USB 3.0 portable hd never sleeps

[hr1975]

I have a USB 3.0 WD My Passport 2tb portable external hd that I have been using for awhile now. I use it on two Win10 laptops (Dell and HP). On the Dell it will go to sleep after awhile if there is no activity and it will also sleep when the computer sleeps and when the computer is shutdown. That is what I want it to do. But, on the HP it *never* goes to sleep. It doesn't sleep after no activity, it doesn't sleep when the computer is sleeping, and it even doesn't sleep when the computer is shutdown. I can shutdown the HP and the hd will continue to spin and the light will stay on forever. 24 hours, 48 hours, 2 weeks, whatever, it will never go to sleep even though the computer is shutdown and off. I want it to sleep like when connected to the Dell.

On the HP I have checked in Power Options and for Hard disk I have it set to Turn off hard disk after

On battery: 3 minutes
Plugged in: 15 minutes

And for USB settings I have USB selective suspend setting

On battery: Enabled
Plugged in: Enabled

Does anyone know how I can get this hd to behave on the HP the same as it behaves on the Dell? I want it to sleep. Thank you.

 

[photonboy]

I'll check, but in the mean time I don't know if I'd have the drives shut off after only THREE MINUTES with battery.

I suggest maybe 10 minute battery, and 20 minute with AC power.

Decreasing the time to sleep also increases how often the drive does that, but suit yourself.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, @hr1975!

This seems unfortunate. Since the issue happens only on one of the laptops, I'd recommend you check the software and drivers from the laptop manufacturer's official website. Make sure you have everything up-to-date, especially the USB hub controller drivers. I'd also recommend you try to plug it in a different USB port and see if the WD My Passport will behave the same way from there as well.
Another thing that's definitely on the troubleshooting list is scanning the system for potential infection/malware.
I'd also advise you to disable the hybrid sleep mode (a.k.a. hibernate) and see if that will help.

Either way, keep in mind that portable HDDs are not suited to be constantly connected to your computer. Here's an article from our knowledge base that explains why Leaving an external hard drive powered on all the time is not recommended.

Hope this helps!
Cheers,
SuperSoph_WD

 

[photonboy]

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705124.pdf

On page 32 there is the option to set the SLEEP TIMER so if Windows isn't doing this correctly, perhaps this software will.

If not, contact WD.

There also appears to be an option to check for a firmware update.

 

[hr1975]

I'll check, but in the mean time I don't know if I'd have the drives shut off after only THREE MINUTES with battery.

I suggest maybe 10 minute battery, and 20 minute with AC power.

Decreasing the time to sleep also increases how often the drive does that, but suit yourself.

3 minutes for battery and 15 minutes when plugged in were the defaults and I had not changed them. The HP is a new HP Spectre x360 that I bought about a month ago. I may increase them, but right now my main issue is trying to get this portable external hd to sleep, especially when the laptop is sleeping or shutdown.

Thank you for your reply.

 

[hr1975]

Hey there, @hr1975!

This seems unfortunate. Since the issue happens only on one of the laptops, I'd recommend you check the software and drivers from the laptop manufacturer's official website. Make sure you have everything up-to-date, especially the USB hub controller drivers.

Thank you for replying. This is a new HP Spectre x360 and I have checked to make sure I have the latest drivers using the HP Support Assistant. It scanned the computer and says I have the latest updates. Right after I bought the computer I ran it and it found some updates at that time and installed them.

When the HP is sleeping the WD USB hd's light is steady on and I can hear that it is still spinning. Also, if I touch it I can feel the very light vibration that indicates it is spinning. Also, after awhile I can feel that it is getting warm.

I'd also recommend you try to plug it in a different USB port and see if the WD My Passport will behave the same way from there as well.

I have 3 USB ports on this laptop. I have tried them all with the same result.

Another thing that's definitely on the troubleshooting list is scanning the system for potential infection/malware.
I'd also advise you to disable the hybrid sleep mode (a.k.a. hibernate) and see if that will help.

I have done a full virus scan. I also ran sfc /scannow. This is a new computer and I am always very careful. I don't think this is a virus issue.

Either way, keep in mind that portable HDDs are not suited to be constantly connected to your computer. Here's an article from our knowledge base that explains why Leaving an external hard drive powered on all the time is not recommended.

Yes, this is why I want the USB hd to sleep when the computer is sleeping and when the computer is shutdown. I do not want the USB hd to be powered up and running all the time.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, @hr1975!

You can refer to the WD My Passport manual that @photonboy shared and use the WD Drive Utilities for Windows to set up the drive sleep timer on the external. Hopefully, this will resolve the issue and put the external into sleep mode as it should.

Keep us posted!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[hr1975]

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705124.pdf

On page 32 there is the option to set the SLEEP TIMER so if Windows isn't doing this correctly, perhaps this software will.

Thank you for that suggestion.

I downloaded and installed the current version (1.3.2.2) of the WD Drive Utilities. I clicked on Run Drive Status Check and it came back SMART status passed. I then clicked on Run Quick Drive Test and it passed.

The Sleep Timer was already turned on for 30 minutes. I changed it to 10 minutes (the shortest) to see if anything changed. While the computer is awake, but the WD hd is not being used I waited for more than 10 minutes. The WD hd didn't go to sleep. I then put the computer to sleep and waited for more than 10 minutes, but the WD hd did not go to sleep. I then shutdown the computer and waited for more than 10 minutes, but the WD hd did not go to sleep.

By the way, I have Windows file content indexing turned off for this drive.

 

[hr1975]

Hey there again, @hr1975!

You can refer to the WD My Passport manual that @photonboy shared and use the WD Drive Utilities for Windows to set up the drive sleep timer on the external. Hopefully, this will resolve the issue and put the external into sleep mode as it should.

Keep us posted!

Please see my reply just above this one with the update concerning the WD Drive Utilities.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Great job with the troubleshooting, @hr1975!
I suspect that the issue is coming from your BIOS settings. This is something that is not uncommon for some systems, actually.
I'd recommend you go into BIOS on the laptop and check the Power Management settings there. Some motherboards keep supplying +5v to the USB ports even when the system is shut down because they have the option to charge from the USB ports.
What you need to do is check these power management settings in the BIOS interface and make sure they are switched off. Hopefully, that will put the WD My Passport into sleep mode as it should. IF you need more detailed assistance with the BIOS settings, check the laptop user manual.

Let us know how it goes!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[hr1975]

Great job with the troubleshooting, @hr1975!
I suspect that the issue is coming from your BIOS settings. This is something that is not uncommon for some systems, actually.
I'd recommend you go into BIOS on the laptop and check the Power Management settings there. Some motherboards keep supplying +5v to the USB ports even when the system is shut down because they have the option to charge from the USB ports.
What you need to do is check these power management settings in the BIOS interface and make sure they are switched off. Hopefully, that will put the WD My Passport into sleep mode as it should. IF you need more detailed assistance with the BIOS settings, check the laptop user manual.

Let us know how it goes!
SuperSoph_WD

Thanks for that tip! I checked my BIOS and it was set to keep the USB ports powered even when the computer is shutdown so I changed that setting to turn them off. This is progress because now when I shutdown the computer the WD hd also goes off!

But, when the computer sleeps the WD hd still stays on.🙁 Also, the WD hd still does not sleep after long periods of inactivity.🙁 Typically I sleep the computer most of the time when it is just sitting on the desk because I am using it off and on throughout the day. It is a big hassle to have to unplug the USB cord each time when the computer goes to sleep and then plug it back in so that the WD hd will not continue running all the time. Probably not good for the USB connector and port to be doing that constantly.

I appreciate your help. I have been searching on the internet, searching the WD website, searching the HP website, etc. trying to find a solution.

 

[hr1975]

I discovered one more piece of info. If I select hibernate instead of sleep then the WD hd will go to sleep.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, @hr1975!

I'm glad you managed to resolve the issue. Well, that piece of information is really helpful, actually! It's basically telling us that you need to disable the power on the USB ports while the laptop is asleep.
I believe this could be done through Device Manager. Go there and right-click on all your USB Hub Controller drivers/hub roots one by one and choose Properties. There should be a Power Management tab and make sure you have checked the box for Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

Hope this works.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[hr1975]

Hey there again, @hr1975!

I want to thank you again for your help in this thread.

I'm glad you managed to resolve the issue.

It is partly resolved.

Well, that piece of information is really helpful, actually! It's basically telling us that you need to disable the power on the USB ports while the laptop is asleep.
I believe this could be done through Device Manager. Go there and right-click on all your USB Hub Controller drivers/hub roots one by one and choose Properties. There should be a Power Management tab and make sure you have checked the box for Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

Actually, I looked at that before I started this thread. I am sorry that I forgot to mention it. Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power has always been checked.

Here is the latest update in what is happening as things stand now.

1. When computer is shutdown the WD hd is off -- the light is off.
2. When computer is hybernating the WD hd is off -- the light is off.
3. When computer is sleeping the WD hd is steady on -- the light is always on and doesn't blink.
4. When computer is on, but there is no use of the WD hd for more than 10 minutes the light blinks slowly, about once per second. I used the WD Drive Utilities to set the timer to 10 minutes. Strangely, a couple of days ago it seemed to have no effect because even after 10 minutes the light was still steady on, but now after 10 minutes it slowly blinks. Is it correct that slowly blinking means idle or sleep? If I touch the drive while the light is slowly blinking it seems like it is not spinning.

So, in case 1 and 2 the light is off because there is no power to the WD hd. In case 4 the WD Drive Utilities have put it in idle/sleep mode because of no use for 10 minutes, I think. What is really strange though is case 3. Here is what happens: The computer is awake, but the WD hd light is slowly blinking because it hasn't been used for more than 10 minutes. I put the computer to sleep and as soon as the computer goes asleep the WD hd changes from slowly blinking to steady on. Even if the computer is asleep for more than 10 minutes the light continues steady on and stays that way. I can't figure out how when the computer is asleep that the WD hd is running even after the 10 minute timer. Weird.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Here is the latest update in what is happening as things stand now.

1. When computer is shutdown the WD hd is off -- the light is off.
2. When computer is hybernating the WD hd is off -- the light is off.
3. When computer is sleeping the WD hd is steady on -- the light is always on and doesn't blink.
4. When computer is on, but there is no use of the WD hd for more than 10 minutes the light blinks slowly, about once per second. I used the WD Drive Utilities to set the timer to 10 minutes. Strangely, a couple of days ago it seemed to have no effect because even after 10 minutes the light was still steady on, but now after 10 minutes it slowly blinks. Is it correct that slowly blinking means idle or sleep? If I touch the drive while the light is slowly blinking it seems like it is not spinning.

So, in case 1 and 2 the light is off because there is no power to the WD hd. In case 4 the WD Drive Utilities have put it in idle/sleep mode because of no use for 10 minutes, I think. What is really strange though is case 3. Here is what happens: The computer is awake, but the WD hd light is slowly blinking because it hasn't been used for more than 10 minutes. I put the computer to sleep and as soon as the computer goes asleep the WD hd changes from slowly blinking to steady on. Even if the computer is asleep for more than 10 minutes the light continues steady on and stays that way. I can't figure out how when the computer is asleep that the WD hd is running even after the 10 minute timer. Weird.

Hello again!

Yes, the slow blinking indicates that the HDD is in Standby/Sleep mode, but I have no idea why it spins up while the laptop is asleep. You should probably try to plug it in a different USB port and see if the problem will persist.
Wait, you mentioned that the LED on the WD My Passport is on when the laptop is in sleep mode, but can you feel the HDD spinning?

Overall, my recommendation would be to NOT leave the portable external WD My Passport constantly connected! Only desktop external HDDs are suited for constant connection to the system. Improper waking or shutting down while the drive is active could potentially lead to file system corruption, or even worse, it could cause data loss. Portable HDDs are not suited for such prolonged use, so it's advisable to unplug the external drive when it's not in use. Moreover, having in mind that the laptop is mobile, you could also accidentally drop the external which would corrupt the whole HDD and also void the warranty on the product.
Either way, if you plan to disregard my recommendation, keep a backup of the files stored on the WD My Passport somewhere else as well.

Let me know if you can hear the HDD working, when your laptop is sleeping.
SuperSoph_WD

 

[hr1975]

Here is the latest update in what is happening as things stand now.

1. When computer is shutdown the WD hd is off -- the light is off.
2. When computer is hybernating the WD hd is off -- the light is off.
3. When computer is sleeping the WD hd is steady on -- the light is always on and doesn't blink.
4. When computer is on, but there is no use of the WD hd for more than 10 minutes the light blinks slowly, about once per second. I used the WD Drive Utilities to set the timer to 10 minutes. Strangely, a couple of days ago it seemed to have no effect because even after 10 minutes the light was still steady on, but now after 10 minutes it slowly blinks. Is it correct that slowly blinking means idle or sleep? If I touch the drive while the light is slowly blinking it seems like it is not spinning.

So, in case 1 and 2 the light is off because there is no power to the WD hd. In case 4 the WD Drive Utilities have put it in idle/sleep mode because of no use for 10 minutes, I think. What is really strange though is case 3. Here is what happens: The computer is awake, but the WD hd light is slowly blinking because it hasn't been used for more than 10 minutes. I put the computer to sleep and as soon as the computer goes asleep the WD hd changes from slowly blinking to steady on. Even if the computer is asleep for more than 10 minutes the light continues steady on and stays that way. I can't figure out how when the computer is asleep that the WD hd is running even after the 10 minute timer. Weird.

Hello again!

Yes, the slow blinking indicates that the HDD is in Standby/Sleep mode, but I have no idea why it spins up while the laptop is asleep. You should probably try to plug it in a different USB port and see if the problem will persist.
Wait, you mentioned that the LED on the WD My Passport is on when the laptop is in sleep mode, but can you feel the HDD spinning?

Yes, I have tried plugging it into all 3 of my HP's USB ports, but the behavior is the same. And just to be clear, I am not using a USB hub device. I am plugging it in directly to the computer.

Yes, when the computer is sleeping the WD hd light is steady on and I can feel that the disk is spinning. When the computer is shutdown or hybernating the light is off. When the computer is running, but the WD hd is not used for more than 10 minutes then the light blinks slowly and it feels like the disk is not spinning.

Overall, my recommendation would be to NOT leave the portable external WD My Passport constantly connected! Only desktop external HDDs are suited for constant connection to the system. Improper waking or shutting down while the drive is active could potentially lead to file system corruption, or even worse, it could cause data loss. Portable HDDs are not suited for such prolonged use, so it's advisable to unplug the external drive when it's not in use. Moreover, having in mind that the laptop is mobile, you could also accidentally drop the external which would corrupt the whole HDD and also void the warranty on the product.
Either way, if you plan to disregard my recommendation, keep a backup of the files stored on the WD My Passport somewhere else as well.

Let me know if you can hear the HDD working, when your laptop is sleeping.
SuperSoph_WD

If the WD hd is connected to my computer do you think it is inadvisable even for scenarios 1, 2, and 4 above? In 1 and 2 the light is off and in 4 the light slowly blinks. It seems like in those 3 cases the disk is not spinning. You think that it is not good to have the WD hd connected even in those cases?

I bought this thin 13.3" HP Spectre x360 ultrabook (256gb ssd, no internal hd) for travel. My Lightroom catalog is on the ssd and my 1.3tb (and growing) of photo files are on the WD hd (along with other non-photo files). I have everything backed up on other external hds back home.

Currently I am traveling abroad and have been at the same hotel for a week. Since the first day arriving here the HP has been on the desk in my room along with the WD hd. I get the impression you think that I am carrying the HP around with the WD hd dangling and swinging from the cord. No. They are on a desk. When I leave I will once again pack each up separately until I arrive at the next place.

I understand (and understood before starting this thread) that it is not good to have the WD hd constantly running. Hence that is why I started the thread asking about it. But, are you saying that even when the disk is not spinning it is still bad for it to be connected to the computer? I am getting a bit confused.

 

[hr1975]

I don't want my WD hd to be constantly spinning even when it is not being used, when the computer is shutdown, or when the computer is sleeping. Fortunately, for cases 1, 2, and 4 that I mentioned in my post a couple of days ago it no longer is constantly spinning. In case 3 where the HP computer is sleeping though the WD hd is still constantly spinning with the light steady on. It doesn't do this on my Dell computer though. I have started to use hibernate on the HP instead of sleep now so that the WD hd will stop running.

Having said all that though, I discovered on the WD website that they seem to encourage you to keep your WD hd constantly connected to your computer so that the WD backup software can do constant, automatic backups.

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1000#Tab8

But, SuperSoph_WD, the WD rep, in this thread says the opposite, that the WD hd should not be left connected to the computer. It is all very confusing for us customers. SuperSoph_WD, will you please clarify? Thank you.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, @hr1975!

Well, since this is only present on one of your laptops, I'd encourage you to contact the laptop manufacturer's customer support for any tips on how to resolve this issue.

As for your portable WD My Passport being constantly connected because of the WD SmartWare, it's not really recommended to have it always connected. This is something for a desktop external HDDs like the WD My Book or the WD Elements Desktop drive. I already shared with you a link to our knowledge base that explains the consequences of leaving a portable external drive continuously connected to a computer. Here it is again: http://support.wdc.com/KnowledgeBase/answer.aspx?ID=1386

The constant backups could still be executed whenever you decide to backup. The WD Backup software apps also give you the option to set the backup frequency to be executed on weekly or daily basis, depending on your needs. Once you do any changed to your files, you can simply connect the external back in and backup the changes.

The most important thing is Always remember that "backup" means that you have your data stored in at least two (2) locations. Moving data from your system drive to an external hard drive is not a backup, unless there is already a duplicate of the file on a different drive.

Let me know if you still have more questions!
Hope I was helpful.
SuperSoph_WD