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- Cornelis: Well, GeertP, I am absolutely not a 'Brussels sprouts supporter' or THE Red Brand addict, but that does not mean that I don't like the Thai cuisine.
- Rudolf: It depends on what you are looking for in Thailand, but to be honest you don't have much choice in my opinion. The big cities are falling apart
- RonnyLatYa: Also take a look at this. https://www.iqair.com/thailand/kanchanaburi Also scroll down a bit and they will also give you some explanation
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- Pjotter: kopi luwak regularly bought and drunk in the Netherlands. Usually only available some time before Christmas. You get the best coffee taste
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Home » Reader question » Reader question: Who has experience with bringing desktop computers to Thailand?
Dear readers,
I plan to live with friends in Thailand for a few months. If I like it I want to stay longer.
In the Netherlands I run my business via the internet and can do the same in Thailand. Now I do this with two desktop computers that are fully equipped for the work I do every day. I will be bringing a laptop but was wondering if it would be a good idea to bring these two desktop computers as well? If necessary with a second suitcase.
I will not bring many clothes, etc. from the Netherlands, so there is plenty of room.
Anyone have experience with this with a desktop computer?
Thank you in advance.
Hans
Sounds like a good idea Josh. I think it is even better (safer) to just leave the 'old' discs in the computer in the Netherlands and to copy the content here onto new ones that you take with you.
Don't forget to purchase a device that protects the computer against voltage fluctuations (peaks) before it is too late.
You can also make a copy of the backup that you make regularly, buy a new computer here and then pretend it crashed and put the data from the backup on it. You can immediately see if that works well.
3 years ago I brought a desktop PC to LOS. Flight AMS-BKK with China Airlines. Desktop in a Samsonite hard case and "propped" with a few clothes above, below and along the side walls. Suitcase not locked and with luggage belt around it.
The suitcase with desktop PC was on the baggage carousel at Suvarnabhumi airport ajar with the baggage belt loosely wrapped around it.
Apparently the cargo on the scanner image was “interesting” enough to open the case and inspect “the viso”.
I later found that the desktop PC case had also been opened. Screws were not all back tight and some were even missing.
Open for inspection at Schiphol, at Swampy? I suspect earlier at Schiphol because components of a desktop PC in a scanner can be confused with other more dangerous stuff.
From a safety point of view, I think it's fine that they check such "unusual" hold luggage properly. My stepson in LOS neatly replaced the missing screws and he also had the PC "upgraded". Add a few slats for peanuts money. The grandchildren still use that PC every day in LOS.
I know, I could have bought a PC in LOS for a lot of baths and few euros. But then that is not really really received from Phoe Mark for the grandchildren and maybe Phoe Mark is secretly also a bit consciously kinneau 🙂
It all stands and falls a bit with the size of your desktop system. Mainly the screen. For example, if you have 32″ screens or something like that, it is already a lot more difficult to cram into a suitcase than a 22-inch screen. Your computer case itself also depends a bit on whether you have a full size tower or a thin desktop, etc.
I think most computer systems here are quite pricey, which is why I've thought about it myself. But in the end I just left my stuff in the Netherlands.
Incidentally, your travel insurance generally does not cover laptops and computer equipment if you take them with you as hold luggage, I think. So when it comes to expensive systems, you do take a risk.
Of course I already checked that the computers can be put in a suitcase.
You can also remove the motherboard and hd (c drive) and then have it built into a new or 2nd hand desktop cabinet with power supply in Th.
Then all your settings of your programs are preserved, I don't know where you live, I want to help you here in NL area Alkmaar, in TH. you can go anywhere for this 🙂
I have already taken 3 desktop computers to Thailand in the past. I screw an old suitcase handle on top of the cupboard or buy one from Gamma or Praxis. I don't do anything else about it and take them with me as hand luggage, as regular luggage is dangerous due to throwing and vibrations. Never had any problems with security. I work at an airport and know all too well how luggage is handled there.
Not very smart, Jos, to transfer the entire HDD to another PC. Windows does not recognize the new PC and then Windows will no longer work. The manufacturers buy the Windows licenses (OEM) from Microsoft under certain conditions. The PC and Windows are linked to each other. Windows will not work on another make of PC.
What the person asking the question can do is to take the data on a portable HDD and, if necessary, synchronize it with another PC. But I assume his PC has software installed that he needs in Thailand. What he can do is provide a notebook in the Netherlands with the right software and synchronize the data with it. Of course he can also take desktop PCs with him, but taking them in a suitcase as hold luggage does not seem particularly advisable to me.
I always take my Samsung Chromebook with me.
Flat and not heavy, fits in any carry-on bag.
Everything in the cloud, no hard drives required, almost 7 hours of battery life, everything works perfectly.
Why buy. I think you can rent hosting here just like anywhere in the world. Transfer your data there and you're done. You can also buy a hard disk in NL for little and take everything with you. I even think you can rent hosting in the Netherlands and log in from here. You must have a fast connection and I have no idea if they have fiber optics here. Think the tip to buy a UPS is a good one to deal with power failures. Would I do here because those things are very heavy. Maybe order online?
Another thing: why 2 desktop: if you need 2 screens you can install an extra video card and save a desktop. Possibly. Can you also split disk.
That is normally the first thought, but there can be many reasons for this.
Oa:
-Using different software packages on different operating systems
-Redundancy, if 1 system is down you can continue on the other and vice versa, think of stock market traders for example, they often have 2 or more separate systems for that reason, with UPS and often also different internet connections, for example 1 cable or fiber optic line and 4G as a backup.
-Distribution of your processing power, if an application requires a lot from 1 system it can be advantageous to do the rest of your tasks on another.
That way you can come up with something.
Could-like or online storage solutions I would not be too keen on in Thailand, the internet connections here are not of the same level as in the Netherlands. I'm also not keen on the security of the data, but that's just how sensitive your data is.
I can answer that very simply.
Apple and Windows PC.
Why not put everything on a hard drive that you can take with you?
A terabyte costs next to nothing these days. Moreover, you can store the data online for little money (almost free).
At Microsoft, Adobe, etc. I don't think it's advisable to drag everything along.
As others already write: just bring an HD with all data. And make sure you have a power backup + voltage stabilizer. Not the first time that electronics have been blown up by voltage spikes there.
Also take into account a significantly more unstable and slower internet. In Lumpini Ville, 600 meters from On Nut skytrain station, I got the 2 KILO bites in the evening. Pretty slow if you are used to +10 MEGA bites. So I think all 1000+ condo residents were connected to just one wire.
I brought my desktop PC to Thailand in 2012. In a large suitcase, with clothes crammed to the sides. And trust me, my PC closet is pretty big. Also my monitor and the necessary cables.
When I arrived in Bangkok, my suitcase was also opened and the PC was probably examined.
However, nothing was wrong and it is now in 2015 still a good loyal daily companion.
Of course you can also, as suggested here, buy a new hard disk. If it's just your programs and you're going back to the Netherlands in a few months, I'd copy them onto another disk and take them to Thailand and buy one or two new PCs here. You can also buy second hand if necessary. It just depends on how old your system is. At the time, I had completely redecorated my PC: motherboard, graphics card – expensive and good.
Two PCs? Do you have different systems? On a somewhat decent computer, you can easily run everything you have at home on two and connect two monitors if necessary.
Here in Thailand you can get everything you need and much more.
In any case, make sure you have a good UPS! And Backup in the Netherlands!
Install 'Teamviewer' on both desktops and laptop. You can then use your laptop, anywhere in the world, to log in to both desktops, wherever they are. Works over the internet so very easy. Is, if you use it privately, free !
The second option is to put everything on the cloud (online Google). You can always join.
Third option : Bring an external 2Tb disk. Costs next to nothing and weighs next to nothing.
I myself use option 1, Teamviewer. Small laptop with only a 64 GB SSD. No moving parts to break and very light. Recently added a 256 GB SSD stick, plenty of room.
Regards, Cees
That's a good tip Cees. I hadn't thought about it yet.
Small warning. If you do not have a work permit, you are not allowed to work in Thailand… Not even from Thailand, because you generate income that you take from someone else.
No that is not an option. Exactly what Frans Nico says.
I work with many different programs on both apple and windows pc.
To reinstall all that on a laptop is quite a job.
Hence my question.
It's not about the data, it's about the programs I use.
Data is all on my dropbox account so that's not the problem.
The first time I brought a PC purchased in Pan Tip in Bkk for repair, including the HD, I received a lot of problems in the form of unwanted software and other junk. I spent a week repairing that which was only possible thanks to another PC of the same brand and type that I bought at the same time as the other one. If I now have a hardware problem that I can't solve myself, I always take the HD out first before it goes to the repair. I would only have software problems solved as long as I can stick to it myself.
Who still carries two desktops with them to Thailand? With all due respect, I think your “company” needs an IT man more than those two desktops. I really wonder what a desktop can do more than a laptop. I would also argue that if older peripherals have to be controlled via the parallel, centronics or serial port, there may still be a need for an older laptop or desktop that still has these ports, but there are solutions for this as well and those desktops are completely unnecessary. As far as the software is concerned, that is also no reason to still use desktops and then have to drag them along. You can then bring water to the sea or bring coconuts to Koh Samui.
lung addie
Broadly speaking, I agree with you. But there will be specific reasons why the questioner wants to take their desktops with them. First, he will be able to have specific software on the PCs he needs. Secondly, it works with two operating systems (Windows and the Apple operating system). Third, desktops generally run faster and the processors are often more powerful than the average notebooks. Switching to a notebook may incur high costs for the questioner. In addition, switching to notebook can take a lot of time. There could be many reasons why he doesn't want to do that.
Based on the question, the cheapest, fastest and safest solution seems to me to be that he first considers whether he really needs two computers. If not, then things get a lot easier. If he can suffice with a Windows system, he can consider, if his current notebook is not powerful enough, to purchase a new powerful notebook and install his software on it with synchronization of his data or to purchase a suitable desktop in Thailand with same make motherboard of his home computer. In that case, he can create an image of his current drive and restore it to the new one. That will work because Windows is linked to the manufacturer's motherboard and then no new activation is required. He will have to update the drivers. He could then leave that desktop in Thailand for later use when he left for the Netherlands. But the cost may play a role in why he wants to take his desktop(s) with him.
He can take his current desktops with him as hold luggage, but then it is advisable to remove the hard drives and take them with him as hand luggage. It is also advisable to protect the motherboard against shocks, because the motherboard can be damaged if the case falls during loading and unloading. The CDROM drive must also be protected or removed, because it cannot withstand shocks.
If money is no object, it makes no sense to carry two desktops with you.
Why bring your desktop with you? There are 2 reasons for that
1 business software is expensive and cannot simply be installed on multiple computers.
2 many files are stored locally i.e. on the desktop.
Many of you have not considered that in your answer.
A number of valid solutions have already been put forward, but virtualization has not yet been put forward.
I admit, not immediately for beginners, but wanted to mention it anyway.
Virtualbox or VMWare Player for example. can be downloaded (free). You (re)install everything within a virtual machine until you are sure that you have everything and that it works properly. You then copy this to an external hard drive and take it with you. It is even possible to take an image of a running desktop PC with all the software on it (for advanced users), without reinstalling!
At your destination, you only need to install the virtualization software and import the image from your external hard drive, or run directly from this drive. The desktop hardware does not have to be the same at all, but it does have to be sufficiently powerful. Perfectly portable, and actually only costs you the disk and some time - although often there is not enough of that
Nowadays you can even do this completely in the cloud.
Or how about BackToMyMac, or LogMeIn?
They allow you to work on your Mac resp. PC anywhere in the world that is somewhere in the socket.
It also depends on what software you are using of course. Not all types are suitable for this.