Herbie Murray
If your hard drive is taking too long to wake up from sleep mode, there are several methods to fix this issue. This issue is common in Windows and Mac operating systems, and there are both native and third-party solutions. For Windows, you can change the power settings to prevent the hard drive from sleeping. For Mac, you can use the Terminal to change the power settings. Additionally, you can try using third-party software such as NoSleepHD or KeepAliveHD to keep your hard drive awake.
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What You'll Learn
Check Windows Power settings
To check your Windows Power settings, follow these steps:
For Windows 7/Vista/XP:
- Right-click on (My) Computer.
- Select "Manage".
- Select "Device Manager".
- Click the + sign next to "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" to expand the menu.
- Double-click on the first "Root Hub" you see.
- Go to the "Power" tab and check if the drive is connected to it.
- If it is, click the "Power Management" tab.
- Uncheck the box that says "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
For Windows 11/10:
- Click on the Battery/Power icon in the taskbar.
- Select "More Power options".
- In the Control Panel window that opens, select "Change Plan Settings" for your current Power Plan.
- In the next window, select "Change advanced power settings".
- In the Power Options box, click the + sign next to the "Hard Disk" option.
- Here, you will see the required settings under the "Turn off hard disk after" heading.
- Select "Never" to prevent the hard disk from turning off.
By adjusting these power settings, you can ensure that your hard drive remains active and does not enter sleep mode.
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Install latest software version
If your hard drive is sleeping too much in Windows, the first step is to install the latest version of the software that came with your drive. You can download the latest software version from the official website of your hard drive manufacturer.
For a Seagate drive, go to the Seagate website and download the software for your specific drive model. You can also try troubleshooting by checking that your drive is connected directly and correctly to the computer's USB or Firewire port. Ensure that the Windows power settings are properly configured.
For Windows 7/Vista/XP, right-click on "My Computer", select "Manage", then "Device Manager", and click the + sign next to "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" to expand the menu. Double-click on the first "Root Hub" option.
If you are using a Mac, open a Terminal and type the following command: "sudo pmset -a disksleep 0". Press Enter and then enter your macOS password. You can also download and install WD Drive Utilities and toggle the Sleep Timer off.
If you are using Windows, you can try changing the power settings to prevent the hard drive from sleeping. Click on the Battery/Power icon in the taskbar and select "More Power options". In the Control Panel window, select "Change Plan Settings" for your current Power Plan. In the next window, select "Change advanced power settings", then click the + sign next to "Hard Disk" and change the "Turn off hard disk after" setting to "Never".
You can also try freeware solutions such as NoSleepHD, which writes an empty text file to your hard drive every few minutes to prevent it from going into auto-sleep mode, or KeepAliveHD, which does the same for primary and secondary drives.
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Use a plugin
A plugin can be used to wake up a sleeping hard drive. A user on the jpsoft.com forum suggests that a command such as "WAKEUP <drive>" could be used to wake up a sleeping hard drive. The command would return immediately after starting a thread that would attempt to access a specified drive.
Another user on the same forum suggests using a plugin THREAD command: "THREAD *DEL /Q %@UNIQUE [d:".
It is important to note that plugins and commands may not always be a reliable solution for waking up a sleeping hard drive. In some cases, they may not work as expected or may cause other issues.
For example, a user on the Super User forum mentions that they tried using RevoSleep, a software designed to put HDDs to sleep and keep them offline, but it failed during boot time and threw out random errors.
Therefore, while plugins and commands can be a potential solution, it is essential to thoroughly test and consider the potential drawbacks before implementing them.
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Change power plan settings
To change the power plan settings on your Windows device and prevent your hard drive from sleeping, follow these steps:
For Windows 11/10:
- Click on the Battery/Power icon in the taskbar and select "More Power options".
- In the Control Panel window, select "Change Plan Settings" for your current Power Plan.
- In the next window, select "Change advanced power settings".
- In the Power Options box, click the plus sign (+) next to the "Hard Disk" option.
- Here, you will see the required settings under the "Turn off hard disk after" heading.
- Set the desired value for the time until the hard disk turns off.
For Windows 7/Vista/XP:
- Right-click on (My) Computer and select "Manage".
- Select "Device Manager" and click the plus sign (+) next to "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" to expand the menu.
- Go to the Power tab and see if the drive is connected.
- If it is, click the "Power Management" tab and uncheck the box that says "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
- Click on the Windows (Start) menu, then select "Control Panel".
- Select "Power Options", followed by "Change Plan Settings" and "Change Advanced Power Settings".
- Expand the "Hard Disk" tree and change the setting for "Turn off the hard disk after" to "Never".
Additionally, ensure that your drive is connected directly to the computer's USB or Firewire port to ensure the spin-down command is sent to the drive.
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Use a freeware
If you're looking for a freeware solution to wake up your sleeping hard drive, there are several options available. Here are some detailed instructions for using freeware to address this issue:
- NoSleepHD (nosleephd.codeplex.com): This freeware helps keep your external hard drive from going into auto-sleep mode. It works by writing an empty text file to your hard drive every few minutes, preventing it from automatically sleeping. Simply download and install NoSleepHD, and it will run in the background to keep your hard drive awake.
- KeepAliveHD (keepalivehd.codeplex.com): This freeware is similar to NoSleepHD but works on both your primary and secondary drives. It writes empty text files to your drives to prevent them from going into automatic standby mode. Again, download and install KeepAliveHD, and it will run in the background, ensuring your drives stay active.
- Mouse Jiggler: This freeware prevents your Windows computer from going to sleep, which in turn keeps your hard drive active. It simulates mouse movement, so your system thinks you are still actively using it, preventing the hard drive from sleeping. Mouse Jiggler can be useful if you want to keep your entire system awake, not just the hard drive.
- Sleep Preventer: Sleep Preventer is another freeware option that prevents your computer from entering Sleep, Hibernate, or Standby mode. It ensures that your hard drive remains active by keeping your system awake. This can be useful if you want to maintain system accessibility at all times, but keep in mind that it may impact power-saving settings.
Remember that while these freeware options can help prevent your hard drive from sleeping, they may not directly "wake up" a drive that is already asleep. For that, you might need to explore other solutions or consider adjusting your power settings to prevent the drive from sleeping in the first place.
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Frequently asked questions
If you're using Windows, click on the Battery/Power icon in the taskbar, then select 'More Power options'. From there, select 'Change Plan settings' for your current Power Plan, then select 'Change advanced power settings' and click the + sign next to the 'Hard Disk' option. Here, you can change the settings under 'Turn off hard disk after' to 'Never'.
You can download freeware such as NoSleepHD or KeepAliveHD, which will write an empty text file to your hard drive every few minutes to prevent it from sleeping.
Cycle the power on the drive. Make sure to safely remove the drive before doing so.
Open a Terminal and type the following command: 'sudo pmset -a disksleep 0'. Press Enter, then enter your macOS password.
