Do I have to shut down my PC to swap out drives?
1272934
Nope. There is an eject button on the front. You press that and take your drive out while your PC is on. It's great.
391633
Yes you can. Just select the JBOD function during the setup to treat all drives as separate (and Auto config should do that with DVD drives anyway)
645011
No. On any Windows machine, server or otherwise, in order to have auto shutdown the software must be installed and configured; and the usb must be connected.
492898
has to be unplugged, doesn`t have a turn off switch like some other harddrives
1086997
in Windows OS hot swapping mode is enabled by default, it lowers USB devices data speed but allows you to remove USB drive without "Safe removing". But many people still prefer to click on that icon "just in case".
289965
You sure can, there is no need to format the drives before installing. I bought this to take my two drives from an old desktop that had died, each that had plenty of data, and had it up and running with my new laptop in no time at all with full access to all of the old data. I've now used this with both Windows XP and Windows 8 without any issues, and have since swapped in a new drive from another old desktop.
1731649
If you're replacing a drive, you can use the cables that connect to the old drive. One cable is power, it goes to your power supply, and the other cable is data, it plugs into your motherboard. The power cable is built into your power supply, it's one of the many wires that snake from the power supply to various places. The data cable has plugs at both ends, and can be unplugged from the motherboard, so be sure to give it a little push to make sure it's securely seated at both ends. There is no "master" or "slave" setting with SATA drives. Whichever drive is plugged into the #1 plug on the motherboard is considered to be the master, or if only one drive is connected then it's automatically considered to be the master. You can change which plug/drive is master or slave in your BIOS, but that's not at all a present question, and it's nothing to concern you now. Or in short, use the existing wires, plug them as they're already plugged, make sure they're securely connected, and you'll be fine. Be careful in there, there are lots of wires running around, go slow and be gentle. Don't even think of going inside your computer unless you have a flashlight handy, or some sort of work light (a table lamp you can move around would be fine). Addendum: I really hesitate to say this, but while you're in there take a look at your heat sink. It probably is clogged with dust (they all are) and needs cleaning. An old toothbrush, perhaps? Or maybe a toothpick, or the point of a blunt pencil, the layer of dust kinda-sorta comes off in approximately one piece, sort of.
2062492
If it is a desk top PC this drive will work. It is not just a swap, if you are removing your old hard drive, you will need to format and add a operating system to the new hard drive. If you are just adding a second hard drive all you will need to do is connect your wiring harness and set the drive as a slave. Recommend you watch several YouTube videos to learn how to do this work.
685173
Yes. You can also buy a unit with no drives and purchase what you want from the start.
1199522
No on off switch. There is a sleep setting on the WD Drive Utilities software that comes with the drive. It is 30 minutes default sleep mode but can be set to other times.
220021
Yes, just be sure you do not install any programs on the drive or they may not run. If you are using the 2nd drive just for data it should be fine.
832066
All hard disk drives have spinning platters, bearings, and other moving parts, all subject to mechanical wear. Your external drive will last longer if you un-plug it while not in use.Windows 7 will eventually shut down ALL HDD's attached to the computer that are not being used; both internal and external, however, this could take about 20 minutes or so. It is best to unplug your external HDD.Steve (Electrical Engineer)
630915
This question can't be answered because it is too generic. In other words, it all comes down to what type of case or hot swap system you are using as there are different ways and methods of sliding and locking it the drives depending upon the manufacturer. You will just have to roll up your sleeps and do the research for yourself.
2022774
It depends on whither you boot in the IDE mode or AHCI or Raid. You have to boot in AHCI or Raid in order to have hot swap with SATA or eSATA. If your pc don't support hot swap and you connect or disconnect while the pc is running it will lockup. In that case you have to turn on the eSATA before booting up the pc. I run my pc in AHCI mode and it all works great with hot swap.
1463809
The drives are replaceable but I don't know if you can use larger drives than what comes with it.
2178338
The fan comes on with the unit, all you can change is the speed which I recommend you leave on full! When usb disconnects the hard disks shut off and the fan runs for an additional amount of time before it shuts off.
1386247
I make sure that all the programs are closed then I eject it. I've never had a problem with ejecting my harddrive.