I was wondering if it is safe to leave the power cable plugged into an external drive? Does it keep the disk spinning? I usually just grab the usb cable when I need data and safely remove it after, but I'm not sure if it is ok to leave the power cable in or out.
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external hard drive safety
- Thread starter ColdCrow
- Start date
no power switch of any kinda. Just a plug for power. Its those Western Digital My Book ones.
zoobaby
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2004
- Messages
- 6,179
Unplug it and be green!
Shouldn't matter, but if it is powered, it is likely spinning the disks.
Shouldn't matter, but if it is powered, it is likely spinning the disks.
K
Kyo
Guest
The WD My Book will cycle off if there is no activity from the usb connected from your computer. It will fully power down when there is no signal from your computer (it turns off also). I usually unplug the unit from the outlet after use. The one time I forgot to unplug it, I noticed the outer plastic shell felt warm. Most electronics will consume 1-2w while in standby mode.