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Point Loma Nazarene University

Prepare to Travel

Preparing to Travel - Laptop Road Rules


  • NEVER check your laptop computer as luggage on an airline, bus, etc. Always carry-on your laptop computer to avoid damage and theft.
  • Keep your laptop in hand at all times when in public areas. Be extra careful in busy locations like airports, where many laptop computers are stolen.
  • Carry your laptop in a bag designed for laptop computers. Dropping your computer (accidents do happen) may destroy your hard drive (or some other component) if it is not protected by a good carrying case.
  • Take needed peripherals and supplies with you (i.e. long telephone cord, network cable, floppy disk drive, etc).
  • Be sure to have your identification information in your computer bag. Computers are often stolen for the corporate information that may be stored on them. A computer identified as University property may discourage theft for this reason.
  • Leave your computer in a secure place. If you MUST leave your computer in a hotel room or car, store it out-of-sight (i.e. in a dresser drawer, closet, or trunk).
  • Use a Web browser to access your e-mail if at a conference or a location where Internet connections are available. If you use your modem to dial the campus, after you are connected and your e-mail downloads, then disconnect and create your e-mail replies offline to save long distance charges. Then connect again if you need to send replies immediately.
  • Become familiar with dial up before planning to use it while out-of-town. Be sure you have connected from home or some other local location before depending on a long distance connection. If you need assistance, please contact the Help Desk.
  • Plan ahead for how you will dial up. Try to use these methods in this order:
  • Use a prepaid phone card (at costs of 5-10 cents per minute)
  • Use a PLNU calling card
  • Hotel direct dial (plan to keep your connection time short). This is the most expensive method and can cost over a $1.00 per minute
  • Read the hotel telephone rate information carefully. Hotels may charge for toll free (800,877,888) access. It is becoming common to see a fixed charge each time you use a toll free number ($.50 or $1.00) or to have a per minute charge after a certain number of minutes when using a toll free number (you could be charged per minute long distance by the hotel and your access card).
  • Be patient and try several different methods if having problems while dialing up. Consider these tips:
    • Use your own phone cord from the wall jack to your computer modem
    • Try the data port on the telephone in the hotel room (note: sometimes these are not connected or functioning)
    • Remember to check the hotel telephone information card for the correct access code to dial an outside line (some hotels/companies use '8', or '9' or ??)
    • Listen! Remember to have your volume turned up on your laptop so you can hear it dialing. If you need to add in any extra pauses in order to hit the prompts correctly, do so by adding in a comma (each comma adds in a 3 second pause). Sometimes a pause is needed between dialing the number to an outside line and the initial phone number.
  • Have a backup plan and be flexible just in case everything does not go as planned while you are on the road. Take a hard copy of your handout that you can copy if necessary. Technology can fail when you least expect it or have the most important presentation of your life.
  • Use extra caution when drinking anything near your laptop computer. DO NOT use cups that may easily tip (i.e. Styrofoam, small base coffee cups, tall drink glasses, etc) near your computer - a spilled cup of coffee may ruin the entire $1,500 laptop computer rather than just a $50 keyboard.
  • Make sure you know the power type and the plug type requirements for the country you are traveling to. You will need to get the necessary adapters if you are going to be using your computer while plugged into a power source (other than battery power).

The ITS Help Desk hours of telephone operation (x4357) are Monday through Friday from 7am - 4:30 pm If you have a computer EMERGENCY after hours, you may contact a technician by leaving an urgent voice mail message at the Help Desk (leave a message and press # 1 2 at the end of your recorded message).
On-call support hours for technicians are Monday through Friday from 5pm to 10pm and Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 10pm.

FROM OFF CAMPUS:

Dial (619) 849-7070, when the greeting begins, dial x4357

**This document is available as a brochure and can be picked up at the Help Desk or sent via on campus mail to you as a reference during travel.**