Hello!

I have an older desktop PC with two HDDs, a SATA for my system and an IDE for backup.

I always have the molex connector disconnected from the IDE and only connect for that hour when I'm making backup (very rarely) and then disconnect again.

Is there a way with Windows XP (or maybe with some thrid party software) to somehow disable the IDE HDD (without me having to open up the PC case each time to disconnect the molex connector).

There's probably no way to completely turn it off like a hardware way but at least to keep it off, meaning not spin, not being seen in Windows etc. - so turned off as much as possible.

Thanx!

Some drives support Power Up In Standby (PUIS), either via a jumper or via a software configurable firmware setting. If such a jumper exists, then you could run the corresponding two pins to a switch on your computer's front panel. Otherwise you could use a software tool such as HDAT2 or perhaps hdparm to wake up the drive before booting your OS. I expect that there would be other more elegant software alternatives, but I haven't investigated this.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

A removeable HDD in a caddy would probably be suitable. I wouldn't be trusting software for this sort of thing

i do not know any soft to disconect the drive power . the are some hhdd that enter in low power , for example green wd drives.

in your case as said before you can make backup in external drive.
another way is to make an external button atached to computer case to power on/off your internal drive

seems a usb external would be an elegant solution or the mentioned use of a drive bay .

External HDD for eSATA (or USB 3.0) is best solution

There are quite some cases offered for 2,5" or 3,5" sata hdd
with usb + eSATA ports - and I would use eSATA (as explaned in
next point) - or on modern pc/laptop with eSATA or USB 3.0 port
if available.

eSATA on older pc can work with internal SATA cable to an eSATA
+ power bracelet.

Just connect the external hdd before booting the pc

+++

Thank you all for the suggestions.

I've had two brands of removeable IDE caddies in two different machines. IME the 50-way Centronics connector eventually fatigues and becomes unreliable. That said, if the drive were to be kept permanently in the caddy, then maybe this problem could be avoided. Some caddies also have a power switch.

Another simple hardware solution might be to run the Molex power connector to a DPST switch on the front panel. I expect this would cost only a few Euro.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.