Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB – Find Out Why It’s So Popular
Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB
The Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB (Model #: WDBACX0010BBK-NESN) is a compact and portable external hard drive with a full terabyte of capacity. This drive has been replaced by a newer model, but this model is still available and is a great deal.
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The capacity is amazing to those of us who’ve been around long enough to remember when a terabyte of capacity was something only large businesses could afford and it took a room to house the hardware.
It features automatic continuous backup, a dual USB 2.0/3.0 interface, and a 2-year limited warranty. It works with either Windows PCs or Macs (although you have to reconfigure it to work with the latter). Most people find that it is truly a “plug and play” drive that can be operational in a matter of minutes.
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You can also click here to see the newer model directly.
Physical Description
The WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB drive is 4.3” x 3.3” x 0.7” and weighs about 7.2 ounces, so it’s quite easy to carry around. It has rounded edges which makes it easy to slip in and out of your pocket. Although it looks tiny, it’s a solidly build drive.
The only opening on the drive is the USB port. There is no hinged rubber flap over the port, so the opening is not protected from that standpoint. But in our experience, these usually rip off at some point anyway.
The drive comes in a variety of cool colors: black, silver, metallic blue, and metallic red. The finish is a bit glossy (some people prefer more of a matte finish), but if you’re worried about scratches, you can buy a hard-sided or soft-sided carrying case.
The drive is very quiet and does not get overheated even in hot weather.
Connectivity and Power
The Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB hard drive is powered through the USB cable, which fits snugly into its port. This means one less wire you need to worry about when you’re moving the drive. Some people have reported that their laptop can’t provide enough power to keep the drive operational. If you’re worried about this, be sure to keep your receipt until you feel confident that you won’t experience this problem.
The cable is 16” long, so you may be limited in where you can position the drive. If you want a longer cable, don’t toss out the one that came with the drive until you’ve found and purchased a longer replacement.
The drive can operate at USB 2.0 or 3.0. Be aware that most computers aren’t able to handle USB 3.0 without some hardware adjustments (a special card). If you’re not up to the extra work, you’ll still be fine. USB 2.0 is plenty fast for most operations, although when it comes to transferring HD movies, there is a considerable difference in time. WD’s marketing materials say that you can transfer a 2-hr movie in around 5 minutes as opposed to 13 minutes (allowing for possible variations due to the way your PC or Mac is configured).
Software
The drive comes with WD SmartWare™ software. Many people are not over enamored with the software, but fortunately Western Digital gives you some options. You can use all the software features, some of the, or none of them – it’s completely up to you.
Automatic Continuous Backup
The Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB portable external hard drive features automatic continuous backup, which means that anytime you add or modify a file, a backup is automatically made for you. This is a nice feature because most people can’t remember to back up files manually.
Be sure to periodically check to ensure it’s still working and backing up files as expected.
Password Protection and Encryption
The drive also features password protection and encryption to help protect your data from unauthorized access. This is terrific if you’re storing important backups with sensitive information, like bank account numbers, names, addresses, etc.
Capacity
The drive also comes in a 750 GB version, if you don’t think you’ll need a full 1 TB. However most people find that they eventually max out their storage, so if you can afford the 1 TB model, you won’t likely be disappointed down the line.
You can partition the drive if desired. Your operating system may include tools that allow you to do this.
Compatibility
The drive is compatible with the following (although it can vary depending on your particular configuration):
- Formatted NTFS (this stands for New Technology File System and is needed when you’re storing large files)
- WindowsXP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
- Mac OS X Leopard, Snow Leopard (must be reformatted; works in USB 2.0)
Support
Western Digital includes an e-manual on the hard drive itself. It also comes with 30 days of free phone support within the 2-year warranty period (the 30-day clock starts when you make your first call). You also get free email support during the warranty period.
Recommendation
The My Passport series is purported by WD to be the #1 seller in the world.
True or not, the Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB is a great drive and gets a thumbs up from most people who purchase it.