Power Saving Mode For External Hard Disk

[Maestro]

My desktop computer runs on Microsoft Vista Ultimate. I know how to set the internal hard disk to switch off after a certain time of non-usage, but how can I do the same for the external hard disk, connected to the desktop computer with a USB cable? Is there even a way to do that?

I don’t want the computer to go into sleep mode or hibernate, because it has to be accessible over the LAN and the internet.

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Maestro

[Guest Reimar]

My desktop computer runs on Microsoft Vista Ultimate. I know how to set the internal hard disk to switch off after a certain time of non-usage, but how can I do the same for the external hard disk, connected to the desktop computer with a USB cable? Is there even a way to do that?

I don't want the computer to go into sleep mode or hibernate, because it has to be accessible over the LAN and the internet.

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Maestro

No, you can't! The only solution is to use an USB drive with power switch like the Oker case for 3.5" hdd which have an built in PW or the Digimate Series with battery for 2.5" hdd!

The problem why you can't use the "soft" switching is that the power to the USB can't be soft regulated to switch down the hdd to sleep mode.

[Maestro]

Thank you.

My external hard drive does have a power switch at the back and has its own power supply, so that’s how I shall have to turn off and on. I use it for the daily backup that is scheduled to start at 2020 hours. My problem is that I will probably forget to turn it on a lot of times, so what I plan to do now is get one of those timer switches.

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Maestro

[tjo o tjim]

My external hard drive does have a power switch at the back and has its own power supply, so that’s how I shall have to turn off and on. I use it for the daily backup that is scheduled to start at 2020 hours. My problem is that I will probably forget to turn it on a lot of times, so what I plan to do now is get one of those timer switches.

I wouldn't recommend using a timer switch to just cut power to the drive; you would be better off just letting the thing run continuously.

The best option is to use a drive that has an internal sleep mechanism; sometimes this is enabled through the driver provided through the unit, others it is just normal function. I don't think Windows has a plug-in architecture for the power savings on USB drives, but I'm not an expert in that area.

[Tywais]

My external hard drive does have a power switch at the back and has its own power supply, so that’s how I shall have to turn off and on. I use it for the daily backup that is scheduled to start at 2020 hours. My problem is that I will probably forget to turn it on a lot of times, so what I plan to do now is get one of those timer switches.

I wouldn't recommend using a timer switch to just cut power to the drive; you would be better off just letting the thing run continuously.

Believe he is referring to automatically turn it on just prior to his auto backup operation, but yes - don't want to turn it off arbitrarily. There are drives/usb boxes that do have auto spin down. One of my drive/box combinations does this but will have to check which one since I have so many.

[Guest Reimar]

My external hard drive does have a power switch at the back and has its own power supply, so that's how I shall have to turn off and on. I use it for the daily backup that is scheduled to start at 2020 hours. My problem is that I will probably forget to turn it on a lot of times, so what I plan to do now is get one of those timer switches.

I wouldn't recommend using a timer switch to just cut power to the drive; you would be better off just letting the thing run continuously.

Believe he is referring to automatically turn it on just prior to his auto backup operation, but yes - don't want to turn it off arbitrarily. There are drives/usb boxes that do have auto spin down. One of my drive/box combinations does this but will have to check which one since I have so many.

That's exactly where I had problems with. I use a few Maxtor external USB drive with Auto Spin Down and all failed within 6 month! The problem was coming not from the Harddisk but from the external Powersource (Main-). The only drive was living longer was the last Maxtor Drive I was using because I was powering the Drive from an extra UPS in fully grounded Power enviroment!

[Maestro]

Believe he is referring to automatically turn it on just prior to his auto backup operation, but yes - don't want to turn it off arbitrarily.

Yes, that’s my intention. Have the timer clock switch power to the drive 20 minutes before the scheduled backup time, then have the clock switch it off two hours later. I run a daily incremental backup on this drive and it usually takes only a few minutes.

I guess having a timer clock turn power on and off is the same as flipping the switch on the case on and off, in Switzerland at least. I would be hesitant to do it in Thailand, where I see sparks flying every time I plug an appliance into an electrical outlet.

I don’t like the way the drive heats up when it is on continuously, and I suspect it shortens its life if it spins without interruption. It is one of three drives I had in the old computer, before I bought a new computer for Vista, and I just bought an external case for the drive; don’t want to build it into the new computer, which is a Shuttle and therefore a very small case.

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Maestro

[lvrpulfan555]

Hard drives that have individual power supplies can be left on, for weeks. Switching them on and off, daily does more damage then just leaving them on.

What in the world would need a daily back up anyway? ..."Your business"...

I have 2 Raid HDD's at 750 GB each running hot. They mirror each other for better data storage. I never turn them off, and I use them for intense 3D modeling, and at times, you could cook an egg on the surface. A simple household fan does the trick to cool them.

Sitting idol, your HDD is not hurting itself. Most big HDD's have a sleep feature built in. Acts like the screen saver, no action, it goes to sleep, but continues to spin at slower speeds for quick response, resorting data, damage control, and the simple fact that it sitting off was not the designers intention. My opinion, leave it on. But put a surge protector between it and the wall outlet as I am sure you are aware of the unstable power on the island. The timer is a bad idea.

Maestro, Please PM me when you have some time as I have an issue to discuss with you offline.

cheers

[Maestro]

...What in the world would need a daily back up anyway?...Most big HDD's have a sleep feature built in. ..My opinion, leave it on. But put a surge protector between it and the wall outlet as I am sure you are aware of the unstable power on the island. The timer is a bad idea.

Thank you for your advice. I seem to remember having read somewhere, years ago, that the greatest wear and tear of a hard disk is caused during its spinning up, so I won’t by that timer switch, after all. Surely, the electricity it consumes won’t put me in the poor house. I was more concerned about the heat it generates, but the summer was not so hot in Switzerland this year (no air-conditioning here) and seems to over now.

Daily back-up? For me, it’s like insurance. And the hourly mirror, to an HDD in another computer in another part of the building, is my double-insurance. Incidentally, insurance is a good business in Switzerland.

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Maestro

[Veazer]

Reimar is incorrect, lots of external drives can use spin down / power management. It seems to depend on the PC and chipset (& firmware) of the drive enclosure. I just upgraded the firmware on two external cases and both now auto-sleep without any additional software. They seem to follow the XP power management spin down setting as best as I can tell. They also spindown during standby/hibernation and auto spin-up when resumed. It slows down the resume a little because it will not 'unfreeze' windows until all drives are at full speed, but i understand the need for this behavior. BTW, the same drives will not spindown when connected to my friend's older Thinkpad X40 so this is why i said it seems to depend on the PC as well.

Even no-name cases can often be updated if you're able to find the chipset maker and model. This would really be the ideal solution for you if you can get it to work, the drives would only be running when needed and a short duration after, but they'll always be available to windows.