External Hard Drives – What Are They?

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Admin

External Hard Drives – A Basic Explanation

picture of external hard drive

Portable External Hard Drive

If you’re a non-technical person who is new to computers or you struggle with computer terminology and jargon, this article provides a basic explanation of what an external hard drive is, why people buy them, and how you can determine if a particular hard drive will be compatible with your PC.

You will find information on specific hard drives on other posts in this blog, so feel free to poke around the site.

What is an external hard drive

A hard drive is a piece of computer hardware on which data (also known as files or software) can be stored. All PCs have a built-in hard drive, typically referred to as the “C” drive. Drives are generally assigned letters of the alphabet so the user and the computer can distinguish one from another.

An external hard drive is a hard drive that you buy separately and attach to your computer with a cable. When the hard drive is connected to your PC, you can add data to the external hard drive. You can access this data as long as the hard drive is connected to your PC. You can also delete and modify data once you’ve added it.

Other storage options are available, such as CDs and DVDs, but these hold very little data compared to an external hard drive. It’s generally a good idea to buy the largest hard drive you can afford, even if you can’t imagine needing that much extra space. Just like the closet space in your house, eventually you will fill it up.

Why do people buy external hard drives?

People buy external hard drives for a number of reasons, but the three most common are for:

  1. Extra storage
  2. Portable storage
  3. Backing up your “C” drive

We’ll discuss each of these in turn.

Extra storage

Today’s multimedia files (video and audio) can be fairly large and people tend to have a lot of them. Because your “C” drive contains a lot of other data (like your operating system), some people run out of room on the “C” drive and need an external hard drive to hold additional files. Of course you can store any type of data on an external hard drive. But typically people use them to store movies, video clips, and songs.

Portable storage

Some external hard drives (like the WD My Passport hard drives) are designed specifically to be portable, which means you can disconnect them from one computer and re-connect them to another computer. You may, for example, take your collection of movies to a friend’s house to watch. The hard drive needs to be compatible with both computers, which simply means that the external hard drive needs to be designed to work with both computers. We’ll talk more about compatibility later.

Computer backup

Suppose you have important files (like tax documents) or important software on your computer’s “C” drive. What happens if your “C” drive crashes? In many instances, your important files or software could be lost forever. When people want to protect important data from being wiped out, they will make a second copy for safe keeping on an external hard drive. If the files are extremely critical, the backup copy may be kept at another physical location. For example, suppose you experienced a fire or a flood. Both your primary copy and your backup copy could be destroyed.

Compatibility

Not every external hard drive will work with every computer. So when you buy an external hard drive, you need to make sure it will work with your PC as well as any other PC you may want to attach it to.

How the external hard drive connects to your PC

First, you need to be sure your PC and the external hard drive are able to physically connect to each other. As mentioned above, the external hard drive connects to the PC with a cable. The cable will have a connector on each end – one that plugs into your PC and the other that plugs into the external hard drive. Where you insert the connector is called a port.

There are many different types of ports. The most common types are USB (which stands for Universal Serial Bus) for PCs and Firewire for Macs. To make things even more complicated, different USB and Firewire ports can handle different capacities of data. For example, a USB 3.0 port can send and receive a lot more data at a faster rate than a USB 2.0 port (the higher the number, the newer the technology). One thing to be aware of is that ports are generally “backwards compatible”, meaning that you can plug a USB 2.0 connector into a 3.0 port. But you can’t plug a 3.0 connector into a 2.0 port.

So before you purchase an external hard drive, be sure to check the type and capacity of available ports on your PC and buy a drive with a compatible port. You may need to reference your PC manual to determine what kinds of ports are built into your machine.

Operating system software

The other compatibility-related consideration is your PC’s operating system. Not all external hard drives can work with all operating systems. However, most external hard drives can work with a variety of operating systems. In fact, many hard drives can work with PC or Macs.  As with cabling, you need to know your computer’s operating system and whether the external hard drive you are considering will work with it.

Keep in mind that this is a very basic explanation. There are other external hard drive characteristics you will want to consider before making a purchase. You can read about those by clicking here, but hopefully you now have a foundational base of knowledge to learn more about external hard drives.

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Western Digital Elements 2TB Review

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Admin

Western Digital Elements 2TB – Excellent Value in Desktop Hard Drives

The Western Digital Elements 2TB (model # WDBAAU0020HBK-NESN) is a plug-and-play external hard drive designed for use with your desktop PC. Its capacity and affordability make it one of the best-selling drives on the market today.

Western Digital Elements 2TB

Western Digital Elements 2TB

The Elements is the perfect solution for anyone wanting simple, reliable storage. It also has several “green” features, including energy-saving power management and recyclable packaging (the box itself is made from recycled materials).

The WD Elements has made its way onto several of our “best of” lists:

  • Top 5 External Hard Drives – Desktop
  • Best 2 TB External Hard Drives
  • Top 5 Drives Priced $100 – $200

To learn more about how these lists were compiled, visit the page explaining our research methodology.


Deal Alert

The Price at this moment is 50% lower and you will save $90.04 if you buy today
Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2013-05-21 03:06:05 GMT but are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on the merchant site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Table of Contents

You can read the review top-to-bottom or jump to the section most relevant to you.

  1. Overview
  2. Capacity
  3. Price
  4. Interface
  5. Specs
  6. Physical Characteristics
  7. Features
  8. Operational Characteristics
  9. Warranty
  10. What’s in the Box
  11. Video – Unboxing the Drive
  12. Customer Reviews
  13. Pros
  14. Cons
  15. Summary

Overview

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Here is a quick overview of the WD Elements 2TB drive:

Western Digital Elements 2TB Overview

Click Here for Great Deals on the Western Digital Elements 2TB at Amazon!

Capacity

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The WD Elements has 2 Terabytes (TB) of capacity, which means you can store a lot of data on this drive. The 2 TB model is the most popular, followed closely by the 1 TB drive. But the Elements drive is available in several other capacities including:

  • 500 GB
  • 1 TB
  • 1.5 TB
  • 2.5 TB
  • 3 TB

Price

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The Western Digital Elements is priced between $129.99 and $159.99, which puts it in the low to mid range on the pricing scale for desktop drives. Desktop drives in our research sample averaged just over $181, with the least expensive drive costing $79.99 and the most expensive drive costing $439.99.

Interface

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This drive runs over USB 2.0.  Users report in customer reviews that the speed is sufficient for everyday operations, including data transfer of video. While there are faster drives, this one seems to do the job well enough to satisfy the vast majority of needs.

Specs

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Compatibility

  • PCs, Macs, and other multimedia devices
  • Comes pre-formatted for Windows
  • Must reformat to use with Mac

Operating systems supported:

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

Performance

  • Data Transfer Rate
    • Up to 480 Mb/sec
  • Seek Time
    • Manufacturer does not specify
  • Rotational Speed
    • Manufacturer does not specify

Physical Characteristics

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The outer casing is made of plastic, which is not much of an issue for a desktop drive that is designed to primarily sit in one place. Many users reported liking the sleek, modern design.

Form Factor

  • 3.5″ form factor

Dimensions

  • 7.01″D x 4.59″W x 1.42″H

Weight

  • 2.24 lbs

Colors

  • Black

Length of Cable and Power Cord

  • Manufacturer does not specify. So we contacted Western Digital to ask about the length of their cables and power cords and their support desk replied with the following:

“The USB cables bundled with our units are normally 18 inches long, and 6-foot DC power cord for our desktop drives. Nonetheless, this may vary depending on the drive”.

Other Info

The drive sits horizontally (see picture above), which makes it more stable. It does not have a stand (which some people find annoying), but does come with rubberized feet to keep it from slipping around.

The drive is smaller than many of its desktop competitors, but if the footprint is still too large for your tastes, some people feel comfortable setting the drive on its side. You will have to decide for yourself.

There is a small LED activity light on the back panel that is lit when the drive is operational. Most people appreciated that the light was in the back and didn’t light up the room at night.

Features

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Power Management

  • Powered with separate AC power adapter (included)
  • WD does not recommend using a third-party power adapter.
    • If your adapter fails and the drive is still under warranty, contact WD Support.
    • Otherwise, WD recommends that you purchase a replacement adapter from them that is specifically designed for the Elements drive.
  • Powered with WD GreenPower Technology™
    • Yields a 30% reduction in power usage
    • Has a sleep mode to reduce power consumption when not in use
    • Drive turns on and off with your computer
  • There is no power button, which a few people complain about

What the Drive Doesn’t Have

The drive does not come with several of the features commonly found in other WD drives, which is one of the things that makes this drive so “simple” (something several customer reviews mention as a positive):

  • WD SmartWare™ (for managing your data backups). This is actually a selling point for some people who either don’t like the software (they prefer to use the backup utilities that come with their operating system) or they use the drive with a multi-media device so that backup software is unnecessary. It includes automatic continuous backup
  • Password protection and data encryption
  • Visual capacity gauge (indicates how much room you have left on your drive)
  • Custom e-label (allows you to put your own text in a digital display. Can be used, for example, to remind you what you’ve stored on the drive)

Should you feel so inclined, you can find more useful information at WD’s website:

Product Overview

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/AAG/ENG/4178-705026.pdf

Features and Specifications

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=260

Operational Characteristics

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Noise

  • Fairly quiet, especially compared to some other drives on the market.

Heat

  • No holes or slats for ventilation (there is no fan), but the drive runs surprisingly cool – even when lots of data is being transferred. Although it’s probably not built for 24/7 operation.

Warranty

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  • 1 year in US (depends on country in which purchased)
  • Limited
  • Warranty period starts on date shown on your receipt
  • Only applicable to new products

What’s in the Box

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  • The 2 TB Elements drive
  • USB cable
  • AC adapter
  • Quick Install Guide

Video – Un-boxing the Drive

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A picture is worth a thousand words… Here is a YouTube clip showing an Elements 2TB external hard drive being un-boxed. You’ll see all the components that are included when the drive is shipped. These include the drive itself, the USB cable, the power cord, and some documentation. Note that the power cord will be appropriate for your country.

Customer Reviews

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Here is a summary of the customer reviews for the WD Elements external hard drive:

  • Only 4 of the 5 vendors surveyed had this drive available for purchase
  • There were over 3000 reviews altogether (Amazon had the vast number of these)
  • The average rating was 4.18 stars

As evidenced by the rating, the vast majority of customers were pleased with their purchase. They talked about the great price, the reliability of the drive, and its simplicity. Many reported being repeat customers because of positive experiences with Western Digital drives in the past.

Most of the negative reviews were complaints that the drive failed either out of the box or in a short period of time. While we don’t want to downplay these customer’s experiences, it is important to view them in context. Keep in mind that people who have had a bad experience are more likely to post a review than people who were satisfied with the product. On Amazon, there are over 3 times as many 5 star ratings as there are 1 star ratings. This suggests that the overwhelming majority of customers are happy with their purchase.

There are things you can do to minimize the risk of hard drive failure.

First, be sure to test the drive before you store any of your valuable data on it. Second, always be sure to keep a backup copy of your important files on a separate device. Third, know the warning signs of hard drive failure.

Click the link below to check out some of the reviews for yourself:

See Customer Reviews at Amazon

Pros Pros

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  • You get 2 TB of extra storage at an affordable price
  • No backup software comes resident on the drive
  • Runs cool and quiet
  • Fast data transfer rate for everyday operations

Cons Cons

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  • Warranty period is only 1 year

Summary

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Most customers are quite pleased with their purchase of this drive. If you’re looking for an external hard drive that offers reliable, high-capacity storage at an affordable price, you should seriously consider the Western Digital Elements 2TB drive.

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Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Admin

Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB – Another quality product from WD

Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB Hard Drive

Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB

The Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB (Model #: WDBACW0020HBK-NESN or ASIN: B0041OSQBG) is a continuous backup external hard drive for your desktop PC or Mac.

Click Here to Get a Great Price on the Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB at Amazon!

It has dual USB 2.0/3.0 compatibility and comes formatted for Windows. If you have an Apple Mac, you’ll need to reformat the drive before use. You can also attach this to your DVR or other multimedia device to significantly increase capacity for storing videos.

The My Book Essential’s predecessor was USB 2.0 only, but this drive has been discontinued. You can still buy it online at some retailers. It is an excellent choice if you don’t need the high transfer speed of the newer version.

Form Factor

The Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB desktop drive is a nice size (6.5”H x 5.3”D x 1.9”W) and weight (2.6 lbs).

It sits up vertically so it’s a little more likely to topple over. The plastic casing doesn’t look terribly sturdy, so you’ll need to take some extra care. It has a nice, sleek design and is pretty quiet (you can barely tell it’s running).

Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB powered by…

The My Book Essential requires an AC power adapter. There is an on/off switch in the back with an LED light on the front panel. Unfortunately, the switch is not a rocker-type with “o” and “|” indicators. Instead, it is a button that is flush with the panel. You have to depress the button in order to toggle the drive on or off. There is no indication on the button itself as to whether you’ve powered the drive up or down.

Security

This drive comes with password protection and hardware encryption. It also has a lock slot if you want to physically secure the drive, but you will need your own cable and lock.

Backup utilities

This drive comes with backup utilities build right into the drive. However the vast majority of buyers prefer to use their own backup software (most find that their operating system utilities do the job just fine). Fortunately, you have the option of using or not using the WD software.

The drive has some self-diagnostic capabilities if you find that the drive is not performing as expected and need to do some troubleshooting.

To learn more

The drive comes with a Quick Install Manual, but it’s definitely on the “lite” side. If you look at WD’s site, however, you will find a comprehensive user manual:

Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB User Manual

Warranty

The Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB external hard drive comes with a 2 year limited warranty, better than some other WD drives. The warranty is pretty standard – if you lose your data, you’re on your own in terms of data recovery and cost. And if you’ve ever been through that process, you know that it can cost more than the drive itself.

Specs

With 2 terabytes of space, your Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB drive can store the equivalent of around 400,000 photos – incredible. The My Book Essential comes in other capacities (1, 1.5, and 3 TB).

The data transfer rate is up to 480 Mb/sec with USB 2.0 connectivity and up to 5 Gb/sec with USB 3.0.

It’s formatted NTFS as a single partition and is compatible with the following operating systems:

  • Windows XP
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows 7
  • Mac Leopard
  • Mac Snow Leopard

Some words of caution

Any time you buy a new drive, give it a test run with one or two files to ensure it works right out of the box. Every manufacturer, no matter how reputable, produces a bad drive upon occasion. Before you spend the time and also risk putting sensitive information on a drive that doesn’t work, try transferring, retrieving, and deleting with some test data.

Conclusion

A fantastic drive at a reasonable price, the Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB is a clear winner.

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WD My Passport

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Admin

WD My Passport: Small, fast, and reliable portable external hard drives

WD My Passport

The WD My Passport line of external portable hard drives is one of the most popular on the market.

Click Here to Get Terrific Deals on WD My Passport Drives at Amazon

They all support Windows and Mac* and come with a 2 year limited warranty.

Below is a comparison chart of the models currently available with online retailers. It gives a quick overview of each drive:

WD My Passport Models
Drive Capacity Interface Dimensions Weight
WD My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0/3.0 4.3”W x 0.60”H x 3.2”D 0.31 Pounds
WD My Passport Essential AV 320 GB USB 2.0 3.1”W x 0.6”H x 5”D 0.39 Pounds
WD My Passport Essential SE 750 GB
1 TB		 USB 2.0/3.0 3.2”W x 0.7”H x 4.3”D 0.45 Pounds
WD My Passport for Mac 500 GB USB 2.0 4.35”W x 0.6”H x 3.23”D 0.31 Pounds
750 GB USB 2.0 4.36”W x 0.7”H x 3.24”D 0.43 Pounds
1 TB USB 2.0 4.36”W x 0.8”H x 3.24”D 0.52 Pounds
WD My Passport Studio 500 GB (Newer) FireWire 800, USB 2.0 3.2”W x 0.6”H x 4.3”D 0.3 Pounds
500 GB (Older) FireWire 800, USB 2.0 3.3”W x 0.7”H x 5.0”D 0.56 Pounds
1 TB FireWire 800, USB 2.0 3.3”W x 0.9”H x 5.0”D 0.68 Pounds

* Both My Passport for Mac and My Passport Studio are formatted out-of-the-box for Mac and must be reformatted to support Windows. The other non-AV drives in the WD My Passport line are formatted out-of-the-box for Windows.

It’s important to keep in mind that both compatibility and the data transfer speed (performance) may vary a bit depending on your particular hardware and operating software configuration.

I’m not sure where the “passport” in the WD My Passport name came from, but it could be because the drives are about the size of a passport. Or it could be that they are portable drives made for travel.

My Passport Essential

The WD My Passport’s Passport Essential is light and portable – not much bigger than a deck of cards. It is powered from the USB port, which is a nice feature if you already have a web of cables to contend with. It has the automatic and continuous backup. Just be sure to check periodically to ensure it’s working as expected. It does come with backup and configuration utilities, but you have the option to use them or not. The drive also has security features (password protection and encryption).

Model #s:

Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 3.0/2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBACY5000ABK-NESN – Midnight Black
  • WDBACY5000ABL-NESN – Pacific Blue
  • WDBACY5000ASL-NESN – Cool Silver
  • WDBACY5000ARD-NESN – Real Red

WD My Passport Essential AV

The WD My Passport line doesn’t just cater to PCs and Macs. The Passport Essential AV is an external drive for camcorders that allows you to directly transfer (without a computer) and play back videos on your TV or camcorder. You can also play music and display photos on your TV through your Blu-ray or game console. It is powered through the USB cable. This hard drive only works with certain TVs and devices, so check the compatibility list before you buy.

Model #s:

Western Digital My Passport AV 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Media Drive

  • WDBABS3200ABK – Black

WD My Passport Essential SE

The Passport Essential SE model in the WD My Passport line has automatic continuous backup capability. In plain English, this means that whenever you add or update a file, it is automatically backed up to your external hard drive. It also is powered from the USB cable, so you don’t have to worry about an extra power cord. Unfortunately, the drive comes with firmware that cannot be removed. Most people find this annoying, but you do have the option of using it or not.

Model #s:

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBACX0010BBK-NESN – Black
  • WDBACX0010BBL-NESN – Metallic Blue
  • WDBACX0010BRD-NESN – Metallic Red
  • WDBACX0010BSL-NESN – Silver

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 750 GB USB 3.0/2.0 Ultra Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBACX7500ABK-NESN – Black
  • WDBACX7500ARD-NESN – Metallic Red
  • WDBACX7500ASL-NESN – Silver
  • WDBACX7500ABL-NESN – Metallic Blue

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 750 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBABM7500ABK-NESN – Midnight Black

WD My Passport for Mac

Although all the WD My Passport models can be used with both PC and Mac, the My Passport for Mac is made especially for the MacBook or MacBook Air. It has been around for several years, although the 1 TB model is fairly new.

It is powered through the USB port, so a separate power cord is not necessary. It offers password protection and hardware encryption. You can choose to use Apple Time Machine to back up your files. It has utilities to register and configure the drive.

Model #s:

Western Digital My Passport for Mac 1 TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

  • WDBBXV0010BBK-NESN – Silver and Black

Western Digital My Passport for Mac 750 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

  • WDBBXV7500ABK-NESN – Silver and Black

Western Digital My Passport for Mac 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

  • WDBL1D5000ABK-NESN – Silver and Black
  • WDBAAB5000ACH-NESN – Charcoal

My Passport Studio

The WD My Passport Studio is a relatively recent offering in the WD My Passport series. It has a full-metal (aluminum) case, which makes it more rugged and durable. It has 2 FireWire ports so you can daisy chain another external device if needed. It’s also powered through the FireWire or USB port, so an additional power adapter is not needed. From a security perspective, it offers both hardware encryption and password protection. It allows you to use Apple Time Machine to back up your files. It comes with a set of utilities to register and configure the drive. The newer model (WDBAAE5000ASL) has a display window on the outside that allows you to show what’s stored on the drive, how much storage is still available, and the security status.

Model #s:

Western Digital My Passport Studio 1 TB FireWire 800 External Hard Drive

  • WDBK8A0010BBK-NESN – Black

Western Digital My Passport Studio 500 GB FireWire 800 External Hard Drive

  • WDBALG5000ABK-NESN – Black

Western Digital My Passport Studio 500 GB FireWire 800/400 USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBAAE5000ASL-NESN – Silver

Western Digital My Passport Studio 500 GB FireWire 800/400 USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDMT5000TN – Silver

 WD My Passport – Discontinued Drives

Several WD My Passport lines have been discontinued, but you can still find a smattering of new, used, and refurbished ones for purchase online. Here’s a list of some of the more popular models:

My Passport Essential

Western Digital My Passport Essential 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBAAA3200ABK – Midnight Black
  • WDBAAA3200ARD – Real Red
  • WDBAAA3200ASL – Cool Silver
  • WDBAAA3200ABL – Pacific Blue

Western Digital My Passport Essential 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDME2500TN – Midnight Black
  • WDMERC2500TN – Cherry Red
  • WDMEP2500TN – Viola

Western Digital My Passport Essential 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDMEP2500TN – Cherry Red
  • WDMEB1600TN – Intense Blue

Western Digital My Passport Essential 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBAAA2500ABK – Midnight Black

Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBAAA5000ABK – Midnight Black
  • WDBAAA5000ABL – Pacific Blue

500 GB Portable Hard Drive by Western Digital

  • WDME5000TN – Midnight Black

Western Digital My Passport Essential 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDMES3200TN – Cool Silver
  • WDMER3200TN – (Real Red)
  • WDMEP3200TN – (Viola)

Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBAAA5000AD6 – Limited Edition Robot Design

My Passport Essential SE

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBABM0010BBK – Midnight Black
  • WDBABM0010BSL – Silver

WD My Passport Elite

The entire Passport Elite line has been discontinued.

Western Digital My Passport Elite 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDML5000TN – Titanium

Western Digital My Passport Elite 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBAAC5000ABL – Metallic Blue

Western Digital My Passport Elite 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDML3200TN – Titanium

Western Digital My Passport Elite 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDBAAC3200ABL – Metallic Blue
  • WDBAAC3200ACH – Charcoal
  • WDBAAC3200ARD – Metallic Red

Western Digital My Passport Elite 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

  • WDML2500TN – Titanium

Support

If you’re looking for WD My Passport support, you can click below:

http://support.wdc.com/ ==> (support for WD My Passport)

Western Digital has great online and phone support. Depending on the terms of your warranty package, you may be eligible for one month of free phone support. Email support is generally free throughout the warranty period.

The Final Word

In canvassing the reviews on different sites across the net, the feedback is positive. The majority of purchasers seem happy with their WD My Passport external hard drive.

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Best External Hard Drives

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Admin

Best External Hard Drives: What you need to know

best external hard drivesBest External Hard Drives

Looking for information on the best external hard drives?

Click Here to Find Great Deals on the Best External Hard Drives at Amazon

Or try narrowing it down with the following widget:



But if you need some more information before narrowing making a final decision, this site can help.

Deciding which drive is right for you can be a daunting task even for the most tech savvy among us. It’s a challenge to wade through all those specs and data, let alone make sense of it.

To assist you even in your search, here is a synopsis of several excellent external hard drives along with reviews and ratings. Included are:

  • Western Digital Elements 2TB
  • The full line of WD My Passport external hard drives
  • Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB
  • Seagate FreeAgent series

Summary of the Best External Hard Drives

Compiling a “best of” list can be tricky. Think of any product… There are certain characteristics it must have to be considered a quality product while other characteristics are simply a matter of preference or need.

For example, a toaster that doesn’t brown the bread evenly on both sides would not make a “best of” list. But the number of slices that can be toasted at the same time is more a matter of preference or need. A large family might want a more expensive toaster that can toast 4-6 slices simultaneously while someone who lives alone or has limited space would think otherwise.

With that in mind, the information below is presented in such a way as to help guide you to an external hard drive that is deemed to be a quality drive, but one that also best suits your needs and preferences. Pros and cons are presented along with a “decide for yourself” category. Here, features are listed that some people would put in the “positive” category while others would lump them in the “negative”. You’ll be able to judge for yourself.

If you find enough information to help you make your final decision, you’ll find links to online retailers from which to buy the drive. If you need a little more information, you’ll also find links to other pages on this site and to external pages.

Bear in mind that this is not a “top 10 list” and the drives are presented in no particular order.

Basic specs

Here are basic specs for external hard drives covered on this site.

Best External Hard Drives
Drive Type Operating System Capacity Interface Warranty
Western Digital Elements 2TB Desktop Windows/Mac 2 TB USB 2.0 1 yr Limited
WD My Passport* Portable Windows/Mac Various USB 2.0/3.0 FireWire 2 yr Limited
Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB Desktop Windows/Mac 2 TB USB 2.0/3.0 2 yr Limited

*The WD My Passport is a line of portable hard drives.

If you’re wondering about the Serial Bus Transfer Rates, they are as follows:

  • USB 2.0 is 480 Mb/s (Max)
  • USB 3.0 is 5 Gb/s (Max)
  • FireWire is 800 Mb/s (Max)

Here is some more information on our choices for best external hard drives (for those interested):

Western Digital Elements 2TB

(Model #: WDBAAU0020HBK-NESN)

Pros

  • Easy to set up (plug and play)
  • Can be used with PCs, Macs (must be reformatted), and other non-computer devices (like DVRs)
  • “Green” design includes sleep mode (spins up when activated and down when not in use), reduced power consumption, turns on and off with your computer
  • Very quiet
  • Smaller than most external hard drives (4.59”W x 1.42”H x 7.01”D) and very lightweight (2.24 pounds)
  • Emits little heat

Cons

  • One year warranty
  • No power button (it’s always “on”, but is uses energy-efficient technology as noted above)
  • Attracts fingerprints on the glossy side panels (yes, this is important to some people)

Decide for yourself

  • Does not come with its own backup software, which most people consider a plus.
  • The LED is small and located in the back, which is nice if your computer is in your bedroom

Final analysis

The price point on this hard drive is great, but the trade off is that it only comes with a 1 year warranty.

WD My Passport

(Model #: WDBACX0010BBK-NESN)

Just one of the WD My Passport models is included here. You can find information on the full line elsewhere on this site.

Pros

  • Perfect size for portability (3.2”W x 0.7”H x 4.3”D) and very lightweight (0.45 pounds)
  • Powered from the USB cable, so no additional AC adapter is needed
  • Security features include hardware encryption and password protection
  • Automatic continuous backup captures new and updated files

Cons

  • The USB cord is very short (only about a foot long)

Final analysis

  • Small, fast, and reliable – one of the best portable external hard drives.

Western Digital My Book Essential 2TB

(Model #: WDBACW0020HBK-NESN)

Pros

  • Long power cord
  • Security features include hardware encryption and password protection
  • Great size (1.9”W x 6.5”H x 5.3”D) and very lightweight (2.6 pounds)
  • Can be used with PCs, Macs (must be reformatted), and other non-computer devices (like DVRs)
  • Automatic continuous backup captures new and updated files

Cons

  • The printed instruction manual that comes with the drive does not contain much useful detail. You’ll have to rely on the online manual, phone support, or Googling your way through any setup or other issues you might encounter.

Decide for yourself

  • The drive comes with software that many refer to as “bloatware”. Something is referred to as “bloatware” if it contains unneeded features and/or takes up an inordinate amount of disk space. The upside is that it doesn’t auto-install, so you can use all, some, or none of the software.

Final analysis

  • This is a great desktop drive that is fairly easy to install and configure.

What are the best brands for external hard drives

Generally, the more popular a manufacturer, the more you can rely on the quality of their product (unless they have a monopoly). Some of the more popular makers of external drives include:

  • Western Digital
  • LaCie
  • Seagate

Where to get the best prices on external hard drives

Several online retailers consistently have great prices on external hard drives. They are:

  • Amazon

Note: Even though external drives are intended to provide you with data portability, you should be careful when moving a drive to avoid damage that can cause issues with future data access.

Think a little bit about what’s important to you and consider those preferences and needs before making a final decision on a drive. But don’t agonize over it too much – you can’t go wrong with any of the choices listed on this page. Remember that when you’re looking for a listing of best external hard drives, don’t rely solely on someone else’s picks.

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