Can a mobile phone dammage a PC?

[Bizzeh]

well, i sit at home most of the day, with my mobile on top of my PC.. never had a problem..
but, at college, they seem to think if you leave your mobile phone switched on anywhere near a PC, it will format the hard drive.
their sign reads "please switch off mobile phones when using the computers, they emit signals that will format and erase the entire computer hard drive"..

i just wanna know, has anyone ever had any troubles with their PC and mobile phone? cos i sure havnt...

(and yes, for you americans, a mobile phone is a cell phone)

[billyvnilly]

they do it so you wont use your phone in the computer lab, bc its annoying. I have never heard of anything like that.

[Evolution556]

Thats the first time I ever heard of this being a probelem for a PC>

I'm just curious how old are the pcs at that college? It might effect older ones, but most colleges have pretty much up to date pcs or the ones I have been to.

[shakey_snake]

Now, someone could think your phone emits magnetic waves to scamble your HD, but obviously this is tried and truely wrong.

[deeder7001]

cell phones formatting HDs? i've never heard of that. even with old PCs. i'm pretty sure that magnets mess up computers, not cell phones.

[mikm]

Most magnets will do little harm to most madern hard drives (floppy disk are a different story), as there are already powerful magnets used in the HD for various purposes. While I am not advocating putting magnest on your computer, it still should do virtually no damage.

[griffinn]

Have you tried repeatedly whacking your hard disk with your mobile phone?

[General Geoff]

It would take a magnet of about 10 Tesla to adversely affect a modern hard drive.

For comparison, a standard MRI machine is rated at 1-3 Teslas.

[dlinkwit27]

When I put my phone near my monitor it makes the monitor go screwy, esp if I am using the phone (ie, having a conversation on it)

[MegaRock]

Theoretically yes if you have a Bluetooth enabled phone. There are now viruses out that can infect a phone and thus make it into your computer through the BT connection, although it's highly unlikely.

Also, if you bash the phone really hard on your drive, jam it in the CD rom or attempt to shove the antenna into the fan blades to listen to the grinding noise it could have adverse effects.

[Coman]

Originally posted by dlinkwit27
When I put my phone near my monitor it makes the monitor go screwy, esp if I am using the phone (ie, having a conversation on it)
yea, when someone calls me it makes noises.

[MegaRock]

Originally posted by Coman
yea, when someone calls me it makes noises.

Sorry, I did forget that one - phone rings, makes annoying noise, gets thrown at computer, breaks something. How did I let that one slip through after I did it two months ago?

[Coman]

mine actually vibrates so i enjoy it.

[ScorLibran]

Originally posted by Bizzeh
...but, at college, they seem to think if you leave your mobile phone switched on anywhere near a PC, it will format the hard drive.
their sign reads "please switch off mobile phones when using the computers, they emit signals that will format and erase the entire computer hard drive"..
It's either an "inside joke" of some kind, or whoever wrote that doesn't know a thing about modern cellular and PC technology.

[missyob]

Originally posted by Coman
mine actually vibrates so i enjoy it.

Mine does too and I keep asking all my friends to call me ~ ALOT :D

~ Missy

[whiteflip]

Originally posted by missyob
Mine does too and I keep asking all my friends to call me ~ ALOT :D

~ Missy

I'll call you when ever you need a jingle Missy :p

I just put my phone in my case ontop of my hard drive and called it a couple of times. Seems to still work. I don't see how a radio wave can format a hard drive.

[Wildrose-Wally]

Originally posted by missyob
Mine does too and I keep asking all my friends to call me ~ ALOT :D

~ Missy
Just send me your number, I'll call you. :)

[missyob]

Thanks whiteflip.

My number is 867-5309 Ask for Jenny :D


@ wally, I am telling your wife again!
missy keeps notes on what to tell the wifey

Love Ya :D

~ Missy

[ScorLibran]

Originally posted by wildrose-wally
Just send me your number, I'll call you. :)
Her number is speed dial #2. ;)

[Wildrose-Wally]

Hell no, that's my house.

[ScorLibran]

No way, I've got your house on speed dial #3.

[Wildrose-Wally]

Hey listen here buddy, who gave you my number? :mad:

[missyob]

and why am I on speed dial 2?

Who is 1?

[ScorLibran]

My mom, of course. :)


(Don't worry Wally...unless you're my friend Steve in Florida, you're not speed dial #3 on my phone. ;) )

[Wildrose-Wally]

Last time I checked, it did not say Steve on my drivers licence, so I don't think I'm him.
Never been to Florida neither, I hear it's too windy there anyway.

[psyfive]

my cell phone came with a cradle type charger that has a 2 foot usb cable for hot syncing the palm portion of my phone. I usually keep the cradle/charger sitting on top of my tower for easy access. I have never once had a problem where my phone formats my hard drive.

[MegaRock]

But does it vibrate it to satisfaction?

[psyfive]

But does it vibrate it to satisfaction?
I have never heard my hard drive complain ;)

I rarely get any calls though so my phone doesn't vibrate nearly as much as the other phones belonging to the fine members of this forum. I guess thats what happens when you are a creepy guy.

[ctn|chrisw]

pffft vibrating. Nothing is better then the look on everyone's face when my phone rings, screaming "I WANNA FUCK YOU IN THE ASS" :D

[Bilbo Baggins]

Mine shouts "Mail motherfucker" when I get a message. That got some weird looks on the train...

The phone will only interfere with the monitor while there is activity between the phone and the network, but it doesnt do any damage.

[will]

Originally posted by Bizzeh
at college, they seem to think if you leave your mobile phone switched on anywhere near a PC, it will format the hard drive. Then they are total retards.

[morgado]

Originally posted by will
Then they are total retards.

Or they're trying to make you retard. They just don't want your fone to ring and bother them ... it's just this !

[will]

Thats what I suspect, but they could at least be honest about it.

[xzxzzx]

Haha. Cell phone. Hard drive. Hahaha...

Seriously, your average CRT puts out a far stronger magnetic field than any cell phone. Particularly when degaussing.

[Coman]

Originally posted by Bilbo Baggins
Mine shouts "Mail motherfucker" when I get a message.
might i ask you where you got that?

[BMWboy]

i could do some damage to your PC with a cell phone if I launched it out of my propane-powered potato gun.

[s0be]

Cell Phones emit electromagnetic waves. This is how they talk to cell towers. These frequencies happen to be such that, when in close proximity to wires, they produce interference with the electronics. If a cell phone is near speakers, the speakers will pick it up in the cords and you'll hear a buzz. If it's near a monitor, the cable can pick up the interference and you'll see wierd waves. It comes down to the shielding in the electronics. Old serial terminals which are shielded to mil-spec don't have this problem(as I've seen countless times at work).

s0be

[griffinn]

Cell phone interference can be very disruptive. Once, there was a cell phone that interfered with an entire conference so severely that we had to ask the owner to bring it and leave the hall.

[Cognition]

Yeah, if my phone is near my speakers the speakers will click a couple of times just before I get a message. It actually acts as like a pre-warning, cause the speakers click before the phone beeps.

And Bizzeh, you should just print out this entire thread, or at least the first part, and stick it under the sign.

[Smeggle]

weird that cause a few times I've had messages come through, the speakers, telly and monitor go to sphagetti western and no message :weird:

Sort of like it get's lost or absorbed in the other eletrical fields?

And it can't be weak signal as I live within half a mile of a tower and have a near clear view of it...

anyway - mine sits on top of my comp and I never have a problem - same drive the last 18mnth.


My phone vibrates - but I only get work related calls - not the same somehow - ;)

~ :)

[Bilbo Baggins]

Originally posted by Coman
might i ask you where you got that?

Hawk606

Smeggle, the noise you hear without anything actually coming onto the phone is just the phone andthe network communicating, so that the network knows the status of the phone (ie on or off).

[Coman]

Hawk606 (http://forums.winamp.com/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=903)?