Prevent second harddrive from spinning

[Learux]

Don't know if this is even possible. Just installed second harddrive for backup.

It will just be a back up drive for pictures. backup is not done very frequent.

Is there a way to activate/ deactivate on command?

[ua549]

AFAIK the only way to keep the platters from spinning is to cut the power.

[Soul Assassin]

Windows power settings will shut it off most of the time anyways (assuming you don't have that setting disabled), except when it's being scanned for index changes and the like, or when you open a new copy of Windows Explorer or Disk Management or anything else that scans your drives.

[ua549]

Won't power settings shut off both drives?

[Soul Assassin]

Yeah, but assuming he's using his primary hard drive, it won't spin down.

[Learux]

Cool, tx I wont tinker with it, is it enabled in windows power settings by default?

[Soul Assassin]

Cool, tx I wont tinker with it, is it enabled in windows power settings by default?

Yeah it is by default. You can check it through the control panel. Each version of Windows is a bit different but it's there somewhere.

I know my machine shuts down unused hard drives since I can hear them spin up whenever I open a new Explorer window if I'm not using them.

[Steve R Jones]

Food for thought-> Put it in an external case and place that in a closet when not needed. That way, when your pc gets stolen/burned to the ground/stuck by lightening - you'll still have your backups.

[Learux]

I have another backup on a portable drive, just had this hd laying around and felt like tinckering.