Is It Best to Power Off External Drive When Not Being Used?
I use a Seagate USB 3.0 external hard drive to do automated system backups on a weekly basis, using both Windows and Acronis TI 2016. I have always left this drive on all the time, even though I only use it weekly.
I have read where some users power their external hard drives off between backups.
Any recommendations on the best thing to do.......leave it on or turn it off?
Thanks in advance.........
Steve, thank you for your response, and I like your thought process!!
So I would like to ask you a couple of more related questions:
(1) If I'm running Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes (paid version) to protect my computer, won't these programs also protect my external hard drives when the drives are on? But I guess if a virus or malware attack on my computer is successful, the attack would also get to my external drives if they are powered on?
(2) Do you know of any way to make a standard Seagate Desktop Plus Hard Drive go into a power savings mode, i.e., a sleep mode?
Thanks again.......
Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes are only as good as the decisions you or the other users on your computer make, the same as is for any other security programs.
If you click on the links in an email or on a website containing malware, and then "allow' the action when any security program pops up a warnng window, then all bets are off as far as your system security goes. Unfortunately too many people think that the security programs will make these decisions for them and blindly click on Allow (or however the prompt shows to let the action proceed), then are alarmed when they are plagued by lots of pop-ups advertising undesirable products etc.
If any malware gets past your security program(s) then everything else that the active user profile has access to is also at risk, including your external hard drives, network shares etc.
You will need to check in the documentation for your Seagate Desktop Plus hard drive to see if it has any power saving options - I had a quick look at some spec sheets and user guides but didn't see anything to suggest one way or the other.
OK, Steve........I thought that was the case, i.e., any virus or malware that got past my computer security programs would also put my hard drive at risk if it was turned on.
And I hear you about making good security decisions. I am very careful what I click on, and I heed all warnings from my security systems. And I'm happy to say I have never had a security breach......a couple of warnings, but no breach.