okay to leave connected all the time? One reviewer mentioned that the drive will last longer if you don't leave it connected all the time... I was planning to leave it connected so it could automatically back up my new and changed files as I create them... does anyone have an opinion about that? okay to leave connected all the time? One reviewer mentioned that the drive will last longer if you don't leave it connected all the time... I was planning to leave it connected so it could... » Read More okay to leave connected all the time? One reviewer mentioned that the drive will last longer if you don't leave it connected all the time... I was planning to leave it connected so it could automatically back up my new and changed files as I create them... does anyone have an opinion about that? « Show Less
832065
If you want to use the drive for automated back-up is has to be plugged in, of course. Any wear items wear faster with constant use, but if the point of the drive is to easily and conveniently back-up your data, so what? I have drives in servers that have been running practically non-stop for years. I've also had brand new drives that lasted only a few months with intermittent use. The bottom line is that drives are commodities and storage is getting cheaper every day. Your data and your time are what is valuable. Connect the drive, configure the automated back-up and forget about it. If the drive fails, pitch it and get another one. If you want to use the drive for automated back-up is has to be plugged in, of course. Any wear items wear faster with constant use, but if the point of the drive is to easily and conveniently back-up your data, so what? I have drives in servers that have been running practically non-stop for years. I've also had brand new drives that lasted only a few months with intermittent use. The bottom line is that drives are commodities and storage is getting cheaper every day. Your data and your time are what is valuable. Connect the drive, configure the automated back-up and forget about it. If... » Read More If you want to use the drive for automated back-up is has to be plugged in, of course. Any wear items wear faster with constant use, but if the point of the drive is to easily and conveniently back-up your data, so what? I have drives in servers that have been running practically non-stop for years. I've also had brand new drives that lasted only a few months with intermittent use. The bottom line is that drives are commodities and storage is getting cheaper every day. Your data and your time are what is valuable. Connect the drive, configure the automated back-up and forget about it. If the drive fails, pitch it and get another one. « Show Less
832066
All hard disk drives have spinning platters, bearings, and other moving parts, all subject to mechanical wear. Your external drive will last longer if you un-plug it while not in use.Windows 7 will eventually shut down ALL HDD's attached to the computer that are not being used; both internal and external, however, this could take about 20 minutes or so. It is best to unplug your external HDD.Steve (Electrical Engineer)
832067
Yes, that's pretty much how I was seeing it... the only problem is that one day the SmartWare backup software screwed up when I logged in, and everything I had been backing up had vanished. I reformatted the drive, deleted SmartWare from my computer, and am now manually backing up at the end of the day, as I was before. I loved the instant backup function of the software, but I can't trust it now.
178081
If you are using the power adapter that is supplied with the USB hub the hub then is independently powered and the external drives are more than likely being "tricked" into thinking that there is still an active connection between the drives and the PC, therefore the drives will not turn off with the PC. If you unplug the adapter the external drives should then shut down also. Will the drives being on damage the drives? Not really, because there is no actual activity (reading/writing) taking place when the PC is turned off. Does it use a little electricity? Yes, but it would be minimal. Bottom line, if you are concerned about the drives being left on, unplug the power to the hub and they should shut down. If it means anything, I have a PC that I built with 5 Western Digital Black Series 4tb hard drives in RAID 0 and a 2tb external WD My Book attached that run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they are fine.
973627
So far, for me, when the computer sleeps, it disconnects the drive. When it wakes, it mounts it again. Sometimes, it just disconnects and reconnects for me while I am working. :(
1555872
You should ALWAYS have redundancy, especially with these kinds of drives. Yeah, they are cheap, but your data isn't. Buy two and use one as a backup. I learned the hard way myself.
2222795
You got it! Can't turn the @#$% thing off once it is connected. Have to shutdown the computer and then unplug it. I plug it in and do a weekly backup, then shutdown and unplug it. A pain, I'd rather just reboot before my backup then eject the thing.
1679977
well if you are running the drive 24/7 as a backup or other reason, those drives do get hot. The life of the drive could be shortened by overheating.
1614530
I have never wanted to disconnect the blue led because I like to know when the drive is active. Sorry, I'm not much help. I really like the drive, It does everything I want it to do. It's quiet and it runs cool.
2274705
I'm not sure...I don't leave it on when it's not in use. I only turn it on when I go to back up my files and then I power down after I'm done/eject.
1203879
I don't know if it matters or not but I always disconnect when not in use. I would imagine that it would increase the life of the hdd since it won't be spinning the whole time.
1080260
Good question. My IT brother says to use 2 external hard drives & back each of them up periodically, but keep one off-site. Other opinions/ideas?
1562473
I have no idea. I wanted to use it as a esata drive but discovered that the only time it'll recognize the drive is when you boot up your computer. If you turn it off then you'll have to reboot you're computer so the computer can recognize it again. In other words it wants to stay on all the time as would any normal hdd. I use it as a usb drive now. That way it'll turn on/off using the switch and if I need to use it again all I need to do is plug it into a usb port and turn it on. The fan should last a long time, but I don't use the external hdd all the time, so I really don't know about fan life. I have no idea. I wanted to use it as a esata drive but discovered that the only time it'll recognize the drive is when you boot up your computer. If you turn it off then you'll have to reboot you're computer so the computer can recognize it again. In other words it wants to stay on all the time as would any normal hdd. I use it as a usb drive now. That way it'll turn on/off using the switch and if I need to use it again all I need to do is plug it into a usb port and turn it on. The fan should last a long time, but I don't use the external hdd all the time, so I really don't know about fan... » Read More I have no idea. I wanted to use it as a esata drive but discovered that the only time it'll recognize the drive is when you boot up your computer. If you turn it off then you'll have to reboot you're computer so the computer can recognize it again. In other words it wants to stay on all the time as would any normal hdd. I use it as a usb drive now. That way it'll turn on/off using the switch and if I need to use it again all I need to do is plug it into a usb port and turn it on. The fan should last a long time, but I don't use the external hdd all the time, so I really don't know about fan life. « Show Less
1530184
depending on the wear level a 64 GB drive should last a basic install a decently long time. as long as you limit the write-wear that you stress on it, it will survive.
1100006
If you read all the comments, the general consensus is this is not a good hub if you want to connect external USB drives for extended periods (ie. hours / days). I have tested it in that mode with a 2013 Mac Mini and I can say with certainty is doesn't work well with it. That is true both with MacOS and Windows 7 booted up.If you are talking about other devices (cameras, phones, dongles) I don't have any feedback for you.fyi: I bought a Anker® AH232 USB 3.0 13-Port Hub a month ago to replace my Satechi. I have had no issues with it and the Mac Mini, so the problem is not the Mac Mini. Again I have used it with both MacOS and Win7 running on the Mac Mini. If you read all the comments, the general consensus is this is not a good hub if you want to connect external USB drives for extended periods (ie. hours / days). I have tested it in that mode with a 2013 Mac Mini and I can say with certainty is doesn't work well with it. That is true both with MacOS and Windows 7 booted up.If you are talking about other devices (cameras, phones, dongles) I don't have any feedback for you.fyi: I bought a Anker® AH232 USB 3.0 13-Port Hub a month ago to replace my Satechi. I have had no issues with it and the Mac Mini, so the problem is... » Read More If you read all the comments, the general consensus is this is not a good hub if you want to connect external USB drives for extended periods (ie. hours / days). I have tested it in that mode with a 2013 Mac Mini and I can say with certainty is doesn't work well with it. That is true both with MacOS and Windows 7 booted up.If you are talking about other devices (cameras, phones, dongles) I don't have any feedback for you.fyi: I bought a Anker® AH232 USB 3.0 13-Port Hub a month ago to replace my Satechi. I have had no issues with it and the Mac Mini, so the problem is not the Mac Mini. Again I have used it with both MacOS and Win7 running on the Mac Mini. « Show Less
691901
Unfortunately, there probably are those occasions where items just malfunction. I have not had that experience to date (fingers crossed), but these external hard drives all seem to eventually die. The best back-up is to have two and to also use some type of internet or Cloud back up for important files and documents.
1157321
Even if others have...that's not an indicator that it will do the same for you. The expected life of these drives is around 2 years under conditions like that. Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on how active your drives are operating. I change these drives every 24 months whether they have failed or not. Then again, our drives are working hard every day, 5 days a week. I do shut the NAS with these drives down for 10 -12 hours 2-3 times a month.
1010214
I have one that I leave connected to my computer constantly, and I rarely turn it off. The hard drive only spins up when it's in use, so if you don't use it much, heat isn't an issue. And as long as you are in a temperature-controlled room that stays below 85 to 90 degrees, it shouldn't matter how much you use it. A fan is only necessary if the ambient temperatures is very hot.
896161
You need to format the drive before use. So if you have some files on it, you will lose that. Beware!!!!!