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    Powering off external hard drives

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by dum_hobo, Jun 6, 2010.

  1. dum_hobo

    dum_hobo Notebook Guru

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    Just wondering if powering off a hard drive which has been 'stopped' (via Safely remove hardware) damages the drive in any way, as it makes a sound similar to when you pull the plug out of a running laptop when I flip the switch on the enclosure.

    Thanks for any advice.
     
  2. Orinix

    Orinix Notebook Geek

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    It doesn't. The whhrrr sound is the platter spinning down. It's designed to spin down safely when powered off.
     
  3. Trottel

    Trottel Notebook Virtuoso

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    +1........
     
  4. dum_hobo

    dum_hobo Notebook Guru

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    Good to know! Thanks for the replies
     
  5. Duct Tape Dude

    Duct Tape Dude Duct Tape Dude

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    Yeah the heads instantly park when powered off. Safely removing the drive stops the OS from using the drive anymore, but I'm a rebel and just make sure I have no open files from the drive and unplug it once there's no disk activity. :)