Computers & Electronics

Do you keep your External HDD plugged in all the time and turn off when it's not in use?

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  • Sep 2nd, 2016 11:14 am
Newbie
Nov 20, 2012
15 posts
5 upvotes
Edmonton

Do you keep your External HDD plugged in all the time and turn off when it's not in use?

So I have two 5TB External HDD for backup, and I have been leaving them on all the time doesn't matter if my computer is on or off... the main reason for that is because they don't have a power switch (lol?), the only way for me to power them off is to unplugged the power cord. Recently a friend of mine told me it's actually better to unplugged them if I don't use them to extend the life of the HDD.

Do you guys keep your External HDD plugged in all the time and turn off when it's not in use?
7 replies
Deal Fanatic
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Nov 24, 2012
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Space
I leave them plugged in. Going on 4 years now with 2 WDs ( zero issues ).
Deal Expert
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Jun 27, 2004
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Vancouver.bc.ca
I think it would depend on how often the drives are required. I unplug the power brick on mine because it's used for archiving, and I only use it once every few months.
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2006
31271 posts
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All mine are 24/7/365.
Then again... they're technically not externals any more.
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Oct 16, 2001
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StevenC82 wrote: So I have two 5TB External HDD for backup, and I have been leaving them on all the time doesn't matter if my computer is on or off... the main reason for that is because they don't have a power switch (lol?), the only way for me to power them off is to unplugged the power cord. Recently a friend of mine told me it's actually better to unplugged them if I don't use them to extend the life of the HDD.

Do you guys keep your External HDD plugged in all the time and turn off when it's not in use?
My only powered external is on my HD receiver to make it a PVR. Pointless to turn it off and on again, just another thing to remember and do

Does your friend have proof of this? And if so, so what if it extends it. Everything mechanical eventually dies, extend it to the point where its not useful anymore
Deal Fanatic
Nov 15, 2013
5761 posts
3916 upvotes
Toronto
If you shut them off, it's a more violent process to get them back running from cold than if they were already active, if the hard drive was on it's way out, this could finish it off. On the other hand, the constant running does add some wear and tear to the drive which does kill them slowly over time anyways. There is no conclusive answer in either direction which is worse though but if they're going unused for large stretches of time, I'd unplug them(especially if we're talking in weeks).
Member
Jun 8, 2015
281 posts
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funkland
The operating system you connect to is the thing deciding when to spin the disks down.
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Mar 31, 2005
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Calgary
Kind of depends on what you are using them for. For archiving/backup purposes it would likely be best to just turn them off when not using them. If they are part of a media server or something then you'll want to make sure you have them in an enclosure that goes passive and doesn't just run it's fan 24/7.

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