How to Move Your Computer

Among all of the valuables you will be concerned with moving when the big day comes, your computer will be one of the most important and most expensive. If you are depending on professional movers to pack and transport your computer, make sure they have experience doing this. Atlantic Relocation has experience moving computers and other technological equipment short and long distances. They will provide you with packing tips if you are doing it yourself, or they will make sure they are protecting your belongings as best they can. The last thing you need to worry about when moving is getting your computer and its accessories safely to your destination. Relax and let Atlantic Relocation handle the job.

Pack It Right

The best scenario for transporting your computer is packaging it in its original box. It came with protective foam, clear plastic bags for cords, antistatic materials, and foam pads. If you no longer have the original materials, gather a variety of these items together with a box that is large enough to hold each of the computer’s components. Keep in mind you should not use packing peanuts when protecting a computer as these contain static electricity which may damage the computer.

Save It First

Prior to disconnecting and packing the computer, back up everything on the hard drive. You can purchase a few flash or external drives to store the data. You can also use CDs for back up if that is what you are most comfortable working with. The important thing is having access to your data should the computer be damaged in transport.

Label and Protect

When disassembling the computer, label the cords. Coordinate the ports and cords with stickers of varying colors to make it easier to reassemble. You may need to refer to your original manual so pack that with the rest of the computer if possible. Once the cables are disconnected, wrap them with twist ties to keep them from tangling.

In some cases, it may be necessary to disassemble the entire computer. The internal components like the modem, sound, memory, and video cards should not be packed in regular plastic bags. These will need to be stored in antistatic bags to keep them from being damaged. You will then want to surround the antistatic bag with something cushioned like foam so these parts do not get jostled. The hard drive should be placed in the center of a large box, surrounded by protective foam.

Packing the Accessories

In a separate box, pack the keyboard, monitor, mouse, and external drives. Each of these items should be wrapped and then securely surrounded by antistatic foam. Make sure when the box is moved, items do not shift and clang into one another. Most of these items are fairly resistant to damage, but you should use as much caution moving them as you would with any technological equipment.

The computer printer should have all of its trays and arms removed, as well as any paper that was loaded into the machine. Place it inside of a large bag and put it in its own box surrounded in foam. You can pack computer disks and CDs in the printer box, if space allows. You can also pack cords, power strips, speakers, and mouse pads together. Add some cushioning packaging foam around these items, but you do not need to wrap each individually.

Label Again

Once all the boxes are packed, label each carefully, and include the words “Fragile - Electronic.” This way the movers will know exactly what they are dealing with. When loading computers into the moving truck, try to pack them near the top. This way, they will not bear the weight of the other cargo. Pack these items into the area of the vehicle that is subjected to the least amount of bumping and bouncing such as between several other boxes.

Regardless of whether you are packing your own computer or relying on the moving company to do so, monitor the packing of your electronics so you know everything is safe. Electronics are valuable cargo, and they contain valuable information that needs to be protected. Atlantic Relocation offers the assurance homeowners need to relax and enjoy their move. Rely on them to get your technological equipment to your destination without problems.