Windows server 2019 hdd spindown?

Server 2019 has more aggressive background scanning by default. You can add your data drives (or specific folders) to Defender's exclusions list.

1. Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
2. Under "Virus & threat protection settings," click Manage settings.
3. Scroll down to Exclusions and click Add or remove exclusions.
4. Add the root directory of each hard drive you want to spin down (e.g., D:\).

Note: Weigh the security risk of excluding entire drives. If the drive only contains static data (media, archives, backups), the risk is low. If it contains executables, be more cautious.