On July 11 2009 23:27 intruding wrote:
How long is it safe to leave those turned on? i have a 500Gb one with tons of stuff on it that i just can't lose. sometimes i leave it open for like an hour but then it becomes kinda hot cuz obviously its not ventilated like an internal drive i guess.

so...im just wondering, do you guys leave your external HD's on for a few hours? whats the longest you've gone and did you have any problems. im using Lacie(porsche) drives.

About 6 months? I dunno. There's no reason to turn them off, they have adequate cooling.

intruding

157 Posts

July 11 2009 14:38 GMT

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Durak

Canada3685 Posts

July 11 2009 14:38 GMT

I don't think there is an absolute answer to that. I'd recommend turning your external HDD off when it's above ~50C. Every HD enclosure is different so it depends how quickly yours heats up and what temperature it seems to max out at. All of the $0-$50 enclosures that I've seen have very poor thermal dispersion.

If you want to be safe I wouldn't let it run for long intervals when it's really hot. You may be able to extend the life of your HDD if you turn it off periodically. However, you can generally buy a new HDD for half the price and get twice the size by the time it fails.

In conclusion, don't sweat it.

Sadistx

Zimbabwe5568 Posts

July 11 2009 14:40 GMT

On July 11 2009 23:38 intruding wrote:
adequate cooling for external drives ?! what brand/models you using?

Seagate freeagent.
It definitely never reached 50 C.

intruding

157 Posts

July 11 2009 14:41 GMT

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Durak

Canada3685 Posts

July 11 2009 14:50 GMT

I only use my external HD for storing files that I don't access often. I put things like install files for games, backups, music, and shows+movies that I'll rewatch. I lend it to people who want things off of it. Therefore, I don't need to leave it on for more than a couple hours.

I wouldn't recommend using it as a primary hard drive unless you have a great enclosure. Those are generally really expensive so you should probably just buy a huge internal drive (1TB is so cheap now) if you're going to use it that way.

Honestly, it shouldn't overheat and break if you leave it on for 8 hours. It probably does have an effect on the longterm life of your HD though so don't do it all the time.

Ethenielle

Norway1006 Posts

July 11 2009 14:51 GMT

Mine has been on for 5-6 years continually. It's a Maxtor 250gb something something.

Archaic

United States4024 Posts

July 11 2009 15:02 GMT

I bought a Seagate 320 GB, and I have never turned it off unless I was moving my computer (i.e. unplug -> move -> plug in). Just keep it well ventilated and you shouldn't have any problems with it overheating. If so, then just buy a new model.

Sadistx

Zimbabwe5568 Posts

July 11 2009 15:04 GMT

#10

On July 12 2009 00:02 Archaic wrote:
I bought a Seagate 320 GB, and I have never turned it off unless I was moving my computer (i.e. unplug -> move -> plug in). Just keep it well ventilated and you shouldn't have any problems with it overheating. If so, then just buy a new model.

That's the same one I was running as well. I ran my games and steam off of it and even then it wasn't hot enough to make me worry.

Some people in this thread are unreasonably paranoid.

TimmyMac

Canada499 Posts

July 11 2009 15:12 GMT

#11

Leave mine on 100% of the time, never had a problem. Electronics usually fail when turned on or run with a really high duty cycle, neither of which mine is.

caelym

United States6429 Posts

July 11 2009 15:49 GMT

#12

i have a lacie 500gb external and it runs cooler than my internal... i've never had a heat problem with it. a lot of externals use the surface it's sitting on to disperse heat, so make sure your drive is on a hard flat surface like a desk and not on your bed or carpet.

Hot77.iEy

Finland1486 Posts

July 11 2009 16:03 GMT

#13

I have a Seagate drive and there is no power switch button on it :C Is that normal? It feels unsafe to just pull the cord whenever I want to turn it off..

Sadistx

Zimbabwe5568 Posts

July 11 2009 16:14 GMT

#14

On July 12 2009 01:03 Hot77.iEy wrote:
I have a Seagate drive and there is no power switch button on it :C Is that normal? It feels unsafe to just pull the cord whenever I want to turn it off..

It's kinda hidden and not an actual button. It's more of a touch sensor.

MasterOfChaos

Germany2896 Posts

July 11 2009 16:51 GMT

#15

If you don't want to lose the information you need a backup. It's that simple.

United States6173 Posts

July 11 2009 16:59 GMT

#16

I've used both Seagate (the model before the freeagent came out) and Western Digital (mybook). I've left them both on for days at a time, but on average for as long as twelve hours every day.

I have zero problems, and no issues with heating.

What brand are you using, OP?

Patriot.dlk

Sweden5462 Posts

July 11 2009 19:33 GMT

#17

On July 11 2009 23:40 Sadistx wrote:

Show nested quote +

Seagate freeagent.
It definitely never reached 50 C.

I use one of those, it's never warm and It's not even possible to turn it off unless u pull the plug
edit: cool a off switch! never knew

mahnini

United States6862 Posts

July 11 2009 19:51 GMT

#18

if it's not hot, it's probably not being used 100% of the time it's plugged in, im sure there is some built in mechanism to prevent people from melting their own harddisks. as for a specific amount of time to have it plugged in, your hdd is spinning at 7200 rpm inside a cramped plastic case, the less you use it the better. external hdds were not designed to run all the time or to have programs run on them. if you were going to use it that way you'd be better off with an internal.

infinity21

Canada6683 Posts

July 11 2009 21:29 GMT

#19

I don't keep mine on unless I'm using it to play movies and stuff so usually no more than a few hours at a time

Saddened Izzy

United States198 Posts

July 11 2009 21:54 GMT

#20

My friend leaves his on all the time no reason it should fail for overheating hdd's only can like over heat if you leave it in a tiny box with stale air while its on for a few good hours of long writes.