Taking your laptop to the States

[reptile]

I'm thinking of taking my laptop with me when I go the the States. Has anyone else done this? I'd carry it in my hand luggage, but we have a couple of connections en route (Chicago and Dallas). Do you have to take it out of your luggage each time?

Hi, I'm on my laptop which I brought out to the States with me on Sunday. We flew from LGW and only had to take it out once for it to be checked. DC1 and 2 also brought their laptops and had no problems.
Couldn't possibly spend three weeks in the States with no MNet

Yes, you have to take it out of your luggage when you go through security. You won't go through security on your connection stops, so should be fine.

I would advise getting an external hard drive and making a backup of your laptop to leave at home when traveling to the US. Border security rules are that if they suspect you they can keep it (%$&* homeland security making Americans like me ashamed of their home country since 2002).

Just FYI. It's good policy anyway if you are clumsy like me and prone to dropping it

Thanks everybody - very useful to know - I don't know how I managed before MN