microsoft's full format option took exactly 5 hours to format a USB-HDD ( it was on a usb1.5 socket i think), during this time the usb hdd was spinning non-stop and was getting hot on the table by itself and i had to hold it by hand, i tried to cancel the formatting, but nope, vista tells me that it can't cancel a formatting once it's started. and there it was, continue spinning and getting very hot, i couldn't believe it! obviously i can't just turn off the pc since i'm fairly sure you're not suppose to do that, and that the hdd costs hundreds of dollars, it was a brand new Hitachi NESO drive fresh out of the box, and i sat until the "ordeal" was over, and curse myself over and over again for not using a "quick format" option.
the HDD doesn't get used much, actually it's only used once per 2 months to back up some photos and small database files.
but the experiences continues to give me the chills once in a while, since then i can't help but feel that the drive will surely fail on me very very soon, even though it is in perfect working order and good condition.
i've actually decided to refrain from using it unless my computer breaks down completely and i really need the data.
i just think that it was a serious oversight of microsoft to not let users stop a formatting process nor provide a basic description of what the formatting options means, i imagine they would have had people complain about it since windoes-ME/2000 era. sure i should have just unplugged the drive or turn the pc off, but i learnt from usb sticks the hard way so at the time i really couldn't pull the plug on it, so i let it finished.
so what do you think? do you think i just exhausted the manufacturer's expected...well life expectancy of the usbhdd by my own hands, in a single utterly careless and stupid effort?
I don't know about that particular brand, but my external drives are plugged in and powered up all the time.
I have a Lacie drive that runs warmer than the WD drive but nothing that you could call "hot".
I would need an explanation from the manufacturer as to why an external drive is 'hot' else it would be returned.
It's been my experience that drives always act up when they are powering up.
First, internal drives turn themselves off...sometimes they do it too much (the WD RAID bug is a good example). External drives do as well, at least the decent ones do. Just because the "power" light is on, that does not mean the drive isn't in standby.
Second, vista is full of crap. If it refuses to stop formatting, just restart windows...there is no harm in doing that. The vista tool does not even start formatting until the utility shows about 99%. Vista was crap when microsoft cared, and now they don't...get off that sinking boat!
Is it OK to have a drive on all the time? Sure...but only if it is cooled well. Most external drives are not. They turn themselves off to hide this defect, but they will burn themselves up with too much sustained use.
Quote:Is it OK to have a drive on all the time? Sure...but only if it is cooled well. Most external drives are not. They turn themselves off to hide this defect, but they will burn themselves up with too much sustained use.
