A protective shell for a portable computer includes an upper shell and a lower shell connected via hinges. The computer can be placed into the shell by slipping a first hinged section of the computer underneath a first clip of the upper shell and then bending back a second clip, made of a resilient material, of the lower shell to allow a second hinged section of the computer to slip into the lower shell. The hinges are positioned on the protective shell so that they will be concentric or approximately concentric with a hinge of the portable computer when the protective shell encases the portable computer. A mounting plate may be removably attached to the shell to allow the shell to be connected to various mounting arm assemblies.