Power Management

[algypug]

I have an XP Pro PC as a domestic fileserver, using four 500Gb SATA drives. I want it to use as little power as possible but also to respond instantly to a file request at any time of day.
What's the best setup for this using native XP power management? Are there any (cheap or free) third party utilities which can help?
Probably the wrong place to ask but would Linux offer a better environment for this usage?

 

[tigsounds]

I want it to use as little power as possible but also to respond instantly to a file request at any time of day.

In that situation, your only solution is to purchase and install SSD drives.

Your old motorized magnetic drives sadly take time to spin-up if any power saving scheme is used that curtails power to them for energy savings.

Probably the wrong place to ask but would Linux offer a better environment for this usage?

Everybody here knows Linux is just a bunch of bloated hype, it isn't any good at all, causes nothing but trouble. We all use Windows XP, thus the XP topic in this forum. [:tigsounds]

 

[hang-the-9]

You need to pick between lowest power usage or instant access. SSD will give you lower power usage than regular drives but you will spend way more on the replacement disks than you would on powering the computer for it's lifetime.