Storage Solutions Connecting/Removing a SATA II HDD while the pc is on

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BlAcK_sQuAdRoN

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hi guyz,

i have 2 x WD10EACS which are full of data.

the data on them is used very rarely by me and my pc is usually on for downloading.

So i feel stupid to keep them spinning for no use:no: .

But i would like to plug them out when not in use and plug them back in whn required (just like hot swapping :D ).

So is it possible ????

plz dont recommend a hdd dock as i m out of cash for ~1.5mnths

my pc specs are :-

cpu - c2d7200

mobo - intel dg33fb

ram - transcend 800mhz 4gb

thanks in advance.
 
I did it once and nothing bad happened :ashamed:

But no idea if its harmful for the HDD.

I just had to refresh My computer so that it shows the updated number of drives after i pulled my 2ndary drive out :lol:
 
wat wud happen if u do it, whether its harmful or not i dont know. cant say!!

better dont do this when the pc is running.

switch off and do it!!
 
most sata II drives are hot swappable.

bt by default the drives are optimised for performance..

1) Go to Device Manager...

2) RightClick on the Desired HDD>> Properties

3) Select 'Policies' Tab

4) By Default 'Enable Write caching on the disk' will be checked and the main Options will be grayed out

5) Unckeck it n main options will be available...

6) Now select 'Optimize for quick removal'

7) OK

8) Repeat for any other desired drive....

PS: Can not be performed on the Device being used as the OS drive.

U may have to restart windows for the changes to take effect.
 
But seriously, how hard is it to turn of the computer and unplug it? Its not as if its going to take a long time, is it?
 
The Sorcerer said:
But seriously, how hard is it to turn of the computer and unplug it? Its not as if its going to take a long time, is it?
Click to expand...

the pc is usually used for dloading :)
mayb he doesnt wanna pause n resume them..torrents do take time to reach decent speeds :)
 
Control Panel -> Power Option -> Change plan settings -> Advanced -> Turn off hard disk after XXX minutes
 
Don't you have to enable AHCI interface or something if you want to plug IN a disk while the PC is on and get it detected?
 
^Yes. If you enabled AHCI on the sata port via bios, then you will have the option to "safely remove" your hdd (just like a thumb drive). You can try removing without AHCI enabled as well, but unless you don't value your hdd, don't push your luck. Torrents can be resumed, you know.
 
madnav said:
most sata II drives are hot swappable.

bt by default the drives are optimised for performance..

1) Go to Device Manager...

2) RightClick on the Desired HDD>> Properties

3) Select 'Policies' Tab

4) By Default 'Enable Write caching on the disk' will be checked and the main Options will be grayed out

5) Unckeck it n main options will be available...

6) Now select 'Optimize for quick removal'

7) OK

8) Repeat for any other desired drive....

PS: Can not be performed on the Device being used as the OS drive.

U may have to restart windows for the changes to take effect.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply

Tried it but the option Optimize For Quick Removal didnt get enabled.
 
SiriusB said:
^Yes. If you enabled AHCI on the sata port via bios, then you will have the option to "safely remove" your hdd (just like a thumb drive). You can try removing without AHCI enabled as well, but unless you don't value your hdd, don't push your luck. Torrents can be resumed, you know.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply

So is enabling AHCI and removing the drive safe ???
 
The Sorcerer said:
But seriously, how hard is it to turn of the computer and unplug it? Its not as if its going to take a long time, is it?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply

My pc takes ~2 minutes to shutdown & ~3 minutes to boot and cant turn back to XP after using Vista.
So need a more easy way.
 
BlAcK_sQuAdRoN said:
Thanks for the reply

So is enabling AHCI and removing the drive safe ???
Click to expand...

1. Plz avoid posting separate replies :)

2. YES, if AHCI is enabled, and you plug/unplug properly using the safely remove option, there is NO issue. Thats how all the docks plug/unplug as well :)
 
techie_007 said:
1. Plz avoid posting separate replies :)

2. YES, if AHCI is enabled, and you plug/unplug properly using the safely remove option, there is NO issue. Thats how all the docks plug/unplug as well :)
Click to expand...

You sure tht i can do the same on my mobo :huh: ??
cuz its a intel which usually suck:@
and if i can will i require a format ???
my os = Vista Ultimate Service Pack 2 v.286

i ggled a bit and came through this Error message when you start a Windows Vista-based computer after you change the SATA mode of the boot drive: "STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE"
is this the way i should go ???
and are there any chances tht i might get frequent BSODs with AHCI enabled than AHCI disabled ???
 
Op i think you should refrain from hot swapping. Use vista boot pro to make it default operating system. These are numerous tweaks to fasten boot and shutdown time.
 
@OP

You mentioned in your PM that after enabling ahci, you didn't get the option to safely remove your hdd in windows. There may be a couple of things you need to check:

1. Your sata hdd must support hot swapping. I remember reading only sata 2 hdds support hot plug/swapping.

2. Make sure your motherboard's chipset supports this as well. Also, if your motherboard has more than one sata chipset, you must make sure to enable ahci on the ports that you are using your hdd in.

Also keep in mind that, if your hdd is using molex power connector(AFAIK, Hitachi HDDs do), then plugging/unplugging it when the power is ON may cause shorting and/or possible damage to hdd/psu/mobo. I got away with just some pretty sparks with my HDDs :)
 
here is my experience in hot swapping sata drives...

1. on my nvidia 650i ultra and win xp combo....by default the sata drives showed up as safely removable drives in the system tray...just like other usb devices...and i used to remove them whenever not required and used to plug them back and they got detected just like a usb drive.

2. on my current tpower i45 and win xp combo this doesnt happen by default...and i dont want to enable ahci...so i looked arnd and found this software...USB Safely Remove...this software can also remove ur hdds safely...and u can unplug them...i have been using it for quite sometime...u can try tht...here is the link

Safely Remove Hardware in one click! USB, SATA, Firewire. Keyboard shortcuts for stopping, clear device names, remove a device from the icon
 
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