Do Drives Spin if not mounted?

Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Locked
webtarget
Level 3
Level 3
Posts: 167
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:20 am

Do Drives Spin if not mounted?

Post by webtarget »

Hi,

I have one computer now with 1 SSD and 3 hard drives in it. The OS is on the SSD.

I was wondering whether the HD are "on" or spinning, when I boot the computer.

The reason I'm asking is I want to know whether the act of just turning on the computer shortens the lifespan of the HD or whether it has to be mounted and in use. Is the (let's say for example) 100,000 hour lifesapn of a hard drive based on read/write times, or just the fact that it's spinning and in some ready state.


Thanks.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
jp734

Re: Do Drives Spin if not mounted?

Post by jp734 »

Yes. Once power is applied, the disk spins even without the data cable hooked up.
Mark Phelps
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 1869
Joined: Mon Jun 10, 2013 4:39 pm

Re: Do Drives Spin if not mounted?

Post by Mark Phelps »

You realize that even if you used the drive 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, that still amounts to around 12 years of useful life, right? And, by that time, disk technology would have moved on so much that you would be able to get 10 times the capacity/performance/speed/etc. for a fraction of what you paid for the original drive.
webtarget
Level 3
Level 3
Posts: 167
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:20 am

Re: Do Drives Spin if not mounted?

Post by webtarget »

Thanks, but, 100,000 was just an arbitrary number (b/c I think I got it from the marketing for LCD or LED TVs lifespan as 100,000 hours). But, from what I've seen just now from searching, I think the average hours of operation is only half or less of what I originally posted.
eanfrid

Re: Do Drives Spin if not mounted?

Post by eanfrid »

I have a few machines which run 24/7. As a general rule, I replace disks when they reach about 30,000 runtime hours (~ 4 years) if they were not already replaced in the meantime by faster and bigger drives. Starting at this time, they become spare parts and often get an easier second life as external/testing/backup-only disks until they fail. What I mean is: do not worry about HDD life expectancy as long as you check their health and anticipate failures with S.M.A.R.T. monitoring tools.
webtarget
Level 3
Level 3
Posts: 167
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:20 am

Re: Do Drives Spin if not mounted?

Post by webtarget »

eanfrid wrote:I have a few machines which run 24/7. As a general rule, I replace disks when they reach about 30,000 runtime hours (~ 4 years) if they were not already replaced in the meantime by faster and bigger drives. Starting at this time, they become spare parts and often get an easier second life as external/testing/backup-only disks until they fail. What I mean is: do not worry about HDD life expectancy as long as you check their health and anticipate failures with S.M.A.R.T. monitoring tools.
I realize it's late, but, thanks for the info about SMART. I looked it up and installed it. Thanks. A heck of a lot of reading to understand it though.
Locked

Return to “Storage”