Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Silencing hard drives, optical drives and other storage devices

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zenpmd
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Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:47 am

Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by zenpmd » Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:33 am

I want to use a moving disk for backup and ssd for everyday stuff. Is there a way to turn off a HD with software? If not, what is the hardware solution?

CA_Steve
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Re: Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by CA_Steve » Thu Sep 18, 2014 8:51 am

In Windows 7: Control Panel->Power Options->create a custom plan->advanced power settings->Hard Disk->Turn off Hard Disk after setting:

Abula
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Re: Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by Abula » Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:17 am

I would do as Steve posted, but just as a comment, sometimes, when i install drivers, usually Intel RST, some versions make the hdds ejectable like usb sticks, so you could eject it, but you will need to do every time you boot or every time you need to take it off.

Personally my recommendation is to go with external USB3 disk to do backups, usually its recommened that backups are not in the same box as this would procect you against thiefs, a fire, flooding, etc. The newer 2.5hdd with large capacity have very good performance, almost no penalty with usb3, i usually transfer movies from my server to my desktop pc and then to its usb3 hdd to take them on the road with me, and the hdds from my server usually saturate the gigbit lan, and there is no penalty doing it directly to usb3, practically im restricted by the speed of the 2.5, where its still above the gigabit lan. An external hdd that its using the new samsung 2tb is the Seagate Expansion 2TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive (STBX2000401), imo a good deal for $85, considering you end up with usb3 and no need for external power, ideal to me for a backup drive.

quest_for_silence
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Re: Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:26 am

Abula wrote:An external hdd that its using the new samsung 2tb is the Seagate Expansion 2TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive (STBX2000401), imo a good deal for $85, considering you end up with usb3 and no need for external power, ideal to me for a backup drive.

Does it sport the famous M9T for 30% less money than the bare drive?

Abula
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Re: Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by Abula » Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:10 am

quest_for_silence wrote:
Abula wrote:An external hdd that its using the new samsung 2tb is the Seagate Expansion 2TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive (STBX2000401), imo a good deal for $85, considering you end up with usb3 and no need for external power, ideal to me for a backup drive.

Does it sport the famous M9T for 30% less money than the bare drive?
Correct, check this amazon review, MUST Read before purchasing - 2-3 model comparison. Too late for me, as i bought the bare drives.

Btw congrats on 3k posts =)

zenpmd
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:47 am

Re: Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by zenpmd » Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:35 am

Thanks all. My preference is for internal since I've found external annoying for a while now and part my justification for a larger case this time around is to fit everything neatly in it (it being the powerful computer as opposed to the HTPC etc), so that power settings option looks good. What about a hard wired switch? Can I just get it to lose its power without damage?

Abula
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Re: Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by Abula » Fri Sep 19, 2014 5:50 am

You can probable instaall a switch with a sata extensión, probable wont be that Hard, problem is you would still need to eject it like if it was a hotswapabale slot for it to be fine dropping the power, so i dont think there will be much gain.

Pappnaas
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Re: Hard Disk - can I turn it off?

Post by Pappnaas » Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:05 am

The old school strategy for backup media is to keep them separated from the source. Keeping the disk inside of your backup source brings more risks.

An external USB 3.0 2.5" HDD is a sufficient backup target for any Win7/8 PC and still small enough and hassle free, since it doesn't need external power. Another possibility could be a small prebuild NAS with 2 2.5" drives, small, low power and can be placed somewhere else, as long you have a network cable going there.

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