WD My Passport Ultra: Sleeping or Not?

Sir Crow · Sep 19, 2014

When the bright light on the WD external drive is blinking (steadily, a little slower than once per sec.), does it mean it's in sleep mode? When I put my fingers on it, I didn't feel it vibrating the way I did when the LED was constantly lit or blinking erratically, as when the DVR is active.

I'm using it with my Channel Master DVR+ for over-the-air recording. Thanks.

SuperSoph_WD · Sep 19, 2014

Hey there, Sir Crow!

Let's try this WD My Passport Ultra on your computer and see how it will react there. It may be the sleep timer because the Drive Utilities installed on the drive have that option, but it may also be some sort of a problem.
I'd switch the USB ports on the Channel Master DVR+ and see if My Passport is going to act the same way. (It might not be getting enough power supply from this USB port)
Just to make sure that the blinking light is not some sort of an issue, I suggest you hook it up to the computer and see if it's going to be detected everywhere without a problem.
You can also see if the Sleep timer is set and disable/enable it if you want to.
Once connected to the PC, I'd suggest to back up the data from your external.
Afterwards perform an extended test using the DLG software, just to make sure everything is okay with the drive itself:
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=810

Keep me posted with the results!
Hope this helps you!

Sir Crow · Sep 20, 2014

SuperSoph_WD :

Hey, SuperSoph:

I wasted much time (as did the Amazon.com member who tried to help me) connecting it to the PC. It failed to recognize the drive, which was formatted to Linux by the DVR+. I've given up trying to use the utilities to set the sleep timer. The DVR would only wipe it all out anyway the next time I install it on the DVR -- so what would be the point?

Can you at least tell me what the various LED behaviors mean? If erratic blinking means it's recording/playing back normally, then what about:

- Blinking SLOWLY and steadily?
- Blinking RAPIDLY and steadily?
- Non-blinking / constantly on?

Also, if I don't feel it vibrating, doesn't that mean it's sleeping or OFF? I may try switching USB ports, as you suggested.

Thanks.

SuperSoph_WD · Sep 22, 2014

Sir Crow :

Hi again, Sir Crow!

- Blinking slowly and steadily/slow flashing may mean:

- Drive in standby mode
- Powered down (but it's flashing because it is still connected to the computer)

- The rapid and fast blinking means that the drive is in transition to give access to the data
- If the LED is constantly ON that means the drive is in power-on state/in use

These are the normal behaviours of the LED light on My Passport.
Hope this answers your question!

Sir Crow · Sep 25, 2014

SuperSoph_WD :

Thanks, that nearly answers my questions. But you told me what some of the behaviours may mean, which leaves room for doubt. Is there anywhere I might find the definitive answer? I wouldn't care so much if I knew that the drive's lifespan isn't being severely shortened by whatever the heck it's doing. Thanks for your time.

dwt12777 · Feb 4, 2015

I had the exact same question (I'm using this drive with a Tablo for OTA recording, and wondered if the flashing light meant constant activity). The WD user manual talks about the fast & slow flashing of the LED light on the top of the 8th page (which is labeled as page 4):

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705099.pdf

LED Appearance | Power State/Activity
On steady | Idle
Fast flashing, approximately 3 times per second | Activity
Slow flashing, approximately every 2.5 seconds | System standby

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