Leave HDDs on while computer is off

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vsboxerboy

2[H]4U
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Oct 17, 2005
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So here is the deal, I would like to save power by turning off my computer, but I am concerned about the stress it places on the drives to spin them up/down multiple times per day. I frequently leave and don't need the PC running so I have this idea.

Through the use of an external power adapter, could I keep my HDDs running while my computer is off? Would this cause any problems when the computer is turned back on again? I would assume that once the computer is powered off, I can turn the drives off if I am leaving for extended periods of time.

I assume heat would then become an issue and I would have to look at keeping one or more fans running as well.......hurmmm. Maybe an external drive enclosure connected via esata would be my best bet combined with a smaller (yum SLC flash) drive that stays in the rig for the OS.

Thoughts? Too much trouble??
 
I wouldn't really worry about damaging your HD's by simply shutting down and booting up several times a day.
 
Hard drives work just fine in "normal" usage. The testing the hard drive manufacturers do on them assures they're designed to work well for years of "normal" usage including at least one daily power-down/power-up cycle and still give you years of (relatively) trouble-free operation.

As the poster above said, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Funny thing about our universe is as soon as you start thinking about a problem, it gets magnified 100x over and goes from just a thought to a reality. The Secret? Definitely... and it works.

So stop thinking about dead hard drives and focus instead on a long life for your box... :D
 
Power saving constantly powers drives up/down and as far as I can see has had no measurable impact on drive failure rates.
Unless you are powering up/down every 5 or 10 minutes, I wouldnt worry about it.

Note: heat stresses due to expansion/contraction might be an issue if you have a very cold environment and little air movement.
 
Nice, thanks guys.

Why is it that a simple (or nonexistent) problem always turns into an overengineered solution? I'm pretty sure it's not just me either...
 
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