I've got a Win XP Pro machine that we're using as a Server. It's mostly used during the day (and early evening for backups) but can be on for days at a time.
To reduce power consumption and extend the HD life, I'm setting the HD to automatically turn off after X hours. I've read that there is a "cost" (in power and wear & tear on the HD) of spinning up the HD.
So I'm wondering how long I should set that pause for .
I guess one way to look at it is Return on Investment (ROI) : If I turn off the disk how long does it need to be off to break even on the spin up cost (in wear and tear and power)?