OT; SSD (computer related)

[QSIMDO]

I got an SSD to do back ups for my Win 7.
I plug it in, do the back up then disconnect, mostly because I need the convenient USB port on the front.
Just wondering, should I use a port on the back of the tower and just leave the SSB connected all the time
or would that leave it susceptible to problems?

[mickeyf]

If your main drive is spinning rust, I'd think about swapping them so that you boot from the ssd and use the other for backup. One of the main advantages of an ssd is much faster access - boots in a blink compared to a regular hard drive. When doing a backup you don't really care about access speed - that should be an occasional, and background process.

[MrWhoopee]

I would disconnect when not backing-up. While SSDs don't have moving parts like a spinning disc HD, they have not yet achieved the long life you would expect. In addition, a power surge could possibly damage it and a virus attack (like an encryption virus) would infect the connected drive.

[Mike Amick]

Disconnect. Many viruses and malware will attack all the drives that are hooked up on a system. I actually had a toggle switch on my case that disconnected my backup drive. That was a couple computers back, but it was a good idea.

[CCWKen]

I have an old USB3 hard drive box with a built in power switch. I installed a SSD and a small fan in it. I do backups at a set time and day so all I do is turn it on just before that time. After the backup is complete, I "Eject" the drive then physically turn it off. I would eject the drive before you unplug the USB cable. Windows7 will crap on the drive if unplug it and have certain options set for drives. I can't recall the details at the moment. I'd have to look it up. Better to use the "Safely Remove Hardware" or "Eject".

[pinstripe]

...After the backup is complete, I "Eject" the drive then physically turn it off. I would eject the drive before you unplug the USB cable. Windows7 will crap on the drive if unplug it and have certain options set for drives...

You can use the RemoveDrive program from https://www.uwe-sieber.de/drivetools_e.html to "safely remove" the drive for you when the backup completes.

To the OP. I wouldn't be concerned about reliability because most SSDs survive for many years in a running system. As others have noted, the bigger concern is malware that may destroy your backups. So definitely disconnect when not in use.

[The Metal Butcher]

Unplug it, but plug it back in every 6 months to a year. Solid state storage is semi-volatile and it will corrupt if left long enough. You should be backing up more often than that anyway though.