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  1. Member
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    I have a Toshiba 3.5" hard disk in a Verbatim USB 2.0 enclosure and it does not spin down when idle and gets hot. I tried enabling APM in the hard disk using HDDScan, but it did not help (APM changes to off when I power off and on the computer). I tried Ashampoo HDD Control 3 (trial), but when enabling APM it returns an error message and APM stays off. Verbatim has a "GREEN BUTTON" utility that never worked with the same enclosure (I have several) and various different hard disks inside (Toshiba, Seagate, Samsung). Can anyone recommend a working utility to automatically spin down (sleep) the hard disk in the enclosure after a period of time?
    Last edited by kyrcy; 12th Aug 2015 at 10:10.
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  2. Member Krispy Kritter's Avatar
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    Support varies by enclosure. You noted that it doesn't work with several different HDD's, but have you tested different enclosures?
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  3. Member
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    I have several of these enclosures and removing the hdd from each is not a practical solution. Each enclosure has a 7200RPM hard disk inside and temperature is an issue when the hard disk is not able to enter sleep mode.
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  4. Member
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    You should be using fan-cooled, a.c.-powered USB enclosures. I have six of these, runs all day and never even gets warm: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0722KG3243. I see them also at Newegg.uk.
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  5. Member
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    I have 5+ of these enclosures which I bought with 1TB hard disks inside. At the time the price of the enclosure with the hard disk was less than the hard disk alone so I thought it was a good buy. They are still under warranty so I don't see myself replacing the enclosures for now.
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  6. Unless you need more convenient portability, docks have an advantage over hard drive cases in that the drive is exposed to the air. No fan or additional cooling required. http://www.slashgear.com/gallery/data_files/1/4/6/CRSU2.jpg

    How hot is the drive getting? They do get warm.

    I've never had any luck controlling the spinning down of a drive in a USB case or dock. It seems to be up to the electronics in the hard drive case. Even when Windows is configured not to spin down the drives, some USB drives still spin down after a period of inactivity (my other half has several WD USB drives and they all go to sleep on their own). Others never do.

    According to WD, the spinning up process is harder on a drive than leaving it spinning, so you wouldn't want to be spinning it up and down excessively.
    http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1386/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8...Y0Kk90bQ%3D%3D
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  7. Member
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    Very good point about spin-down, hello_hello.
    There are many good, simple (and not so simple) enclosures that provide adequate drive cooling whether they are spinning or not. With poor cooling a hard drive can still get pretty hot while it's working i/o operations.
    - My sister Ann's brother
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  8. Member
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    I have two external HP drives (which are really WD) that insisted in going to sleep after five minutes.
    I scheduled a bat file that runs every five minutes to write and delete a file on the drives.
    It's been running for two years with no apparent ill effects.
    Last edited by sambat; 13th Aug 2015 at 10:48. Reason: clarity
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  9. I've got one drive here that's convinced me not to stress about hard drive heat too much, although having said that if it was in a case it'd probably need a fan. It's an early 5 platter, 2TB model. Even though it lives in a dock exposed to the open air and it's currently a cool night it's running at about 40 degrees. Hot summer days push it over 50 degrees. Almost too hot to hold in your hand. Still..... it doesn't seem bothered. The platters have been spinning for over four and a half years now, almost continuously.

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  10. Member
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    The best options (getting an enclosure with a fan or using an open dock) have already been mentioned. While reducing heat is prime for hd longeviity, power on / off cycles and spindowns also takes its toll on drives. Personally, I follow what datacenters do (on my small home scale), keep my drives cool with an internal fan and power down / spindown as rarely as possible.
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