Jean wants to know if she should keep her external drive connected to her computer 24/7
If I buy Genie Timeline 2014 and an external hard drive, do I have to keep the hard drive connected to my laptop 24/7? Thanks in advance.
Our answer
Hi Jean. If you have automatic incremental backups setup in Genie (and you should), and you unplug your external drive, you’ll get an error message that the backup drive cannot be found because it is not there. The next time you plug it in, Genie will start backing up all the files that have changed since the last time you backed up.
Here’s something we’ve noticed – many people with desktop computers disconnect there external drives when the drive is not needed. This however is not a good practice — it shortens the life of the external drive. Constantly turning it off and on causes wear and tear and also, over time, may affect the data on the drive. It’s best to leave the hard drive plugged in and set to turn on and off with the computer (many externals will do this automatically). Since desktop computers are not very portable and you’re not going to be moving it around often, just leave it plugged in; leaving it plugged in will extend the life of your external drive and also ensure that your files and folders are being backed up incrementally with Gene Timeline Home 2014.
If you’re using a laptop you’ll, of course, have to unplug your external whenever you move your laptop. Many people, including us, use our laptops like desktops — so we leave our external drives plugged into our laptops all the time except when we have to take our laptops with us.
Hope this helps you.
I was aware of this recommendation and, for some time, left an external hard drive connected but that proved to be a nuisance in at least two respects…………
1. With the only available USB ports on the front of the CPU, the connecting lead to the external HD was prone to being knocked or dislodged.
2. At random, and certainly each time the monitor was switched on. the panel came up offering the various options for action re the external HD. i.e. Open, Play, Send etc. This finally wore me down so I now leave it disconnected and, from time to time, perform a manual back-up.
There are things called USB hubs, some are powered and others not. For less than $20 you can add 3 USB ports with a 4-port hub. So not having enough USB ports is not a problem.
If you get a message every time you turn your monitor or computer on, you didn’t configure your external hard drive correctly.
You don’t have to follow our advice. Facts are facts — the more you connect and disconnect a USB external drive the shorter the life span. So it’s up to you but neither of your reasons are valid.
We are not contradicting you we’re merely stating facts so that anyone reading this understands that your problems are not problems at all. Your problems could be cheaply and easily corrected (USB hub) and configuring the external hard drive correctly.
Hi, Thank you , that answered my question that’s been bothering me , now I’m happy to follow u advice .
I’ve been wondering the same thing. My external hard drive has been plugged in from the time I bought my laptop and the external hard drive. Now I know it is okay to do this.
HI ! I just do a manual back-up with my external hard drive when required, My reason for this is, I keep it in a different place to where my computer is just in case my house is broken in to and the computer is stolen. At least this way I can replace the computer, but the information on the external drive can not be replaced and can be easily once again downloaded to a new computer. It may be a bit old fashioned and out of date by todays Fizz Set, but it’s worked for years.
Hi TB
Can I use an existing external hard drive that is in use now. if I use the Genie instead of the programme being used now or do I need to buy a new external hard drive. Do I need to format the existing hard drive first before using Genie Timeline 2014. I would like to use this one as it seems so simple.
Yours
Patricia
If an external drive is always connected 24/7 and continually backing up everything, won’t it be backing up any malware that might get into the system?
I not only disconnect the USB connection but also unplug the electric the external hard drive after doing weekly backups using an alternative backup program. I also alternate three drives and rotate to an off-site location. I do daily backup of files on a USB flash drive between the weekly backups. I have unplugged the USB and the electric to protect against the possibility of system wide power surges or lightning strikes.
Are you saying that this backup protocol will shorten the life of my external drives, or are you talking about a daily reconnect and reboot?
Not that I doubt your expertise but can you provide any cites for this drive shortening issue? I would like to learn more.
david
how to configure an external drive correctly
Most external drives don’t need configuration. You plug them in to a USB port and use them like you do any other drive. Once you plug it in- look in Windows Explorer (File Explorer).
Thanks, I will leave my drive always connected but I prefer to keep My Book horizontal so it has a lower centre of Gravity and not prone to be knocked down.
Does this effect wear on the hard drive in any way to let it lie down horizontally?
It doesn’t matter if it’s laying down or standing up… but I can understand why you don’t want it standing up if it’s somewhere where it could easily be tipped over.