External HDD Standby

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  • Hi Guys,


    when I plug my external 2.5” HDD into the Z8 and I put it to standby the HDD remains on all the time. If I select as power option “turn off” the HDD turns off immediately. But it takes long to start the box as I assume “turn off” means deep sleep, right? Or are there other implications with the turn off power option?


    is it possible to have the USB port turned off on standby as well?

    Thanks for feedback!

  • Turn off means turn off. If you set your Z8 to standby your external hdd should also go into standby mode (ultra low power) This is normal process. If you're worried about saving a few euro cents per month, use Power Off mode.

  • No I’m not worried about the consumption, more about the usage of the HDD. The HDD doesn’t seem to be on standby as the led stays on and blinks from time to time and I can still hear the HDD and it’s warm.


    Ok so it’s not possible to configure the USB port behavior for standby like on pc?

  • Most external hdd will automatically go into standby after 5-10min of inactivity, doesn't matter if it's connected to pc or z8. On my hdd the led stays always on but this doesn't mean that the hdd is active. Does your hdd support sleep mode or is it activated? How did you format it?

    Check out this thread for more info -> PowerSave for external HDDs?

  • It’s on NTFS format cause of the file sizes... anyway I want the HDD to be off, not on standby. I’ll use the power off function. Is there any disadvantage of the power off mode besides longer startup phase?