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Noob Question from an expert

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:15 am
by seodevhead
Hey guys...

I have a 1TB external hard drive that I connect to my computer via USB. When I unplug the hard drive.... can I just unplug the usb from the back of the drive and simply leave the USB cord plugged in at all times to the back of my pc? I wasn't sure if leaving a usb cord plugged into your computer (but not plugged into any device) was something that was okay to do or not. So I thought I'd ask the experts of DevNet just to make sure. Thansk.

Re: Noob Question from an expert

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:44 am
by hansford
doesn't hurt anything. You might get an OS warning that a USB cable is unplugged, but that's all.

Re: Noob Question from an expert

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:57 am
by guitarlvr
Leaving the cable connected to the computer is fine. If you are on a windows system however, make sure you use the "safely remove hardware" option in your system tray. If you don't, you run the risk of windows corrupting your drive which I'm sure would not make you very happy.

Re: Noob Question from an expert

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:15 am
by superdezign
As long as you aren't plugging and unplugging iPods to anger your friends, then the USB cable is fine where it is.

Re: Noob Question from an expert

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:50 pm
by Bill H
make sure you use the "safely remove hardware" option in your system tray
Would only apply to the device, not the cord. The computer (os) doesn't even know the cord is there.