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Hard Drives and Power Management RRS feed

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    Having built my own WHS using desktop parts, I was wondering about power management's role in the longevity of my hard drives (1-WDC WD1600AAJS & 3-Seagate ST31500341AS).  What is more stressful on these types of drives? 24/7 operation or a couple of daily power cycles? 

    I have been using Lights Out to put WHS into standby for a few hours, twice a day, to conserve power.  I would perfer to continue this routine unless 24/7 is easier on my hard drives. Thanks

    Wednesday, June 3, 2009 10:53 PM

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    A drive is typically under maximum stress when spinning up; this is when most mechanical drive failures occur. That said, you will probably not notice a difference in longevity between shutting the drives down once a day and leaving them running 24x7.
    I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)
    Thursday, June 4, 2009 1:23 AM
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