you got problems? Have you ever tried to stuff a PC into saddelbags.

[Minotaur]

You pack it next to your golf clubs...  

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Mino
The Wrecking Crew

[Ripsnort]

banana!  Looking forward to meeting a Minnesota brother!  Cya there!(sorry, never been to a con outside Washington state)

[Ronni]

Hi banana,

Yankee is working out the details of monitor rentals and she'll make an announcement when she has all of the facts.

If you choose to ship your PC to the con, the Harvey will accept the shipment and lock the PC in a secure room until you arrive.  When we have the details about the earliest acceptance date, etc., we'll let the community know.

Ronni


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Veronica "Ronni" Newman
Sr. Programmer/Webmaster
HiTech Creations, Inc.

[funked]

banana, for the WBCon I rented a monitor and checked my computer as luggage.  I'm pretty sure the airline baggage people treat stuff no worse than UPS package handlers.

It came in one of those cow-boxes which is quite over-engineered.  I had saved the box and packing material, so I stuck the 'puter in there, and duct-taped the hell out of it.  I checked it at the counter and they put a bunch of tape on it so the baggage people knew it was something expensive.  Everything was fine both ways.

[This message has been edited by funked (edited 05-26-2000).]

[Dinger]

Of course, I too have shipped my 'puter via checked baggage before.  Let's see:
some years ago it was the ol 486/33 minitower from SFO to Cedar Rapids (change of planes somewhere).  I'd bought it at one of these shifty places where the assembly room is also the sales room, and they gave it to me in the box the case came in, i.e., no packing.  It was just withing carryon limits, but at the airport, they, uh, forced me to stick the thing underneath; the tag "fragile and unsuitably packed" did little to stay my fears.
at the Baggage Claim in Cedar rapids there's a window which, besides giving you a nice view of cornfields, lets you see them unload the luggage onto the belt.  Sure enough, here's Buck taking my 'puter off the cart and throwing it onto the belt. WHAM.
Worked fine.  I found out about a year later that the guys who installed it never even bothered to screw down the hard drive.

On the other hand, last fall I took a direct flight from FCO to LCA.  I packed my computer in the original (plenty o' foam) packing, then packed that box in a larger one with additional shock absorbent material (I think I even washed it for once).  Had them mark it fragile and horribly expensive.

On the other end,t he video card had unseated, and kept crashing the computer (tho' I later figured out, after having bought a new one, that the problem was alt-tabbing in WB 2.7X, a bug that's still crashing my machine).  Oneo f my hard drives (screwed down this time) crashed a week later, and the CD-ROM on the same IDE channel is seriously FU'd.

You best be driving

[funked]

Here's a sacred scroll which has served WBCon goers well:

 

Last year, I wrote up this little instruction sheet on the RIGHT WAY to
pack your computer as luggage for traveling to the Con, and I have been
told that it would be a really good idea to post it again (and probably
again, and again, and again. heh heh). So here it is, updated slightly
from last year based on my experiences...


Bringing the CPU of your desktop computer onto an airplane as carry-on
luggage is a "really really bad idea." When you bring any sort of
technological gizmo onto a plane as carry-on luggage, you are expected
to power the thing up in front of security so that they can verify that
it isn't going to explode and kill everyone on board. Now, for walkmans,
PDAs (things like a Newton, Psion, WinCE box, etc), and notebook
computers, this isn't a problem - you can just turn the thing on, the
security droids can verify that it isn't going to be responsible for
another TWA Flight 800, and you're on your way. Since you won't be able
to power-up your desktop computer right in front of the security people,
they WILL force you to check it as luggage. Now here's the problem: if
you were planning on carrying it on, you probably will not have packed it
so thoroughly that it would have survived being checked.

Thus the solution is to pack up the computer properly, and then have your
computer as checked luggage from the get-go. Now here's how you should
pack it up (assuming this is a clone computer - notes on other
computers below):

Step 1: Goto a computer clone store along with your computer case
(assuming it is a tower, minitower, or something similar) and ask them
for a box and styrofoam bracing set that would fit it - most stores throw
these things away like there's no tomorrow. While you're there, put your
computer in the braces, slip it into the box, and make sure it closes.
When it does, you'll have a computer box that is about 1 or 2 inches
bigger than your CPU in every dimension, and the computer should feel
snug within it. This completes step 1.

Step 2: Call the airline and see how big a shipping box you can check as
luggage, and then goto a UHaul or similar shipping store and buy one (if
the max size is really really huge, then get a box that is at least a
good foot larger in every dimension as your computer box). (Note 2: Most
airlines will say that the box's width, plus height, plus depth, should
be a certain number of inches - typically 65 or 72 - or less. Most places
that sell boxes though, have no idea what their boxes are on this level.
Bring a tape measure.)


Step 3: If you are so inclined, open up your PC and make sure everything with a screw is screwed down snugly. That means cards, power supplies, disk drives, CD Roms, and so forth. Try to get a feel for where things belong, so when you proceed to step 6 upon arrival to the Con's computer hall, you'll be able to inspect things. Then close your system.

Step 4: Fill the shipping box about 1/3 of the way full of
styrofoam popcorn material, then lay the computer box flat on the
popcorn. Stick in any other components around it (like your rudder
pedals, mouse, or whatever will fit) within the popcorn, and then fill
the rest of box full with popcorn. (Hint: put your keyboard on top of
your computer box to save space.) Tape the box shut with shipping tape,
and bring the shipping tape with you to send your computer back.

IF you don't have a generic tower clone PC and you don't have the
orginal box and shipping material available to stick in the larger box,
then I would goto UHaul and get that giant "shipping saran wrap" material
and wrap up your PC with it, and then stick it into the shipping box as
per the above instructions.

Step 5: There are some other things you might not think about bringing that you really should. Here's a partial list: Your Windows installation disk, in case you need to reinstall anything and you are asked for it. A power strip. Speakers. A mouse pad. A few tools, like a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. A large plastic garbage bag, so you have a place to put all the packing popcorn when you take your PC out at the CON. Your motherboard or PC book, in case you lose a jumper or a wire or cable came lose and you need to reconnect it. Put some of these things in the box with your PC, if you can.

Step 6: If you are a techie, you might want to open up your PC when you get to the con to make sure nothing fell off or came lose in transit. Here's what I look for: loose CPU fans (socket 7 boards) or loose CPUs (slot 1 boards), loose cards, a loose jumper that fell off a pin somewhere, disconnected power cable at one of the drives. I then turn the system on with the case off to make sure the CPU fans, normal fans, and hard drive each spin up. I normally run with my case open like this, but if you can boot up, then you can button up the system.

I occasionally ship out clone PCs to clients via UPS this way, and no
computer has yet been damaged in transit, and I like to think that
baggage handling will not be any rougher than UPS, so things should work
out OK.

I brought MY computer to last year's Con this way, and it was undamaged
too. I did, however, forget my mouse. DOH! Lesson learned? Make a
checklist with components, cables, and a POWER STRIP so you don't forget
anything.


Hope this is helpful.

Virtually,
Llama

[Duckwing6]

We have to bring our OWN PC to the con ? Hell i love my puter but not as much as to fly it across 1/2 of the world...

any other options (i might bring my Sidewinderand the stickset and my own keyboard (german keys..))?

[CavemanJ]

I've flown my desktop system out to Austin and Kansas City.  I still had the original packing materials for it, so I packed it up in it's box (tower and monitor) and away I went.  No problems either time.  Checked it w/o problem (though in Austin I got alot of questions about why I was traveling with a puter when I checked it for the return trip   ).  It survived both ways, w/o anything coming loose even which surprised me a little.  I did get the insurance on it, just in case.

If you ship your PC, when you pack up to leave, if you can't give the puter directly to the company who you're shipping home through have the manager sign a reciept for your system.  Also have that reciept say he will be turning it over to the shipping company and will have them sign for it and then forward you a copy of the reciept.  A friend of mine did this in KC with his box, having the hotel give his systems (2 of them) to FedEx for overnight delivery at thier regular pickup so he would be at home waiting for them.

[Pongo]

Thanks for the great info. Anybody got experiance bringing this stuff accross from canada? Will it have to be opened up at check in?
Why not try to get one of those texas pc makers on side as the Offical Supplier of PCs for the event....I would much rather rent the whole rig then bring my own...

[indian]

Pongo you shoulndt have a problem its not being bought or sold. but call customs to  make sure.

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Tommy (INDIAN) Toon
  1st Aces High Trainer Corps.
Home of The Allied Fighter Wing A.F.W.
A.F.W. Homepage

[funked]

"I've flown my desktop system out to Austin and Kansas City."

Damn Cave, I can't get mine to reach takeoff velocity.

"Anybody got experiance bringing this stuff accross from canada? Will it have to be opened up at check in?"

Normally no.  But after they get an anonymous tip about a BC-Texas ring of pot smugglers who use their PC's to hide the stuff...

[Hangtime]

Funked..

... ROFLMAO! (and you'd do it too!)

Hang

[Pongo]

Just didnt want them to laugh at my TNT 1 card..


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"Stupids are like flies. they are everywere, but are easy to kill"
RAM