Necessary to cut power to the MB when swapping a HD?

[riffwraith]

Hey all. Is it necessary to cut power to the MB when connecting and/or disconnecting a SATA drive? I am not asking whether or not to turn the computer off - that I do, of course. But should I be turning the power switch on the PSU to the off position - or is that not necessary?

Thanks in advance.

 

[oscer1]

Hi

it is always best to remove all power when removing hardware. meaning unplug from wall.

 

[whs]

And once it is unplugged, hold the power-on key for 20 seconds to drain any static electricity.

 

[riffwraith]

Thanks guys.

So, with the PSU off, holding the power on button drains static electricity? Never heard that before...

 

[Berton]

No, it's residual electricity. A modern ATX motherboard has constant power when it's plugged into a power source. The power switch only signals to the motherboard to get things started. The old AT motherboards had the power switch wired directly to the power supply.

Static electricity is what is produced by human actions such as squirming around on a cloth chair, walking across a carpet, rubbing a balloon in the hair, etc.