Re: hard drive not spinning down.
On Mon February 4 2008, Douglas A. Tutty wrote:
> > I run Lenny on an Acer Aspire 5021WLMi laptop as an ssh server and I
> > noticed that the hard drive is getting very very hot so that the
> > touchpad is almost burning hot. I suspect that the drive is not
> > spinning down when idle (and it's basically *always* idle, unless I
> > connect from work). How can I check if it is spinning down and are
> > there any commands to do this manually? I had to install cpufreq tools
> > to enable stepping on my CPU manually, so it seems like power management
> > tools aren't enabled by default in Debian?
>
> Well, if the fans are working on the laptop it should never get burning
> hot. There's no reason why a laptop can't run with its drive spinning
> all the time (unless its on battery and you want to save the battery).
>
> Check for airflow. Also, note any difference in airflow between bios
> screen (where you can verify the fan rpm) and during boot, and after
> booting into debian.
>
> Doug.
you can also install powertop. It tells you what you can do to save power,
including spinning down the drives faster. I always keep my laptop on
coasters, so there is airflow beneath it, and MAKE SURE you have the vent
area clear, where tha fans blow out the hot air. I sometimes forget, and put
papers and large objects too close, and block the vents.. a sure way to heat
up your laptop in a hurry!
--
Paul Cartwright
Registered Linux user # 367800
Registered Ubuntu User #12459
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