# Will my laptop & external hardrives work in the PI?



## Guest (Aug 19, 2016)

I recently bought a new laptop, before an opportunity to move to the Philippines landed in my lap. I don't care about bringing any of my electrical appliances, but I do want to bring my laptop and three usb external hard drives that have their own power supply (I have 3 other portable ones that use my computer power). Voltage here in Canada is 120v. 

I understand that the PI has 220v. So does that mean my laptop and hard drives won't work there? What would I need to do to make them work there? Is it as simple as just getting power chords that are 220 or is my laptop confined to only using 120? I've heard that some computers are dual voltage and can use either. How do I check my computer to see if it has dual voltage capability?

I'll go talk to the computer shop where I bought it, but figured somebody here might better know the answers.


----------



## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

Check the transformer on the laptop cord - it is most likely dual voltage. It will say something like 110-240 Volt. There is a 50Hz/60Hz difference but so far that has not been a problem for me. Been using my laptop for almost 4 years here.

If it is dual voltage you can just plug it in. Scariest thing ever is the first time you plug it into a 220 plug ha ha! The physical configuration of the 2 prong plug is the same here as the US (and Canada?). Their 220 plug looks just like our 110 plug, but on dual voltage equipment that is a good thing. Any plug adapter you may need is available at all hardware stores.

You will want to buy an AVR (automatic voltage regulator). Instead of a standard surge protector, the AVR smooths out the crappy power here. The power drops seem to be harder on the equipment than the spikes. They are fairly heavy so you can buy it here instead of bringing one with you - you can get them at almost any hardware store.

External drives should just plug right in as well. If it is USB powered there is no concern just plug it into the computer. If it is externally powered - check the x-former. Most newer ones are dual voltage. If you are fond of using external drives (I am) bring extras. They are almost double the price here!


----------



## DonAndAbby (Jan 7, 2013)

Bullwinkle said:


> I recently bought a new laptop, before an opportunity to move to the Philippines landed in my lap. I don't care about bringing any of my electrical appliances, but I do want to bring my laptop and three usb external hard drives that have their own power supply (I have 3 other portable ones that use my computer power). Voltage here in Canada is 120v.
> 
> I understand that the PI has 220v. So does that mean my laptop and hard drives won't work there? What would I need to do to make them work there? Is it as simple as just getting power chords that are 220 or is my laptop confined to only using 120? I've heard that some computers are dual voltage and can use either. How do I check my computer to see if it has dual voltage capability?
> 
> I'll go talk to the computer shop where I bought it, but figured somebody here might better know the answers.


Look at your power adapter for the the laptop and look for the "input" power range. My HP has it written in tiny tiny letters and it is 100-240 v. Most laptops are made for travel so the power adapters let it work anywhere.

Same for the external HD. Check the adapter.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Voltage Transformer (sold here)*



Bullwinkle said:


> I recently bought a new laptop, before an opportunity to move to the Philippines landed in my lap. I don't care about bringing any of my electrical appliances, but I do want to bring my laptop and three usb external hard drives that have their own power supply (I have 3 other portable ones that use my computer power). Voltage here in Canada is 120v.
> 
> I understand that the PI has 220v. So does that mean my laptop and hard drives won't work there? What would I need to do to make them work there? Is it as simple as just getting power chords that are 220 or is my laptop confined to only using 120? I've heard that some computers are dual voltage and can use either. How do I check my computer to see if it has dual voltage capability?
> 
> I'll go talk to the computer shop where I bought it, but figured somebody here might better know the answers.


The laptop should be okay, like the other posters you'll need to check the voltage range printed on the Laptop Charger and same with your external storage drives. double check the voltage, I have a Seagate 250 GB storage unit with two USB plugs one for power the other for data transfer and my 1 Terabyte storage unit that has universal voltage regulator and it came this way from the US and if not you can buy voltage regulators from any major hardware store.


----------



## Guest (Aug 21, 2016)

*bringing computer periferals*

Thanks for the info everyone. Very helpful. It turns out that all my computer equipment has 100 - 240 voltage capacity.

Voltage regulator: does it have multiple outlets to plug-in more than one device at the same time, such as a laptop, speakers, widescreen monitor and external hard drive all at the same time?

Computer speakers: I use Logitech 40w speakers. The subwoofer is fairly large so if I wanted to bring them, I'll have to ship them. I can buy new ones here in Canada for about 3600 php. Are they or similar ones available there and would they cost much more than that?

Computer monitor: I'm currently using a 22" widescreen monitor. Same question as above for speakers. Should I ship it or buy new one there. New 22'' to 24"monitors would cost me about 5500 php here in Canada. There is currently a 27" one on sale for about that same price.

Rechargeable batteries: My battery charger for AA and AAA batteries will work there. I use those for my 2 wireless mice. Should I bring extra packages of rechargeable batteries or are they available cheap there.

External hard drives: I have 6 hard drives. I've got back-ups of important documents, etc, on several of them. I've also got about 20,000 mp3s and maybe the same number of photos. But most files are large video files - thousands of TV shows and movies I've saved over the past 12 years or so through my TV and Internet account, the majority of which I have not yet watched for lack of time. I will only watch a TV series in its entirety after it ends. I've been saving them for a "rainy day", though I never thought that day would be in the Philippines, so I guess it will be a "sunny day". 

I have not traveled internationally since 2005, so am not sure what to expect at airport security. Do you think I will encounter any problems bringing those hard drives into the country? I plan on taking my laptop and drives in my carry-on luggage, never out of my sight. Are there any precautions I need to take regarding security xray machines? Will these hard drive cases with wires sticking out of them attract suspicion? I'll be trying to find out some of these answers elsewhere, but any suggestions here will be much appreciated, as is all the help I get here.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

I sent my Seagate 1 Tb storage and Seagate 250 GB storage units and 19" laptop by Balikbayan Box and no damage.

You are gonna a need a quality brand name surge and voltage regulator for sure they run just under 4,000 pesos for a 1500 watt and you'll also need a voltage regulator for your DSL/WiFi unit the electricity either surges or drops off. These Voltage regulator are limited to I think 2 protected plug in's with additional plug in spots that might not be so regulated. 

Prices for imported quality stuff (rechargeable batteries) are much more than in the US, I've seen local rechargeable batteries but they don't seem to have strength and don't last long at all. I miss my wireless mouse and quality USB headset all very hard to find here and when I buy stuff it's without those painful rechargeable batteries. If you need a quality headset you won't find those in the computer stores and will need to order it online the stores here have the old plug in headsets and they are cheap, I'd keep your desktop stereo, mine still works after 6 years, they are older so no base but the brand name is UBL Pro, the power unit is on 24/7, I have seen the desk top quality speaker sets with base unit, not sure on the costs.

When you arrive get a voltage regulator with the computer it's a must here, I've had my electrical power strips burn up, rare but it happened, best to protect your valuable computer software items and I'd add one of those huge battery USP for the desk top, pricey here and order online only, I've never seen these for sale at the computer shops.


----------



## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

The Voltage Regulators I've seen have multiple outlets of both 220 & 110 variety. Even if there are not enough that you require, you can purchase the little multiple adapters for less than 50 Pesos. 

I just came back through the airline checkpoints last week. They do require you to remove from your carry-on bag and place in a separate tray Phones, Laptops and other devices to go through the inspection. 

Thats all I know about of your questions/concerns. Someone else will chime in with more info.

Fred


----------



## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

My last trip from the US I carried 2 laptops, 2 external drives, and a handful of jump drives. They never even paused to look at them. I put them in 2 bins and they went right through the machine. So TSA did not care. No one at customs has opened one of my bags since the 1987.


----------



## SierraMadreMe (Mar 26, 2015)

Like everyone has suggested,you won't likely have any difficulty bring in your laptop and external drives and whatnot.

If you have some time before you move,I would encourage you to look for a quality laptop cooler to bring with you.I am sure they have them here,but the selection might be limited...especially if you are in the outlying provinces.


----------



## Guest (Aug 22, 2016)

SierraMadreMe said:


> ... look for a quality laptop cooler to bring with you.



Thanks for that tip. Didn't know such a thing existed. I'll definitely get one as even here in Canada my laptop runs quite hot in the summer sometimes with certain activities like streaming video.

From all the suggestions here, it sounds like I should stock up on hard to find or expensive computer accessories that I use, and ship things like my speakers, monitor and larger external drives. But I'll probably follow Tukaram's lead and take my laptop and smaller drives as carry on. And thanks M.C.A. for the tip about headphones. I do need to get a new set, so its good to know to bring one with me.


----------



## JM101 (Jan 6, 2015)

I agree with all the others as I also have a ton of computer equipment that I both sent in Balikbayan boxes and also in my luggage on my flights which have been NO issues at all.

As far as adaptors, I found there were times where I needed a cheap simple 2 prong adaptor to go over my computer's 2 prong with that cylinder looking ground. I had a h*** of a time finding one to go into some of the old electric systems here. They are super cheap and can be bought at Radio Shack or the electric dept of any of the big household stores. I bought a tone of these things and carry them with me in all of my travels as you never know when you might need one.

Everything else works just fine on the 220 system.


JM101


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Laptop Coolers sold here*



Bullwinkle said:


> Thanks for that tip. Didn't know such a thing existed. I'll definitely get one as even here in Canada my laptop runs quite hot in the summer sometimes with certain activities like streaming video.
> 
> From all the suggestions here, it sounds like I should stock up on hard to find or expensive computer accessories that I use, and ship things like my speakers, monitor and larger external drives. But I'll probably follow Tukaram's lead and take my laptop and smaller drives as carry on. And thanks M.C.A. for the tip about headphones. I do need to get a new set, so its good to know to bring one with me.


There's a few electronic store chains here and one chain is located everywhere it's called CDR-King they sell those laptop coolers and all the gadgets for cell phones, tablets the works, they have the cords, battery back ups but the Desktop battery back ups aren't so hot.

If this is your retirement and last stop I'd save up and get a desktop made here, they have speciality shops that put together or build you a computer all brand new parts, I've had two desktops made now one an ASUS intel and my most recent one a Gigabyte's AMD, I think they are both dual core and each one ran me about 14,000 pesos with 19"AOC monitor, there's no fixing a laptop here its about as worthless as a throw away cell phone and if they do work on your laptop say goodbye to it, my HP Pavillion 19"Laptop is a paper weight now and I've talked with several other expats with the same experience, laptop parts forget it or it will be a special order and real costly.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

The only trouble I had with my laptop when I first arrived over here was that I couldn't download Windows updates. The process would start and then it would just hang for ever without ever completing. Eventually I read a forum that told me to change my country under system settings, and to also delete the contents of C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download . After that the updates would download, but they were still much slower than in the US. I don't know if others have experienced this same problem? Eventually I ditched Windows on both of my computers and went with Kubuntu.


----------



## SierraMadreMe (Mar 26, 2015)

M.C.A. said:


> There's a few electronic store chains here and one chain is located everywhere it's called CDR-King they sell those laptop coolers and all the gadgets for cell phones, tablets the works, they have the cords, battery back ups but the Desktop battery back ups aren't so hot.
> 
> If this is your retirement and last stop I'd save up and get a desktop made here, they have speciality shops that put together or build you a computer all brand new parts, I've had two desktops made now one an ASUS intel and my most recent one a Gigabyte's AMD, I think they are both dual core and each one ran me about 14,000 pesos with 19"AOC monitor, there's no fixing a laptop here its about as worthless as a throw away cell phone and if they do work on your laptop say goodbye to it, my HP Pavillion 19"Laptop is a paper weight now and I've talked with several other expats with the same experience, laptop parts forget it or it will be a special order and real costly.


I certainly mean no disrespect,but I bought one of those laptop coolers at CDRKing,and it was total garbage.Maybe some of the other CDR stores stock a quality option or 2,but the store near me only stocked garbage.It was cheap tho,I will say that.

The other issue ( at least for me out in the provinces) is dust.Out here there are still dirt roads and shoulders,plus all the agricultural activity.This creates lots of dust that is somehow mysteriously attracted to your computer innards.The accumulation of dust adds to the possibility of overheating,which is not at all good for the computer..laptop or otherwise.Basic maintenance should then include regular cleaning of the computer interior.

I had my desktop custom built by a friend,then shipped in a Balikbayan box.If you know what you want,you could buy the higher end components at home,send them in a Balikbayan box,and then have it assembled here.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Dust*



SierraMadreMe said:


> I certainly mean no disrespect,but I bought one of those laptop coolers at CDRKing,and it was total garbage.Maybe some of the other CDR stores stock a quality option or 2,but the store near me only stocked garbage.It was cheap tho,I will say that.
> 
> The other issue ( at least for me out in the provinces) is dust.Out here there are still dirt roads and shoulders,plus all the agricultural activity.This creates lots of dust that is somehow mysteriously attracted to your computer innards.The accumulation of dust adds to the possibility of overheating,which is not at all good for the computer..laptop or otherwise.Basic maintenance should then include regular cleaning of the computer interior.
> 
> I had my desktop custom built by a friend,then shipped in a Balikbayan box.If you know what you want,you could buy the higher end components at home,send them in a Balikbayan box,and then have it assembled here.


You have a point about the products sold here they are cheap, I'd definitely buy a laptop cooler stateside and even the cords needed for your TV, Laptop and DVD players, same with the cable wire for your television the stuff here is junk but in a crunch the CDR-King sure can supply what you need because nobody else can.

Dust in the computer, not ... that must be a myth believe me ... I live next to the lake and road (horse carts, huge trucks, rice fields) and the backyard, I live in one of the dirtiest, smelliest spots in the Philippines, it's an animal raising community of mainly ducks and millions of them if you can imagine that, the windows are open and all that is required is the standard cleaning I use an air compressor the danger lies in leaving your desktop to close to an open window the humidity is the danger.

I took my laptop apart after no one here could fix it and it wasn't that dirty and the huge negative is that parts will have to be purchased in Manila from HP. Your desktop sounds nice SierreMadreme, you can have them built real nice here to all branded and brand name products these spots are hard to locate for a new expat (me at one time) but you can also order or have it built to your specs online I have a few short cuts and also locations of these spots.  Sta Cruz and Los Banos Laguna have these computer build shops but actually they are situated throughout the Philippines.


----------



## Guest (Aug 24, 2016)

Thanks for all the great tips everyone. Things I wouldn't have thought of, such as 2 prong adaptors for electrical plugs and laptop cooling pads. I'm moving to a rural area, so the comments about dust are helpful too.

I just recently bought my laptop and it has little resale value, so I'm bringing it. I'm also fortunate in that my Filipino friends already have a furnished home set-up for me, including a desktop computer. When my laptop eventually breaks down, if my friend's computer is not sufficient, I'll have one built as some have suggested.

But I will be bringing extra computer peripherals, such as usb wireless mouse, external hard drives, cables, batteries, etc. and any other recommended items.


----------



## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Things to bring*



Bullwinkle said:


> Thanks for all the great tips everyone. Things I wouldn't have thought of, such as 2 prong adaptors for electrical plugs and laptop cooling pads. I'm moving to a rural area, so the comments about dust are helpful too.
> 
> I just recently bought my laptop and it has little resale value, so I'm bringing it. I'm also fortunate in that my Filipino friends already have a furnished home set-up for me, including a desktop computer. When my laptop eventually breaks down, if my friend's computer is not sufficient, I'll have one built as some have suggested.
> 
> But I will be bringing extra computer peripherals, such as usb wireless mouse, external hard drives, cables, batteries, etc. and any other recommended items.


Positive thing about a laptop is that in power outages you won't need to worry about a battery backup and you can use WiFi. Gopro camera sure would be a cool camera though, the smartphone video shots are constantly improving but nothing like the Gopro camera photos and video, not sure how serious you are at quality video.

Going to "PM"you with the other items to bring that could help to fill up the Balikbayan Box.


----------



## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

Bullwinkle said:


> my Filipino friends already have a furnished home set-up for me, including a desktop computer..


My experience has been that owning a desktop computer over here comes with it's own set of issues. 220 volts tends to leak more easily than the 110 volts that you'd find back home. 

When I first setup my own desktop I thought that all I'd have to do is flip the switch on the back of my PC's power supply from 110 to 220, and that would be it. However, my first clue that something wasn't quite right occurred when I kept getting shocked each and every time I'd plug a USB device into my desktop.

Too make a long story short, the first problem I had was the fact that the electrical receptacles I had installed in my walls were not grounded. The second problem was that the electrician who wired my house didn't pay any attention to which side of the receptacle he attached the hot line wire to. The receptacle powering my PC had it's lines reversed inside the wall, so the line that should have been neutral on my PC's power supply was getting hot voltage. 

After a few mysterious component failures inside my PC I eventually decided to take a look at my household wiring. I purchased an inexpensive polarity tester to figure out which wires were hot and which were neutral (the electrician used green wire for everything inside my walls). 

After I had the polarity on the receptacles correct, I then drilled all the way through the back of my electrical box to the outside of my house. I attached a 14Ga wire to a steel rod I hammered into the ground, and attached the other end to the ground on screw on my receptacle. After making these changes my PC seemed to be as stable as it was back home, and I no longer receive any shocks from it. 

My experience has been that if your PC isn't ground, and if the polarity isn't right (line and neutral reversed) then you will have a lot of freezes and other failures. Hope this helps.


----------



## Guest (Aug 25, 2016)

Maxx62 said:


> My experience has been that owning a desktop computer over here comes with it's own set of issues. 220 volts tends to leak more easily than the 110 volts that you'd find back home. ...
> My experience has been that if your PC isn't ground, and if the polarity isn't right (line and neutral reversed) then you will have a lot of freezes and other failures. Hope this helps.


Thanks for the advice. A lot of that electrical talk is a foreign language to me, but others might find it useful. Hopefully I won't have to deal with those issues. My friends will leave 
their computer for me to use, if I want, when I move into their home they are renting to me. They have been using it to communicate with me so I assume they don't have those issues. The house is their family farm house in rural Mindoro near Calapan City that they are renting to me fully furnished for a very reasonable price. They also have a city house in Calapan, but they live and work in Manila and only come back to Calapan on weekends.


----------

