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Need help properly turning off Seagate ex HDD

T

TheBeastman13

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 5, 2012
209
4
This is somewhat embarrassing: I don't know how to "properly" shut down(IMO) my Seagate GoFlex external HDD.

Currently this is how I operate:

1. Plug the AC adapter into HDD
2. Turn on MacBook
3. After MacBook has booted and is on, I plug the USB cord from the HDD into the MacBook
4. HDD mounts to desktop
5. I use the HDD files
6. When finished, I eject the HDD
7. Upon disconnecting the USB after ejection, the HDD continues to spin/operate. It does NOT "turn off" until I promptly unplug the AC adapter from the back of my drive

Is this methodology the correct process? Am I damaging the HDD by unplugging the power while it sounds to be on and spinning?

The instruction "manual"(I can't even call it such) tells nothing about turning off the HDD, only on how to turn it on and mount it to a computer.

Thank you for the help

-B Eastman
 
TheBeastman13 said:
This is somewhat embarrassing: I don't know how to "properly" shut down(IMO) my Seagate GoFlex external HDD.

Currently this is how I operate:

1. Plug the AC adapter into HDD
2. Turn on MacBook
3. After MacBook has booted and is on, I plug the USB cord from the HDD into the MacBook
4. HDD mounts to desktop
5. I use the HDD files
6. When finished, I eject the HDD
7. Upon disconnecting the USB after ejection, the HDD continues to spin/operate. It does NOT "turn off" until I promptly unplug the AC adapter from the back of my drive

Is this methodology the correct process? Am I damaging the HDD by unplugging the power while it sounds to be on and spinning?

The instruction "manual"(I can't even call it such) tells nothing about turning off the HDD, only on how to turn it on and mount it to a computer.

Thank you for the help

-B Eastman
Click to expand...

As long as you eject you should be fine. Modern HDDs should handle it even when they are reading and writing. However, your data might not like it. What all that means you probably won't physical damage the HDD platters with a modern HDD.

If it really bothers that much, go on amazon.com or newegg.com and buy an enclosure with a power switch.
 
OP wrote above:
[[ 7. Upon disconnecting the USB after ejection, the HDD continues to spin/operate. It does NOT "turn off" until I promptly unplug the AC adapter from the back of my drive ]]

You have answered your own question.

If you want the drive to stop spinning after you have dismounted it and removed the USB connection -- and there is no "power switch" on the drive enclosure or on the power supply -- sometimes the only way to "kill the drive" is to unplug the power supply.

I find it strange that the companies that build the enclosures don't put "on/off" switches on them.

Then again, I'll guess that saves a few cents per unit...
 
There should be an "unplug USB cable from Mac" step in there.

It should be between "eject" and "remove power from HDD".
 
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