Does this drive goto sleep all the time? I'm going to use it as an external secondary apps drive and don't want to have to wait for it to spin up.
334280
Not unless your Windows settings allow it to. What you are talking about is a Windows setting.
334281
The drive I use does not go to sleep of you have the power plugged in - sleep mode appears to be an OS effect.
334282
Depends on how you connect it. I believe with eSATA you can configure the drive in Windows to not fall asleep. I don't know if USB 3.0 connections are configurable like this.
334283
Just install a SSD drive, then there will be no lag time, as SSD drives do not have to spin up!
75176
I have two of them and love them. I believe the power button is binary: either on or off. However, I do know that drives do power down when the unit is powered on but the computer is sleeping. And they spin back up correctly when the computer wakes up.
1600661
I have had the drive as my main operating system, as well as mass storage drive for almost a year, and so far, it has been reliable, fast, and quiet. However, as the previous person responded, I am using Linux, which does put less stress on the drive and the file system is a bit better at file allocation, ETC...My experience is very positive in this environment. (Using the 3TB version partitioned into three sections)
1310603
It isn't a dedicated external drive, so can be initialized by any disk utility app you should have with Windows of any version. It isn't especially fast for constant random access but it is very reliable for backup storage. Id recommend it if you're in need of mass backup. I use it for iTunes media files and it works great.
916227
Nope, I have never removed it since day one, I just leave it in with the MBA sleeping or turned off, no difference. I do not have it set to be bootable or anything like that, its just a fast solid performing data drive for stuff I use less than weekly :)
772690
I had a similar problem with my 500 and 1000 mb WD drives... I have since elevated them and set them on something like a cookie cooling rack! Yep, now air flows all the way around and beneath (very important) them, keeping them much cooler and they have not yet locked up. Put your hand on top of your dirves to see if they feel very warm... actually not REALLY hot, but a little too warm... you may have the same problem that I had. Thus, I think that it (or at least my problem) is heat related. I do the same kind f thing with my DSL modem and network router... keeps them cool and very reliable. Buck
17350
No on off switch, but goes to sleep 15 minutes after its used. Mine is connected to a Synology server via USB 3.0. It backs up every night at 1 am, so have not see it actually "on" in quite a while. Back ups run just fine and the log shows they are all there daily with no errors. Now the reason it is asleep is due to a setting in the Synology software. I could have it on all the time, but why? If I manually access the drive thru the Synology server it comes right up with no issue, AND is fast! Thats the best part. I would buy another if I needed one, no problem.
42495
I've had mine ever since they came out early on, and Its has been turned on ever since I purchased it. Through out my years of experience, turning the hard drives off/on is more harm full than just leaving it on. I would say that my WD My Book 2TB has been on since I originally plugged it up. Do not by Seagate or Matrox. WD never gives up on me or at work. However, connect it up to a UPS black out , power strikes, and brown outs will hurt the drive worse than anything else you can allow to happen. Good Luck
962534
I'm using the drive for my HTPC and have had no problems (pretty constant use rather than the on and off cycle that is probable for a backup drive). I've had issues in the past with drives getting hot (although I've never seen one fail... their lives were probably shortened, but that is hard to tell...), but haven't really noticed that on this drive.In most cases it will probably depend upon how you use it. Mine is placed in the open and not surrounded by much (a few cables is all), if it were placed in an enclosed space then heat might be an issue, otherwise, it shouldn't be.I hope this provided some useful information. I'm using the drive for my HTPC and have had no problems (pretty constant use rather than the on and off cycle that is probable for a backup drive). I've had issues in the past with drives getting hot (although I've never seen one fail... their lives were probably shortened, but that is hard to tell...), but haven't really noticed that on this drive.In most cases it will probably depend upon how you use it. Mine is placed in the open and not surrounded by much (a few cables is all), if it were placed in an enclosed space then heat might be an issue, otherwise, it shouldn't... » Read More I'm using the drive for my HTPC and have had no problems (pretty constant use rather than the on and off cycle that is probable for a backup drive). I've had issues in the past with drives getting hot (although I've never seen one fail... their lives were probably shortened, but that is hard to tell...), but haven't really noticed that on this drive.In most cases it will probably depend upon how you use it. Mine is placed in the open and not surrounded by much (a few cables is all), if it were placed in an enclosed space then heat might be an issue, otherwise, it shouldn't be.I hope this provided some useful information. « Show Less
1813864
I only use the dock to do a backup from my laptop so I power it up when I begin and then turn it off at the end. I've never left it on long enough to see if the drives power down after a period of inactivity. Sorry I can't be of more help.
505084
Did you turn it on? Is it fully plugged into the drive? I had an issue with an older ISA/EISA drive not getting fully plugged in. If you are using one of the 3.5" drives you need to check to verify that it is powering up. No power means it is not working. If you hear the drive power up (you can hear it spin up) and it is fully connected is it making any other sounds like clicking? If so the drive itself may be dead. There are several tricks to try if that is the case but without more details of the issue I can't help much more.
1071261
I personally had problems with the unit and disconnected from my system. My two systems are tied together with a 2 port KVM switch. If I remember correctly - one of the disks would go to sleep.
532102
I use mine as a manual back up. You connect to your computer and it registers as another drive automatically.
1126450
I have had mine for several months and I have it located right behind my 27" iMac which is sitting on my open desk. It is a very quiet drive, and I am extremely pleased with its performance. I've never even thought about the noise until I was presented with your question. I don't think you would be disappointed. Btw, I have a 1TB MyBook drive and I always hear it spin up, but never the Buffalo drive.
926434
Although I don't own this particular drive, I am here as I am looking to buy this one also to add to my two other Seagate 500gb Freeagents that I already have that have been working flawlessly for me for over 12 months now. I honestly think that your experience was most likely caused by a faulty unit. Without knowing your computer configuration (windows, mac or linux) it's hard to say if any extra steps would need to be taken to set it up, but for a windows or linux based pc it should be simply plug and play in my experience. As you see on this site, there is only one bad review of the product. If you think about how many of these must get sold every year, one bad review is pretty good as almost everybody will take the time to complain, but very few will come back to write a positive review as a working product is what most people expect. So I guess the short answer from me is yes, I would give this drive a second chance, but then again, i may be biased by my great experience. I hope that this is of some help to you..
1755480
Yes - I dedicated the drive to backups and they're automatically stored via the "Time Machine" app onto this drive. The nice thing about the drive is that it auto spins up/down when the drive is use (vs my older external SATA drive which spins 24x7x365)
510902
Don't know, since I am using it as Time Machine on my Mac... I never turn the drive off.