Originally Posted by Savas
I keep my laptop in sleep mode so at least there is some heat generation within the machine while it's traveling along. I will add some padding on top to keep out the cold air blasts.
I think this is a brilliant idea. Let the computer run in Standby mode and it'll heat itself.
As mentioned above, if you just wrap the laptop in plastic, it doesn't keep the laptop warm. Think of it this way. A laptop will get cold the same way a can of soda will get cold in the freezer. When you pull it out into the warmth of heated space, the coldness of the laptop will condense the moisture from the air just like the can of soda. And moisture is the killer if you turn the power on. You'll need to let the laptop warm up to room temperature for at least as long as it was exposed to the cold before you power it on, maybe longer. If you've never experienced any damage from powering it on immediately, you've been lucky. We're talking about best advice here for commuting.
T'is my first post on these forums. Thanks much for all the information I've been getting. I'll just continue to lurk for a bit. But, I thought the idea of the laptop maintaining its own temperature very intuitive.