External Hard Drive question

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  1. Posts : 8
    Windows 7 ultimate 32 bit
       #1

    External Hard Drive question


    Hey, i have an external hard disk of 500gb its a prestigio data racer II.Anyway i have two questions:

    .Is it good to always have it connected to my computer?

    .i have it connected with both usb and esata,can u explain to me the difference and if i should have boh plugged in?

    Thanks,btw great work with this forum.
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  2. Posts : 28,845
    Win 8 Release candidate 8400
       #2

    Warlock1 said:
    Hey, i have an external hard disk of 500gb its a prestigio data racer II.Anyway i have two questions:

    .Is it good to always have it connected to my computer?

    .i have it connected with both usb and esata,can u explain to me the difference and if i should have boh plugged in?

    Thanks,btw great work with this forum.
    Hi and welcome

    Having it connected is fine. Connect with either. If you have USB 2.0 transfers are guicker

    Ken J++
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  3. Posts : 3,960
    W7 x64
       #3

    It's only good to have connected if you regularly access it, just in terms of your carbon footprint LOL!

    USB and eSATA are just two different interfaces. Both are hotswap (if AHCI is enabled for your mainboard and the board supports eSATA hot swapping). USB will be significantly slower than using eSATA.
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  4. Posts : 125
    Windows 7 Pro x64
       #4

    Wow, that is one good looking external hard drive!

    External Hard Drive question-snag-0077.jpg

    Never saw that one before. Looks like the Ferrari auto wallpaper images I use on my Win7 desktop.

    Whether you keep it plugged in all the time or not depends (IMO) on what you use it for. If you use it strictly for backups you lower your risk of damage to the data on the external hard drive from virus or other malware by leaving it unplugged until you need to run your backups.

    Conversely, if you use your drive for serving up digital media such as videos or music, or if you have automated backup routines that need the drive plugged in, there is no harm in having it plugged in all the time. I use my external drive to do both functions so I leave it plugged in permanently.

    As far as plugs go, choose one or the other but not both. From what I understand the eSata plug should provide you with a faster transfer speed from drive to computer so you should use that connection and unplug the USB.
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  5. Posts : 125
    Windows 7 Pro x64
       #5

    zigzag3143 said:
    If you have USB 2.0 transfers are guicker
    Is that a typo? Here is one comparison that indicates eSata is significantly faster than USB2: USB2 vs eSata

    What am I missing?
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  6. Posts : 38
    7 RTM
       #6

    Plugged in is fine but you should turn the power off when not in use.

    Externals tend to get too hot and have inadequate cooling methods. If you are constantly accessing the drive, mount it in the case. Externals are made as backup devices or for easy portability.
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  7. Posts : 8,608
    Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit SP1
       #7

    I agree with the post above .... my external hard drive is plugged in, but turned off until I need it. It tends to get too hot when left on.
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  8. Posts : 5,795
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
       #8

    I'm surprised you don't have any issues with it, considering both plugs are connected. I would use the interface that fits what you need to do. If you plan to leave it running all the time, use eSATA. If you plan to just use it occasionally, the USB 2.0 would definitely hot swap it, regardless of internal SATA port configurations.
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  9. Posts : 125
    Windows 7 Pro x64
       #9

    Jacee said:
    I agree with the post above .... my external hard drive is plugged in, but turned off until I need it. It tends to get too hot when left on.
    Perhaps this is a brand nuance?

    I have a Western Digital MyBook and it spins down or, for lack of a more accurate description, sleeps when not accessed by the computer. Thus it remains cool and draws very limited power while it is plugged in.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 137
    Win7 7600 x64
       #10

    Some have a USB power lead and a seperate USB data transfer lead, they can run without the power lead. Are you sure it is not what yours has?
      My Computer


 
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