External Hard Drives Ignoring "Turn off Hard Disk After" Setting – Mixed Results on Win 10/11

It sounds like you're running into a frustrating issue with your external hard drives not adhering to the "Turn off hard disk after" power setting consistently across your devices. Let's delve into some potential reasons and solutions for this behavior.

Possible Causes:​

1. Power Management Settings: Each Windows installation may have different power management configurations. It's worth checking the advanced power settings on each laptop and mini-PC separately. Look under the "USB settings" and "Hard disk" options.
2. Driver Issues: Different driver versions for USB or chipset can affect how power management is handled. Ensure that all your systems have the latest drivers installed, specifically for USB controllers.
3. Background Processes: Running applications or background services can keep the drives active, causing them to shut off after different periods. Check for any software that might be accessing the drives (like file sync services, backup software, etc.).
4. USB Port Differences: Different USB ports (USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0) or even different types of hubs can affect power settings. Make sure the drives are connected to similar ports across devices, or try connecting them to different ports to see if the behavior changes.
5. RDP Sessions: Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) sessions can affect power settings, especially if the session requires high bandwidth or resources that keep the hard disks busy.

Potential Solutions:​

• Adjust Power Settings:
  1. Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
  2. Click on "Change plan settings" next to your selected plan.
  3. Go to "Change advanced power settings."
  4. Make sure both USB settings and the hard disk setting are configured similarly across devices.
• Update Drivers: Go to Device Manager, and right-click on your USB controllers and external drive entries to update the drivers.
• Check Background Processes: Use Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to see if any processes are utilizing the hard disks. You can also use Resource Monitor for a more detailed view.
• Testing Ports: Try different USB ports (especially if one is a USB 3.0 and another is USB 2.0) and see if there's a consistent behavior.
• Consider RDP Settings: If RDP is causing frequent disturbances, consider checking RDP settings or distancing heavy applications from the external drives while you're connected remotely.

Conclusion:​

There may not be a one-size-fits-all solution since multiple factors are at play, but addressing the above points can help you troubleshoot this power setting inconsistency. Trying these steps in combination can yield the best results. Let me know if you still run into issues or have further questions!

I found a solution for 2.5" HDDs but not for 3.5" as the "USB Mass Storage Device" entry doesn't show up in device manager for 3.5" HDDs.
Disabling 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' will prevent HDD to go into sleep.
If anyone knows why "USB Mass Storage Device" doesn't appear for 3.5" HDDs connected through USB please let me know.

It seems it's appearing under "Storage Controllers" as "USB Attached SCSI (UAS) Mass Storage Device" but there is no "Power Management" tab.

It's great to hear that you've found a solution for the 2.5" HDDs! As for the 3.5" HDDs not showing up under "USB Mass Storage Device" in Device Manager, there are a few insights and considerations that could explain this behavior:

Reasons and Considerations for the Missing "USB Mass Storage Device" Entry​

1. Power Supply Dependency:
   • Unlike 2.5" drives, which are usually bus-powered, 3.5" drives typically require an external power source. If the power connection is not properly established or the drive isn't receiving adequate power, it may not be recognized correctly by the system, leading to it not showing up in Device Manager.
2. Driver Issues:
   • 3.5" external drives can sometimes require specific drivers provided by the manufacturer. If the drives are connected and powered but aren't recognized, check the manufacturer's website for any driver updates.
3. Connection Type:
   • Ensure that the connection cable (USB) is functioning properly. Faulty cables or using a USB hub that doesn’t support data transfer might lead to recognition issues. Always use a direct connection if possible.
4. Firmware Incompatibility:
   • Occasionally, external drives have firmware that could be incompatible with certain Windows versions. Check if there's a firmware update available for your 3.5" HDD.
5. Drive Letter Assignment:
   • Sometimes, the drive may be recognized but not assigned a drive letter. Go to Disk Management (right-click on Start and select Disk Management) to see if the drive appears there. If it does, you can assign it a letter manually.
6. Management Tools:
   • Some 3.5" external drives include their own management software that may need to be installed for the drive to function correctly.

Potential Solutions or Workarounds​

• Check Connections: Ensure that both power and data cables are securely connected. Try connecting the drive to different USB ports.
• Use Disk Management: Open Disk Management to check if the drive appears there. If it does, you might just need to assign it a drive letter.
• Update Drivers/Firmware: Visit the manufacturer’s website for any updates regarding drivers or firmware.
• Device Manager Refresh: Sometimes, just refreshing Device Manager by scanning for hardware changes can make the device visible.

If you still cannot resolve the issue or need further assistance, please share details about the specific model of your 3.5" external HDD as that can provide more context for possible solutions!

there are two issues here;
1 is Windows turning off a harddrive yes
2 the other is Windows also turns off the ports so while your drive is fine that doesn't help if the Usb port has shutdown

a different issue which also affects your testing is dynamic ram [different rules depending on the OS]
your system takes part of the data stored on the drive and makes a copy of it in Ram so running software can get it fast but another thing it does is share that data so if the software needs the same answer to a question ten times it doesn't have to redo the math each time... now the issue is this system was designed for internal drives and tends to break when exturnal drives are used for running programs because there is a longer delay

bottom line is external drives are [by design] only for storing data... all software i.e, Windows, game or whatever should be run from internal drives
this is why Windows turns idel ports off and why your test results will be somewhat random