Originally Posted by FWAAA
Unfortunately, aside from the situation pointed out by Bart in that thread (that some laptop bags are just too cluttered to discern all the scary things they hold), there really is no good answer for why my expensive computer cannot pass thru the x-ray machine in its protective padded case. My laptop bag does not contain all the sundry scary things that necessitate it being unprotected as it gets its radiation, but that's not how the brain-trust at the TSA works.
Theoretically, there's no reason not to allow a laptop to go through if it's alone in a little padded case (and I try to allow that when I'm on xray), since the spirit of the rule is to clear up the images for the xray op. However, oftentimes people say that there's nothing in the case but their laptop, then I discover a case as cluttered as a full-fledged computer bag. They're probably related to the people who argue that I don't need a bag check on their bag because it contains a DVD player or X-box and not a laptop. (I don't care what it is; what I care about is that if I can't see through it then I can't see through it.)