OverClocked ReMix...

Mr Azar · #1 01-19-2009, 08:18 PM

Basically, if I don't use my USB hard drive constantly, it tends to "power down" after ten or so minutes, then, when I access it (or delete something on my PC, not the drive itself), it takes a moment, whirs to life again, then works. The momentary pause can be annoying and in some cases, a real hindrance. Is there any way to keep the USB hard drive constantly "active" so this pause doesn't happen?

zircon · #2 01-19-2009, 08:47 PM

No, there's no easy way to do it outside of writing a program to keep making calls to it. That's the intended behavior of a USB drive, unfortunately.

Mr Azar · #3 01-19-2009, 08:53 PM

I had to stop using it for music, because of the fact it wasn't as constant as my IDE drives

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prophetik music · #4 02-08-2009, 01:47 AM

hey, i just saw this.

zircon, it isn't the behavior of all usb drives - just the ones that offer power-saving tech (check out the caviar green drives for an example). this IS a majority of them, but a slight one at best.

there's a really easy way to make it stop doing that - just break open the case and install the drive in your desktop (if you're not using a laptop, that is). the procedure that powers it down is in the firmware of the casing, so the drive itself is 'salvageable'. or you could buy another external case for it and put the hd in that.

SoulinEther · #5 02-08-2009, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the prophet of mephisto

hey, i just saw this.

zircon, it isn't the behavior of all usb drives - just the ones that offer power-saving tech (check out the caviar green drives for an example). this IS a majority of them, but a slight one at best.

there's a really easy way to make it stop doing that - just break open the case and install the drive in your desktop (if you're not using a laptop, that is). the procedure that powers it down is in the firmware of the casing, so the drive itself is 'salvageable'. or you could buy another external case for it and put the hd in that.

Oh boy, let's not be going about voiding any warranties here lol.

I'm trying to find some daemon for windows that will arbitrarily read or write a file to the disk... no dice...

What version of Windows are you running? OR are you running a Mac? (If you're running Linux, this should be even easier).

Mr Azar · #6 02-08-2009, 07:35 AM

Windows XP.

phill · #7 02-08-2009, 05:57 PM

Just a side note, Windows can shut down USB devices to save power, but usually the external drive turns it self off long before Windows considers it.

If you want to make sure Windows isn't the problem, have a look through this.
http://www.devicedriverfinder.com/bl...-usb-root-hubs