[SOLVED] Do external USB drives wear off by being connected

[andrewsc51]

I have a 1Tb shared drive permanently attached to Ethernet, but my WiFi router also supports USB. In a decade, the drive got only filled at one-third capacity.

I also have a 500Gb old disk which I use with a clumsy USB dock. I connect it once a year, and I filled it 85%.

Both drives are ten years old and may be due for replacement. I noticed external drives are becoming cheaper, both Hard drives and SSDs.

My questions are:

1.- if I connect a Portable USB Hard drive to my router, is the disk moving all the time? I don't want to connect and disconnect the USB each time I need the shared drive (1-2 times a week, uncomfortable location near the router). On the other hand, I don't want the disk to wear off before its time. Is there a standby mode on portable HDDs to prolong their life ?

2.- similar question about SSDs. Assuming occasional usage, does the SSD wear off faster when permanently connected through USB, or does it experience passive decay if left unused on my shelf ?

3.- are the established brands worth the price premium ? I see no-name brands advertised really cheap. But people also complain about WD Elements breaking down as soon as the 3-year warranty expires. I'm considering a new WD, because my 10-year old share disk is a MyBook World Edition, and still works.

Regards,
Andrew

 

[CountMike]

No more than internal ones.

 

[andrewsc51]

No more than internal ones.

An internal drive gets power only when the computer is turned on.
By contrast, and external drive gets USB power all the time, if connected to the WiFi router.

 

[hang-the-9]

If the drives are running, no need to replace them. If you have your only copy of files on the drives make sure you have backups. The router USB storage is very slow in most routers, getting a faster drive to use with that port would be a waste.

Don't worry about drive usage, you don't buy milk but then worry what will happen if you spill a glass, you just buy the milk and drink it. If it spills then you worry about it. Get the drive if you want, if it fails, replace it.