Safer to leave external HDD running 24/7 or turn off after each use?

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  • Jakez
    Confirmed User
    • Jan 2004
    • 5656

    #1

    Safer to leave external HDD running 24/7 or turn off after each use?

    I have an external HDD inside a Spire or something case with no fans. After running for a bit it gets pretty damn hot. I'm always scared of it overheating or something and corrupting my stuff.. but I've accidentally left it on for days before and all seems fine. I hadn't used it for like a month and I turned it on yesterday and it kind of scared me because it wasn't showing up on my computer right away. So the question is...?
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  • TrainWreckContent
    Confirmed User
    • Dec 2008
    • 8152

    #2
    i am not sure if its bad or not but i never turn mine off unless i am rebooting..had 2 of them for over 1 yr never had any issues

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    • rowan
      Too lazy to set a custom title
      • Mar 2002
      • 17393

      #3
      You should buy another one as backup rather than wondering if your HD is going to fail... (there's a lot more than heat which can kill a HD!)

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      • Jakez
        Confirmed User
        • Jan 2004
        • 5656

        #4
        Originally posted by rowan
        You should buy another one as backup rather than wondering if your HD is going to fail... (there's a lot more than heat which can kill a HD!)
        Well I keep a few backups on my computer, and copy them to the external, also have them sitting on my host from downloading. I figure that's enough, hopefully all 3 don't fuck up at once, eh.
        [email protected] - jakezdumb - 573689400

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        • rowan
          Too lazy to set a custom title
          • Mar 2002
          • 17393

          #5
          Originally posted by Jakez
          Well I keep a few backups on my computer, and copy them to the external, also have them sitting on my host from downloading. I figure that's enough, hopefully all 3 don't fuck up at once, eh.
          That's a very good start... now all you need is an extra external that gets rotated offsite regularly.

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          • Jakez
            Confirmed User
            • Jan 2004
            • 5656

            #6
            Originally posted by rowan
            That's a very good start... now all you need is an extra external that gets rotated offsite regularly.
            If all 3 goto shit at once I guess it was meant to be lol.

            Anyone know for sure which way is best? BTW I've had this external for probably 5 years at least without a problem :crosses fingers:, even leaving it on for days in a house with no A/C and FL summer heat/humidity, talk about a stress test lol, I could've literally cooked an egg on the case alone, anyways I always try to shut it off if I'm not using it. So it seems to be leaning in that direction..
            Last edited by Jakez; 05-19-2010, 10:09 PM.
            [email protected] - jakezdumb - 573689400

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            • Major (Tom)
              So Fucking Banned
              • Nov 2003
              • 32492

              #7
              I leave mine running all day, and some have been online for 2+ years
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              • rowan
                Too lazy to set a custom title
                • Mar 2002
                • 17393

                #8
                Most drives I've checked have their "maximum" SMART temp set at 55C. Nothing horrible or magical happens when you hit 55.1C, but at that point you're technically overtemp.

                In a room without air conditioning during summer an external without forced air flow could probably get near to or above this figure. Don't forget it's not just ambient that matters, the heat of the drive itself has to be shed, without a fan it's just by thermal radiation through the shell of the enclosure (which often has a bad thermal connection to the drive itself... in effect it's insulating it!)

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                • NaughtyRob
                  Two fresh affiliate progs
                  • Nov 2004
                  • 29602

                  #9
                  I have about 15 and have had very few issues leaving them on all the time.
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                  • Catalyst
                    Confirmed User
                    • Jun 2003
                    • 3243

                    #10
                    i leave mine on all the time

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                    • paymeback
                      Confirmed User
                      • May 2005
                      • 1478

                      #11
                      If its actually being used 24/7 and not idling maybe look into the western digital AV drives, they are designed for 24/7 use they are only $10ish more than the WD green drives fwiw
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                      • Adraco
                        Confirmed User
                        • May 2009
                        • 3745

                        #12
                        Nothing wrong in turning it off when not using it. A drive that doesn't spin live longer. Most drives today have sleep functions, but unless it is really professional gear made to be used all the time, I suggest you simply turn it off when leaving your computer.
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                        • LoveSandra
                          So Fucking Banned
                          • Aug 2008
                          • 10551

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Catalyst
                          i leave mine on all the time

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                          • Barefootsies
                            Choice is an Illusion
                            • Feb 2005
                            • 42635

                            #14
                            Originally posted by riggo
                            i am not sure if its bad or not but i never turn mine off unless i am rebooting..had 2 of them for over 1 yr never had any issues
                            Same here.

                            I have many of them backing up content, and do not turn them off.
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                            • scarlettcontent
                              www.scarlettcontent.net
                              • Mar 2006
                              • 6031

                              #15
                              turn it off when not using and make a backup


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                              • rowan
                                Too lazy to set a custom title
                                • Mar 2002
                                • 17393

                                #16
                                Originally posted by paymeback
                                If its actually being used 24/7 and not idling maybe look into the western digital AV drives, they are designed for 24/7 use they are only $10ish more than the WD green drives fwiw
                                They're also designed to return an error very quickly when there's a problem reading a sector, so that streaming isn't interrupted. A few hundred corrupted bytes in a video stream will be almost imperceptable.

                                AV drives should NOT be used for general data...

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                                • Serge Litehead
                                  Confirmed User
                                  • Dec 2002
                                  • 5190

                                  #17
                                  my hdd is always on, but it doesn't spin when not being accessed, it goes to standby/sleep mode like after 5-15min.. i think in windows in power management there is an option for that

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