How do I separately manage internal hard drives?

Paul KC — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:07:05 -0800

Is there a way to manage two internal hard drives separately, so that one turns off after a short period of inactivity while the other stays running? I recently installed an internal hard drive for backing up data. To cut down on power usage, noise and to extend its life, I would like for the drive to be off (or not spinning) unless I am accessing its data. Is there any way to do this in Windows XP Pro or by using a freeware/open source app?

Ideally, I'd like to have my main drive turn off after a few hours of inactivity, while having my backup drive turn off after 20 or 30 minutes. Under Power Options Properties in XP Pro, it looks like you can only have one setting for both hard drives.

A device that claims to save electricity when plugged into the mains - how does it work?

edd — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:25:58 -0800

This product claims to save electricity through some sort of voltage and current regulation. This raises my suspicions, but there might be some explanation for it I've missed, probably down to some peculiarity of mains electricity?

Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with powersaving

How do I separately manage internal hard drives?

A device that claims to save electricity when plugged into the mains - how does it work?