GoFlex, GoFlex Desk, GoFlex Pro, GoFlex Slim, & GoFlex Turbo

[windbag]

I am using a pair of GFDs (2TB) as PC-readable rotating backups for my NAS.

Both are formatted NTFS as supplied, and work OK, both on my (Vista 32 bit) PC and my (QNAP 412) NAS.

Problem - they are NOT going into power saving mode. 

I have tried a couple of settings for this (when directly attached to the PC).

The drive continues to spin all the time on the NAS.

[Also - having just set the timing to only 5 minutes on the PC (beside me right now) - it is NOT putting any lights off while attached to the PC either.]

As it's only used for hour or so per day (to back up anything new on the NAS) this is wearing the motor bearings for almost nothing.

Ideas sought.

Any ideas how to get the GFD to sleep as set?

PS I have looked on the forum, but all the ones I read were for other GoFlex types or ones that won't wake up!

[windbag]

A bit of further info: I experimented with putting in a timed shut down of the NAS last night.

It did shut down, and the GFD has gone into power saving mode OK at some point.

Nice to know, but not particularly useful for day-to-day/hour-by-hour use, when it is refusing to go into power saving mode.

[windbag]

Having gone away on a holiday for a week and come back to absolutely no response, I'm wondering if this is a dead forum....

[AlanM]

Sorry to hear that... I think the only thing I would know to try is to connect the GFD to the PC, set the sleep timer using the Seagate Dashboard software, then safely remove it and reconnect to the NAS.

We'd say though that the connection to the NAS is not particularly supported, and so I don't know of a way to ensure the sleep timing. Sorry about that.

[windbag]

Thanks for the first response, AlanM.

>connect the GFD to the PC, set the sleep timer using the Seagate Dashboard software, then safely remove it and reconnect to the NAS.

That was what I did before putting it on the NAS.

I know the NAS connection isn't "supported", but I don't understand what is controlling the disk going to sleep.  Surely it is something on the GFD itself (firmware or software), which I set up when attached to the PC.  Why would plugging it into a different system type change what I told the system to do when it was safely disconnected ?

Please illuminate us on this particular issue... 

[windbag]

I guess illumination is a bit thin on the ground round here....

[AskTheLeaf]

The drive light doesn't shut off when the drive goes into power saving mode so check and see if it feels like it's spinning down when it's connected directly to the computer [ since this feature isn't supported when connected to a NAS ].

If it fails to go into power saving mode when it's hooked up to the NAS, it's because by design network devices are constantly active, with the network sending periodic messages out that keep everything connected.