[ch0wm4n]

I recently bought a portable hard drive and was wondering is it ok to leave it permanently on or should i remove it when im not using it?

[owwl]

if it's a mains powered one i think it would be okay to leave on, but i'd recommend turning it off at night, if it's a usb powered drive, i'd only have it plugged in when you need it.

[ch0wm4n]

Ok thanks for your advice , it's a usb power drive and my brother and sister have a habit of breaking things so i'll probably unplug it.

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by ch0wm4n)
I recently bought a portable hard drive and was wondering is it ok to leave it permanently on or should i remove it when im not using it?

Yes definitely unplug it, it would cause serious overheating in the long term and kill it :/
Make sure to unplug it safely by disconnecting it through the computer first, they are susceptible to corruption.

[spikeymike]

Definitely unplug it, as if you trip on it by accident then again a chance of data corruption.

[mangoh]

110% turn it off as others have rightly pointed out.

further reassurance

[ch0wm4n]

(Original post by Iqbal007)
Yes definitely unplug it, it would cause serious overheating in the long term and kill it :/
Make sure to unplug it safely by disconnecting it through the computer first, they are susceptible to corruption.

(Original post by spikeymike)
Definitely unplug it, as if you trip on it by accident then again a chance of data corruption.

(Original post by mangoh)
110% turn it off as others have rightly pointed out.

further reassurance

Thanks for your advice guys .

[mikeyd85]

I've never once unplugged my (big, 1TB, plugs in to the wall type) USB HDD, aside from when moving house. It goes to sleep on it's own accord when not in use. Never had any problem with it. Same with the various HDDs I use at work for partial backup solutions (quicker data access than tape - easier file restoration). They only die when they get knocked over...

[ch0wm4n]

(Original post by mikeyd85)
I've never once unplugged my (big, 1TB, plugs in to the wall type) USB HDD, aside from when moving house. It goes to sleep on it's own accord when not in use. Never had any problem with it. Same with the various HDDs I use at work for partial backup solutions (quicker data access than tape - easier file restoration). They only die when they get knocked over...

I have another problem now though , unfortunately my laptop's hard disk/ drive is dying so i'll probably have to back up all my data :/.