The well-being of your computer is essential. For everything you store in it and for everything, you can do in your day to day. Each operating system implements functions that contribute to the health of the computer. However, some may harm a little more than they help. Therefore, it is important to know how to prevent my hard drives from going to ‘sleep’ in Windows 10, 8, and 7.

This is just one of the many tricks that are simple, but many ignore it. Discover this extraordinary way to extend the life of your hard drives. Prepared? Let’s get started!

The ‘sleep’ mode

As you well know, all parts of the computer have elements or components that you must take care of. In this sense, hard drives have many components that guarantee their effective performance.

Windows knows this and has been concerned with designing functions that, in turn, take care of these very important components. This is how the function for hard drives to go to ‘sleep’ was implemented .

This is only a parameter to save energy. It is available for both desktop and laptop computers. Its objective is the deactivation of components of the computer when fulfilling this with a period of inactivity.

It is dangerous?

It is not entirely necessary to prevent my hard drives from going to ‘sleep’. Many consider it, in fact, quite a harmless function. However, no one is exempt from failing at some point.

On older computers, if they go to ‘sleep’ too constantly, they can end up being very unstable. The reason for this is the wear on physical components of both the hard drive and other parts of the computer.

What you should know

Some confusion usually occurs when talking about the ‘sleep’ mode of Windows. One of them is the difference between hibernate and suspend in Windows.

They both serve the same goal: to ensure a fast startup of the computer and to save energy. However, one function is more effective than the other.

• Sleep mode, when activated, stores configuration information in RAM.
• Whereas, the ‘hibernate’ mode, when activated, stores the same information directly on the hard disk.
• By storing information in RAM, ‘sleep’ mode saves less power if a laptop is on battery.
• The ‘sleep’ mode is highly effective for those who stop using the computer for up to 2 hours. Since it allows you to restart activities more quickly.
• However, for those who will stay away for much longer, the ideal ‘hibernate’ option.

Avoid hard drive suspension

You already have a clearer picture when it comes to enabling hibernate and suspend mode in Windows 10, right? But, despite being considered harmless, the decision to prevent my hard drives from going to ‘sleep’ was already irremediable. It only remained to find the easiest way to carry out this operation.

Any of the Windows versions

Once you know what it is and how to activate the suspension, the rest is relatively simple. In Windows 10, the way to access the power settings is very easy. To do this, comply with the following instructions:

1. Press the ” Windows + R ” keys and enter the following command: powercfg.cpl and click “OK”. Write the word “Energy.”
2. Click on “Change plan settings.”
3. Click on “Change advanced power settings”.
4. Next, a box will appear in which you will see the option “Turn off hard disk after”.
5. Enter “0” as the value to change the sleep time: “On battery” or “With the alternating current”. You can even do it in both.

All ready!

With these simple steps, your computer will suffer absolutely nothing when entering ‘sleep’ mode. You can also take advantage of the benefits of Windows to create shortcuts to shut down or suspend.

At this point, it is important to note that the most used command or shortcut is the Alt + F4 buttons. It is used when all programs are closed, causing the appearance of a box that allows you to shut down, suspend, or hibernate.