Is it okay to unplug/plug a backup internal sata harddrive ?

[zucchini]

hey guys. title says it all. is it okay for me to unplug/plug the power and sata cable while the computer is running? wanted to know before i ever tried something like this. wanted to unplug a harddrive then plug in a cdrom drive etc while the computer is running.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

In theory you should be OK but in practice with the drives being internal I would not do it. Too big a risk of static electricity for me but SATA is hot swappable. You can get an eSATA bracket for about $5 I think. That is much safer.