I currently have 2 hard drives. One hdd (c:} has my OS (win98) on it. My other drive (d:)i use for static files. Now even though i may be using my computer..im mostly only using the c: drive...which means that about every 30 minutes my D: drive will sleep. When it starts back up...my computer stalls for about 15 seconds (which gets fairly annoying ) So I have 2 questions. 1. Is there a way to set diff. pwr options for each hdd? If i remember correctly...i dont have any options in BIOS. 2. Would turning the hdd on/off multiple times a day...affect the health of it in any way...for example heating/cooling issues that would add to wear and tear? I do have good airflow...so the hdd really never heats up much..but i just wanna check if any other probelms may arise.

An interesting subject. There are two sides to this question, tho. Some people maintain that you should simply turn it on and leave it on. Forever. Fewer surges, less wear and tear from starting up, etc. Others swear that it's best to power down the drives, also for less wear and tear. Both sieds have their points. In my experience over the past twenty years, it really makes little difference. If you have a good environment for your system, and it sounds as if you do, then the hard drives, etc should last for years. Add to that no smoke or dust, and keep the vibration and shock down to a minimum. I live in an old house, over 100 years old. The floors are like a trampoline, and when my granddaughters come over that's what they use it for! I worry about my hard drive. The bouncing gets so bad it shakes things off my desk! SO, I may have a problem long before you do. But I have lived here for over 6 years now, and so far no problem. I don't know of a way to have different sleep times for each drive. Sorry I can't help you there. HTH Good luck.

I am in exactly the same situation you are. I use my C: for win98, and D for various files, movies, MP3's etc. I would like to eventually have XP on one drive and 98 on another, but I don't like partitions. I am thinking of installing a trios, which will support 3 drives. It is and on and off switch system. Check it out, although it may not solve what you are concerned with. http://www.romtecusa.com/trios/product/rom_t6_3in1.htm

Personally, I disable power management on desktop computers anyway. Just make sure that everything never turns off and save the configuration as Always On. Laptops are another story. Just another thought.