Get NoSleep!

You've probably come here to download the latest version of NoSleep. Don't worry. I've got you covered:

 Download the latest version from here (v0.1)

If you like NoSleep, tell your friends about it!

Requirements

NoSleep v0.1 requires the .NET Framework 3.5. If you're running Windows Vista or later, you should have it preinstalled. Windows XP users will need to obtain it from Windows Update (it should be listed as a critical update and may be included in SP3). I think there's a redistributable version of the latest version of .NET for Windows 2000; if not, you might be out of luck.

NoSleep has been tested on Windows 7 and Windows XP SP3. Current beta testers are:  Will Herren. If you'd like to submit to testing the application, I'll be more than happy to put your name here.

About NoSleep v0.1

Who Wrote It?

NoSleep was written by  Benjamin A. Shelton to address some really annoying issues with the SATA chipsets found in some modern external USB/eSATA enclosures.

What is It?

NoSleep is an exceedingly simple project designed with one intent: to prevent externally connected drives and devices from entering power management states. I originally got the idea during the last few days of July 2009 when the  Thermaltake Max 4 external USB/eSATA enclosure would power down the attached hard disk after about 30 minutes. Since I'm of the mind set that connected devices should only power down when I tell them to, I decided to write an application that would periodically poll the drive by writing a very small file (1 byte). The original Python script I wrote for this worked so well, I decided to teach myself a little more about Windows.

That's where NoSleep comes in.

NoSleep is written as a Windows service. Since it's a service, that means everything happens in the background. Although there are other applications that perform the same task as mine, they all require some form of interaction. At least one of them will minimize to the tray, but why be bothered with an extra try icon just to stop an external disk from going to sleep? I don't like clutter, so the next logical step was to simply create a service.

Future Revisions

I'm planning on adding a few new features to NoSleep, including a front end for easier management and greater control over the disks NoSleep operates on. Plus, I think it would be a good idea to have some sort of intelligent interaction with Windows' power management states--especially on a laptop!