WD External Hard Drive

Review

This is the second WD passport I’ve owned, and I’m happy with each one. I use the 320 GB to back up my laptop with the Apple “Time Machine” application, and it works perfectly! My only complaint is that the program on the drives isn’t all that great – I’ve just wiped both of them off and use the drive as a blank space. Also, the “Western Digital for Mac” doesn’t come in interesting colors like the regular passports, so I reformatted this one to work with my Mac (if you want to use the program on the hard drive with your Mac, don’t buy this one). Color-wise, it matches my MacBook Pro perfectly!!

Feature

• Box Contents – My Passport Essential 500GB Portable USB Hard Drive, USB 2.0 cable, Quick Install guide
• 500GB Hard Drive Capacity
• Just plug it in and it’s ready to use. There is no CD to install; the included software loads from the drive the first time you plug it in
• Powered by the USB bus. No separate power supply is needed
• This ultra-portable drive fits easily in your pocket or purse, weighs only a few ounces, and holds tons of valuable data

Overview

Pack up your office files and take them home. Carry thousands of songs or pictures. Synchronize files between home and office and encrypt everything on the drive for added security.

Specifications

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 07, 2010 09:20:27

Software Reviews External Hard Drive Reviews

Review

My first 400gb elements I bought on Amazon has an on/off switch, which I like very much. About two months later, I bought another one from Amazon. It DOES NOT have an on/off switch. However, when my laptop is turned off, the drive shuts down too, and boots up when the laptop boots up. And the first one only shuts down via the switch. They both work extremely well. I have downloaded 350GB of MP3 music onto one of these drives all in one session. I have some case fans which I rigged up for 110v a.c. I use them when I have a lot of files to load or transfer to different drives. I put one fan in front of these drives and one behind them, as I have had the drives running full time for up to 20 hours at a time. The drives are stacked one on top of the other. They stay very cool with these fans. I have had absolutely no problems of any kind with these drives. They don’t freeze up, slow down after reaching max heat levels, shut down mysteriously, and even without the use of the fans, they don’t get excessively hot. They are both used daily. If you need an intermediate size backup system, this is one you should have. They have never let me down.

Feature

• Form Factor – 3.5″-External
• Dimensions WxDxH – 124.68 x 36.14 x 203.82 mm
• Weight – 1.02 kg
• Physical Dimensions (W x L x H):
• – 4.90 (+/- 0.010 inch) x 1.42 (Max) x 8.02 (Max) Inches/ 124.68 x 36.14 (Max) x 203.82 (Max) mm

Overview

WD Elements USB 2.0 external hard drive is an easy-to-use,reliable way to add more storage to your PC or Macintosh.Simply plug it in to a USB port and start saving or backing upyour photos, music, video, and files. Its preformatted forimmediate use so theres no software or CD to load. Thecompact, durable metal case provides extra data protectionhelping keep data safe from loss. Certified for use withWindows Vista.

Specifications

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 06, 2010 01:20:08

Software Reviews External Hard Drive Reviews

Review

I was excited to get my new hard drive, and I really wanted to get one that was portable (I already had an external hard drive, but it is a little big & heavy & needs to be plugged into a electrical socket). The order came quickly, and I was ready to get it up and running.

Upon opening, I knew that I needed to format this drive to my Mac computer (it was only formatted for PC). However, there was little instructions on how to do so. The hard drive does not come with a hard copy of the manual, and only has a “Quick Start” guide. To get the full manual you have to go online to the Western Digital website, then search aimlessly through a pdf file. The manual itself was not very helpful in explaining how to format the drive to a Mac. I was disappointed more that I could not figure out how to format the drive to be able to go between PC and Mac computers (since my fiance has a PC, and sometimes will pass stuff onto me). After a couple of days of my fiance & me looking through the manual, we eventually were able to format the hard drive for Mac only.

On another note. the USB cord for the hard drive I got did not stay in very well into the connection on the drive, which made the drive disconnect form the computer with the slightest motion. I had to find a new cord that actually stays in, but it works fine now.

Overall, the hard drive is excellent, and it is very nice to have an external hard drive I can easily carry around with me as needed.

Feature

• Automatic, continuous backup
• Visual backup control center
• Password protection and 256-bit encryption
• USB 2.0 interface
• Several colors to choose from including Black, Pacific Blue, Real Red, Cool Silver

Overview

The world’s most popular portable drive is now smaller than ever. And it’s smarter than ever with WD SmartWare data management and backup software that backs up your data automatically and continuously, shows your backup as it happens, and restores lost files effortlessly. Password protection and military-grade, 256-bit hardware-based encryption lets you secure your data. One of the five beautiful colors is just what you need to make you look smart (and very stylish). WD’s smallest portable drive ever – WD is an expert in portable storage, so they designed a smaller, high-quality integrated USB hard drive inside a stylish package. With a variety of fun colors, there’s sure to be one to suit your style. WD SmartWare – control center for your drive that gives you the power to: Protect your data automatically – Relax. Your data is secure. Automatic, continuous backup will instantly make a second copy whenever you add or change a file. See your backup as it happens – Seeing is believing. Visual backup displays your content categories and shows the progress of your backup. Bring back lost files effortlessly – Retrieve your valuable data to its original location whether you’ve lost all your data or just overwritten an important file. Take control – Customize your backup, set drive security, run diagnostics, and more from the WD SmartWare control center. Drive lock – Gain peace of mind knowing that your data is protected from unauthorized access or theft with password protection and military-grade 256-bit hardware-based encryption. Ready to plug-and-play with Windows PCs – if you’re a Mac user, check out our Mac version of this product. USB 2.0 powered – Powered directly from the USB port on your PC. No separate power supply is needed*. * An optional cable is available for the few computers that limit power from the USB port. Planet friendly – We designed a small box that uses recycled material and minimizes waste. We encourage you to recycle it.

Specifications

The world’s most popular portable drive is now smaller than ever. And it’s smarter than ever with automatic, continuous backup software and password protection. Choose your favorite fun color to look smart and stylish.

Our smallest portable ever. We designed a smaller, high-quality, integrated USB hard drive inside a stylish package. With a variety of fun colors, there’s sure to be one to suit your style.	See your life safe in one place. WD SmartWare software – A visual control center with a single screen view of all your data. From it you can back up, retrieve, and secure your files.	Password protection. An extra level of security with password protection and 256-bit hardware-based encryption.

Features at a glance Automatic, continous backup Visual backup control center Hardware encryption, password protection WD SmartWare software 2-years limited warranty

Our smallest portable drive ever - We’re experts in portable storage, so we designed a smaller, high-quality, integrated USB hard drive inside a stylish package. With a variety of fun colors, there’s sure to be one to suit your style.

WD SmartWare™ – A control center for your drive that gives you the power to:

– Protect your data automatically – Relax, your data is secure. Automatic, continuous backup will instantly make a second copy whenever you add or change a file.

– See your backup as it happens – Seeing is believing. Visual backup displays your content in categories and shows the progress of your backup.

– Bring back lost files effortlessly – Retrieve your valuable data to its original location whether you’ve lost all your data or just overwritten an important file.

– Take control – Customize your backup, set drive security, run diagnostics, manage the power settings, and more from the WD SmartWare control center.

Find out more about WD SmartWare™

Drive lock – Gain peace of mind knowing that your data is protected from unauthorized access or theft with password protection and 256-bit hardware-based encryption.

Ready to plug-and-play with Windows PC’s – if you’re a Mac user, check out our Mac version of this product.

USB 2.0 interface – Powered directly from the USB port on your PC. No separate power supply is needed*.
* An optional cable is available for the few computers that limit power from the USB port.

Planet friendly – We designed a small box from recycled materials to minimize waste. We encourage you to recycle it.

Ideal For

• Protecting your data with automatic, continous backup
• Retrieving lost data effortlessly
• Adding extra storage space for photos, videos and music
• Securing private or sensitive data

Compatibility

Formatted NTFS
Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7
Mac OS® X Tiger®, Leopard®, Snow Leopard™ (requires reformatting)

Note: Compatibility may vary depending on user’s hardware configuration and operating system.

What’s in the box

Ultra-portable hard drive, WD SmartWare software, USB cable, Quick Install Guide.

Backup software you’ll really use � WD SmartWare Five great reasons to love it:
1. It’s easy – Data backup can be a chore, but it’s your family photos, your movies, your music – your life – and it’s important to protect it. So we made this software extra easy because we really want you to use it.
2. You can see your life safe in one place – See your content displayed in easy to understand categories like movies and photos. Watch the progress of your backup as it happens with the instant-feedback color bars. Now you can truly be sure that all your stuff is backed up. A unique visual interface lets you see the drives connected to your computer. WD SmartWare will automatically scan your computer and find all of your personal files, including e-mail. Content category gauges show how much information you have to be backed up in each category. You can even mouse over a category to see a file count. Simply click Run Backup and WD SmartWare will automatically start backing up your files. As your backup is running the category gauges will change color showing you the backup as it happens. When finished, you’ll see a status screen and information about your backup. You only have to do this once. After the first backup your files will be backed up automatically every time you change or add a file.
	3. It’s always on the job – WD SmartWare is always watching your computer, so when you change a file and save it, create new files, add new pictures, movies, or songs, WD SmartWare will instantly back them up.
4. You can bring back lost files effortlessly – If you ever accidentally delete an important file, or need to get an earlier version of a file, you can find and retrieve it in seconds with this easy-to-use interface. Restore files and folders by categories – photos, music, video, for example. Find a lost file with the search function. Go back in time to retrieve an older version of a file.
5. You’re in control – WD SmartWare software is also a control center for your external drives. From it you can: Customize your backup Set drive security Run diagnostics Manage the power settings, and more…

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 03, 2010 12:20:12

Software Reviews External Hard Drive Reviews