Halp! WD Passport external harddrive doesn't spin down

[HarryP]

I recently bought a WS Passport external drive (it's based on a 250GB laptop HD). However, it doesn't spin down, even when it's idle or the computer is asleep. Since my computer is on or asleep for most of the day, it means the Passport is spinning too. Does this mean it will have a short lifespan? I can't just unplug it because my computer writes short, hourly backups to it.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: HarryP
I can't just unplug it because my computer writes short, hourly backups to it.

And that is why it can't spin down - it has to be ready to go hourly. Can you make the backups daily?

The constant running shouldn't hurt it. All HDDs have a lifespan. In oiver 25 years of using many HDDs, I've never reached it.

IMHO, stopping and starting ever hour would be harder on the HDD than running steadily.

 

[undeclared]

Yeah I agree with what corkyg said..

If you relate it to a car, or maybe physically running it's bad for example to start and stop, start and stop, start and stop.. but continually running is not an issue.

 

[HarryP]

Thanks guys! That car analogy makes sense.

Corkyg, Time Machine is doing the backups and typical of mac stuff, you can't specify intervals or much of anything, really.