[Car54]

When I have my monitor "shut down" after 20 min. and don't use my computer for 3-4 hours without putting my computer in standby mode, does my hard drive keep spinning at 7200 rpms, thus wearing it out faster? (or does it stop, and my Desktop etc. just stays in Ram?) Thanks for your help. :)

[mphenterprises]

Hi Car54. To my knowledge, your Hard Drive will only spin at that kind of RPM when some type of action requires it to spin that fast. I believe the Hard Drive will always "idle" at some low RPM until needed.I don't think you have anything to worry about. Hard Drives are meant to endure some serious punishment so I doubt 3-4 hours of idle time will hurt it.

[Car54]

Thank you mphenterprises for your quick response to my question , that makes sense. :) ( I am just to lazy to have to re log in after 3-4 hours of having my computer in standby. )

[mphenterprises]

What do you mean, "...a RAM thing?" Your RAM speed really doesn't have anything to do with accessing the internet. The only thing that RAM could potentially affect is how quickly you navigate through certain websites. As for your Hard Drive, your hard drive will only spin faster than normal idle when you are trying to access files within the hard drive and other various activities.I leave my computer on 24 hours a day and I never have any concern of wearing down my hard drives' lives.

[Car54]

mphenterprises, sorry my edit missed your follow up to my previous post (I changed it after I thought about it, and my connection went down in the middle of it. I'm glad someones thinking straight, you. :) )

[mphenterprises]

:lol: Not a problem. Glad I could help. Post if you have any other questions. :D

[Knifeblade]

I am curious, though. Car, do you have a power-save feature enabled? With this, In XP, you can set standby mode to "turn on" per se, after certain lengths of "idle" time. Essentially, an automatically-set standby mode.The HD then goes relatively dormant. Actually, if you just close whatever window you have open, and just walk away from the comp., the HD will idle as mph states. Unless your HD is very old, no harm. I walk away lots, and just let this sucker run, never a problem.However, I do use the power-saver feature, essentially to save wear on the fans. As well as save a few $$ on the electric bill, :wink:

[mphenterprises]

Hi Knifeblade. I have not noticed a significant increase in my electrical bill. I have left my computer on 24 hours a day for years and have never had a problem and never had to pay an excessive amount of money on my electrical.I definitely agree with you that doing power saver saves the life of the fans but, as I am sure you know, fans are so inexpensive now that it's a moot point, ya know?

[Car54]

Thanks, Knifeblade. I do have my Power Feature configured. I was just trying to avoid Standby mode (I have my screen shut down after 20 min.) so I could just tap my touch pad to periodically check my emails throughout the day. Yet, I was concerned about what my hard drive was doing, and wear and tear, spinning itself to death. (I'm new to computers, 2 years), but now have a greater understanding ,and peace of mind, due to the info. you all have given me. Thanks :)

[Knifeblade]

Yeah, you should be fine, Car, with the powersaver.And, yeah, mph, fans are cheap, but replacement can be intimidating for anyone who hasn't cracked a case before, ya know? :wink:

[mphenterprises]

True. Very, very true.