Add or Remove Turn off hard disk after from Power Options in Windows  

    Add or Remove Turn off hard disk after from Power Options in Windows

    Add or Remove Turn off hard disk after from Power Options in Windows

    How to Add or Remove 'Turn off hard disk after' from Power Options in Windows
    Published by Category: Performance & Maintenance
    28 Dec 2021
    Designer Media Ltd

    How to Add or Remove 'Turn off hard disk after' from Power Options in Windows 10

    The Turn off hard disk after setting in Power Options lets users set to have hard disks (HDD) power down after a specified time of HDD inactivity is detected. This setting will not affect a SSD (Solid State Drive) or NVMe.

    Having your HDDs automatically turned off after being idle can help save energy and extend a PC's battery life.

    When you or anything tries to access a HDD that has been turned off, there will be a delay of a few seconds as the HDD automatically spins back up and is turned back on before being able to access it.

    This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the Turn off hard disk after setting under Hard disk in Power Options for all users in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

    You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to add or remove this setting in Power Options.



    Contents

    • Option One: Add or Remove "Turn off hard disk after" in Power Options using Command Prompt
    • Option Two: Add or Remove "Turn off hard disk after" in Power Options using REG file



    EXAMPLE: "Turn off hard disk after" in Power Options
    Add or Remove Turn off hard disk after from Power Options in Windows-turn_off_hard_disk_after_power_options.png






    OPTION ONE

    Add or Remove "Turn off hard disk after" in Power Options using Command Prompt


    1 Open an elevated command prompt.

    2 Type the command below you want to use into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter.

    (Add - default)
    REG ADD HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442\6738e2c4-e8a5-4a42-b16a-e040e769756e /v Attributes /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f

    OR

    (Remove)
    powercfg -attributes SUB_DISK 6738e2c4-e8a5-4a42-b16a-e040e769756e +ATTRIB_HIDE

    3 You can now close the elevated command prompt if you like.






    OPTION TWO

    Add or Remove "Turn off hard disk after" in Power Options using REG file


    The downloaded .reg files below will modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\0012ee47-9041-4b5d-9b77-535fba8b1442\6738e2c4-e8a5-4a42-b16a-e040e769756e

    Attributes DWORD

    1 = Remove
    2 = Add


    1 Do step 2 (add) or step 3 (remove) below for what you would like to do.


    2 To Add "Turn off hard disk after" to Power Options

    This is the default setting.

    A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

    Add_Turn_off_hard_disk_after_to_Power_Options.reg

    Download


    3 To Remove "Turn off hard disk after" from Power Options

    A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

    Remove_Turn_off_hard_disk_after_from_Power_Options.reg

    Download


    4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

    5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

    6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

    7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


    That's it,
    Shawn Brink






  1. Posts : 138
    Windows 10
       #1

    @Brink Does this affect external hard-drives or do those often have their own internal power management system? My desktop only contains SSDs internally but I often have external hard-drives connected from time to time and may be away from my desk for some time.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Hello @KabyBlue,

    Yes, it will also affect external drives. However, their own power management will also be a factor.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 138
    Windows 10
       #3

    Brink said:
    Hello @KabyBlue,

    Yes, it will also affect external drives. However, their own power management will also be a factor.
    What would u recommend setting it too for external hard-drives (non SSD types)?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #4

    It should be set to a time that best fits your usage. You would want a time that is not too short to prevent the drive from having to power up (spin up) often, but not too long to save energy and wear and tear when not needed.

    I'd say figure out an average of how often you access the drive, and add a bit of time to that to use. You can then adjust the time to add more as needed if you find it still having to spin up often.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 138
    Windows 10
       #5

    Brink said:
    It should be set to a time that best fits your usage. You would want a time that is not too short to prevent the drive from having to power up (spin up) often, but not too long to save energy and wear and tear when not needed.

    I'd say figure out an average of how often you access the drive, and add a bit of time to that to use. You can then adjust the time to add more as needed if you find it still having to spin up often.
    Thnx for the advice
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #6

    You're most welcome.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
       #7

    Is it possible to individually change a time for a specific drive(s)? or do you know cmds or a tool that can trigger this? This is specifically for external drives. I have an internal that I would like to keep at one number and external at another or if possible to trigger it as needed for an individual drive.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #8

    k3tonan said:
    Is it possible to individually change a time for a specific drive(s)? or do you know cmds or a tool that can trigger this? This is specifically for external drives. I have an internal that I would like to keep at one number and external at another or if possible to trigger it as needed for an individual drive.
    Hello,

    I'm not aware of a way to set a timeout value for a specific drive unless there may be some third party software that may.
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 3
    Windows 10
       #9

    Brink said:
    Hello,

    I'm not aware of a way to set a timeout value for a specific drive unless there may be some third party software that may.
    Thanks
      My Computer


 

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