Advice on how to set up external hard drives with Laptop

bjwest1977

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May 11, 2015
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Hi all,

I am considering using my laptop (running Windows 8.1) as my HTPC (Kodi) /Gaming (retro gaming only) device (via HDMI to TV) and want to set it up as neat as possible so that the wife doesn't complain! I can hide the different components in the TV cabinet but also want to make sure it's easy enough to use at the same time.

1) I have a wireless USB keyboard that I will use.
2) Can I leave my laptop turned on connected to the power 24/7 with the lid closed?
3) I have 3x 2.5 portable hard drives and 4x 3.5 external hard drives that I want to connect to laptop so that I can access all my media at any time
4) I have looked at USB 3.0 powered hubs but unsure how they work with a powered external hard drive, can the external hard drives also be powered 24/7?

Basically I want to have everything running whereever possible so that I can simply turn on my TV and choose what I want to do without too much fuss.

Many Thanks
 
Solution
Hey there, bjwest1977.

Basically all of this is possible. You can easily set the power plan settings for your laptop - go to power options -> change plan settings -> change advanced power settings -> choose power buttons and lid -> lid close action -> and select "do nothing". Do this for the power plan your laptop is using when connected with the AC adapter and when you close it, the laptop will stay on and your TV should be treated as a primary monitor. This way when you select the HDMI slot from the input menu of your TV - you should see your laptop's desktop. Even though this is possible - I wouldn't choose this option if I were you. If the laptop is working 24/7, you're risking a failure, especially if it's in a cabinet (which I...
Hey there, bjwest1977.

Basically all of this is possible. You can easily set the power plan settings for your laptop - go to power options -> change plan settings -> change advanced power settings -> choose power buttons and lid -> lid close action -> and select "do nothing". Do this for the power plan your laptop is using when connected with the AC adapter and when you close it, the laptop will stay on and your TV should be treated as a primary monitor. This way when you select the HDMI slot from the input menu of your TV - you should see your laptop's desktop. Even though this is possible - I wouldn't choose this option if I were you. If the laptop is working 24/7, you're risking a failure, especially if it's in a cabinet (which I assume won't be very well ventilated). The generated heat won't do you any favors. Instead I'd recommend that you still change those settings, but go to BIOS and set a time when the laptop will start automatically - e.g. set it for 9AM Monday - Sunday (depending on the options you have in your BIOS). Furthermore depending on the laptop's configuration, it might generate a lot of heat when running full HD movies on your TV. E.g. I have a laptop which is 3-4 years old and have no trouble playing movies on it (its monitor has a 1366x768 resolution), but when connected to the TV (resolution 1920x1080) via an HDMI cable with the same set-up as described above - it generates quite a lot of heat while I watch movies.
You'd definitely need USB hubs with that number of HDDs and don't worry - externally powered HDDs can be connected to an externally powered USB HUB the same way as portable external drive. But note that if they are in the same cabinet, they would generate even more heat and this might lead to failures. Overall it doesn't sound like the best environment, but all of this is doable.
I though about a laptop cooling pad, but if there's no way to get cooler air in that cabinet - it will rotate the warmed up air and that's probably not a very constructive option.

Hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Boogieman_WD
 
Solution