2010

Monday, February 15, 2010

Western Digital My Book Home 320 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1CS3200

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$127.99~~

Accessories
- Case Logic HDC-1 Medium EVA External Hard Drive Case (Black)

Features
- Sold Individually

Product Description
Preserve your precious memories with this ideal combination of elegant, reliable storage and automatic backup features.Your baby's first step, your wedding in Bali, all your important milestones? All captured in digital photos and video. What could be more important? Store them safely and keep them backed up on My Book Home Edition external hard drives.

Customer Reviews

The Software IS Included!
Date: 2008-02-19 | Rating: 5
Just fyi, but the software is included with this device. You need to enter the software key that is printed on a lable and stuck to the "installation guide". If you do that, the backup software shifts from being a "trial version" to a fully licensed and functional version. Thus far, it seems to work well.

I definitely recommend this drive
Date: 2008-04-07 | Rating: 5
This drive works great. I needed a drive to store 50-100GB of images for access from our company website, and I was concerned that the access speed would be an issue (not to mention the sleep mode I've heard others talk about). I bought the IOGear eSATA 3Gbps RAID 5 adapter from Amazon, and man is it fast. For those of you who said that USB seemed to be about the same or faster than eSATA... well, you need to try this eSATA card. Using USB, it took 1 min 14 secs to copy a 197mb file to the drive. It only took 8 secs using eSATA. A little side note... this card only works in a PCIe (express) slot. Needless to say, this drive is quiet (no fans), and only slightly warm. While copying 50gb of images on to it, the drive never got warmer than the screen on my flat panel monitor. I've read that the light on the front only indicates drive activity if you're using USB or Firewire, but mine works the same for eSATA too. I've only had the drive for two days, but it's working great so far. It's a winner in my book. (no pun intended)

Excellent drive, but take care with the setup
Date: 2008-12-21 | Rating: 5
The WD My Book Home Edition (320gb) is an excellent drive and the hardware has given me no problems. It runs very quietly, it is well vented and so does not heat up, it turns on and off (smartly) either with its own power button or when the computer is powered on and off, and it offers firewire, eSATA, and USB connections. The caveat here is the software that comes with the drive. The drive I purchased was new but was built six months ago, and the free backup software was an older version that is very buggy with Vista. (Note, there is a Product Key for the software on the white installation sheet that you'll need to enter at setup.) The software (MEMEO) website was not at all helpful in handling the problems I encountered. But MEMEO customer service was superb. A technician responded quickly to an e-mail, precisely diagnosed the problem, and provided clear directions for removing the older version and installing (at no cost) the most current version. The current version works very well, and automatically backs up files seamlessly. One other note on setup. The drive comes formatted with FAT32. That's fine if your files are no bigger than 4gb. But if you want to save a larger file (e.g., a video file), you'll need to reformat the drive with NTFS, and you might as well do that at the beginning because you'll lose all the data on the drive when you reformat. At the same time you also may want to partition the drive, to isolate different kinds of files from one another. The backup software allows you to create different "plans" for this purpose. Happily, the Western Digital telephone support (free for 30 days) was very helpful in walking me through the process.

Great back-up tool - works with Time machine.
Date: 2008-12-29 | Rating: 5
I purchased this hard drive mostly for back-up purposes and chose this particular one for it's size and firewire connection. I did not use the included software since this drive is connected to a Mac using "Time Machine" software but I can say that "Time machine" is quite compatible with this drive. I have had no problems with this drive within the first week. Do yourself a favor and buy sheilded cables, don't depend on the cheap cables the drive comes with.

Lots of space, portable
Date: 2008-09-20 | Rating: 5
Back when I thought a 20 meg hard drive was huge, I never imagined that I would fill my 120 gig hard drive on my laptop with video files (often more than 20 meg per file!) and face a space crisis. Well, I did, so I bought this 320 gig portable external hard drive. It transports well and it has relieved the space issue on my laptop. It does require electricity, so it's not like you can take it up on a mountaintop with your laptop, but you can get rid of stuff you don't use all the time and store it. You can also back up your computer on this (although using their software may be problematic). Having read the reviews of this, I elected not to use the included software and I like this hard drive very much.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 500 GB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive WDG1U5000

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$329.99~~

Accessories
- Rebit Backup Software for Single PC- RSCD35000POS
- Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate FULL VERSION [DVD] [OLD VERSION]
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium FULL VERSION [DVD] [OLD VERSION]
- Case Logic HDC-1 Medium EVA External Hard Drive Case (Black)

Features
- Store and back up your music, photos, videos and important documents with this external hard drive
- Easy to set up and use with built-in installation software
- Simple user interface features USB 2.0 connectivity
- Device holds up to 500 GB of data
- Measures 5.55 x 2.25 x 6.71 inches (WxHxD)

Product Description
Small, simple, elegant, and very easy to use. Just plug it in, and you've got plenty of room to back up and save your valuable data, music, photos, and movies.

Amazon.com Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description Is your computer loaded with photos, music, video, and all sorts of important files? If so, you should make extra room, back them up, and keep them safe on Western Digital's WDG1U5000 My Book Essential Edition 500 GB Hard Drive. This reliable, easy-to-use external hard drive is the perfect storage solution for all your precious digital assets. Save and back up all your digital assets with the My Book Essential Edition Hard Drive. View larger. Simple, easy-to-use design. Connects to your computer via USB 2.0 interface. View larger. The elegant case takes up very little space. Installation is a breeze because you don't really "install" anything -- just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is not even an installation CD because all the included software loads automatically from the hard drive the first time you plug it in. The My Book Essential is all about simplicity. Just plug it into your computer's USB 2.0 port and you're ready to start saving and backing up your files. But that's not all. Western Digital uses a smart design to make the My Book Essential look as good as it performs. The elegant case resembles a book and takes up very little space on your desk. Plus, it stacks horizontally and allows two or more drives to nestle neatly together like encyclopedias on a shelf. Inside the stylish exterior is an exceptionally fast, ultra-quiet, cool-running hard drive. Last but not least, the My Book Essential is equipped with free Google software that searches your drives, manages your photos, and simplifies Web searches. My Book Essential Edition Hard Drives are ideal for: Simple add-on storage for your files, music, photos and movies Adding virtually unlimited storage with multiple USB 2.0 external hard drives Archiving the music stored on your MP3 player Adding plenty of space for digital video capture and editing Saving and organizing your digital photo collection Note: For higher performance and automatic backup software, consider the My Book Premium Edition 500 GB Hard Drive. What's in the Box My Book Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 external hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter with power cord, and quick install guide.

Customer Reviews

Simple, Quiet, Well Constructed Drive!!
Date: 2006-05-14 | Rating: 5
I was looking for a 300GB+ External hard-drive to backup my data, photos, music and home-videos. I wanted a rugged drive as I was planning to keep the drive off-site and transport it back & forth for monthly backups. I evaluated LaCie, Seagate and other alternatives on the market and found the My Book has comparable or better specs and was aesthetically more pleasing than most. I also liked the simplicity and the concept of the My Book. The footprint is also among the smallest in the industry for a 500GB drive. The drive looks sleek and is not intrusive or odd on a desk. The casing is made of hard plastic. It looks and feels rugged. The drive has "morse-code" vents which, beside looking funky, help keep the drive extremely cool. Drive operation is extremely quiet. When placed vertically there are 2 rubber strips on the bottom to prevent the drive from sliding or vibrating. Multiple drives can also be stacked on their sides - rubber feet are included. The setup is pretty simple, just plug-in the power and connect the USB cable. Windows XP recognizes and sets up the drive quickly. Look for the drive under "My Computer" - you're up and running!! The drive comes pre-formatted as FAT32. You can reformat it to NTFS with relative ease under Win XP. There is some included Google software which you can copy to your local machine or download from Google.com. The drive switches on and shuts down with your computer. You can also turn the drive on/off via a large button which is surrounded by the green indicator. The only thing I miss is the WD Backup software - which seems to be bundled as an incentive with the Premium My Book drive. Another feature that people might miss is the "One-touch Backup" button offered by competitors. Overall, I'm very pleased with this drive!!

This is my second one
Date: 2006-12-20 | Rating: 5
I spent the past year digitizing my CD collection and when I outgrew my 200 gig internal hard drive I decided to go the external route. The My Book was a good choice. The drive is extremely quiet, takes up very little space, and does not get hot in normal use. I really like that the drive is smart enough to automatically go into stand-by when you turn off your P.C. The first thing you will want to do if you buy one is to delete the junk software that comes preinstalled on the disc. The second thing is to reformat the drive to use the NTFS file system, which is more reilable than FAT 32. The drive is not a speed demon but is more than adequate for streaming music. I recently bought a second one to backup the first. Unless you need the Firewire port, the Essential Edition should be adequate.

WD My Book 500GB USB 2.0 - a GREAT BUY!
Date: 2007-05-31 | Rating: 5
I own five WD External drives and have not had any issues with any of them (the oldest is over 5 years old, is connected 24x7x365, and it's still working fine). My most recent two purchases have been a: "Western Digital My Book Essential 500GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive - 7200rpm" and a "Western Digital My Book 500GB Premium ES Edition Hard Drive - 7200rpm USB 2.0 & eSATA Dual Interface External Hard Drive" The "WD My Book Essential 500GB USB 2.0 Ext HD" - just has a UDB 2.0 connector (no eSATA or Firewire) but it works great and if you shop the sales, the price for 500 GB can be close to $100-140 (summer 2007). The "WD My Book 500GB Premium ES Edition HD" has both a USB 2.0 & eSATA connector on the back (use either one). Note, not many PCs today (2007) have an eSATA port on them. ESATA is faster than USB 2.0, but if you don't have a connector for that externally on your PC, then don't pay extra for it. (You can get after market external eSATA ports for a PC but there are different kinds, and depending on your PC, you need to get the 'right kind' for your PC, assuming you even have room in your PC to add one). Both of these drives came with easy to install instructions - just plug in the power, and then connect them to your PC, and away you go. Both came with USB 2.0 cables. The Premium ES Edition with eSATA did 'NOT' come with an eSATA cable. Both came with their own power cords - nice long ones too. Neither of these two can be connected directly to a network, but if your PCs are part of a home network, or small business type network, as mine are, then I just plug them into one of the main PCs and I put a "share" on the drive so that any PC on my network can access it. If you have important information on your PC, back it up! And if you are like me, previously my backups were stored right next to my PC (not good!) So, now, I use one of these 500 GB drives as the primary backup drive for my PCs, and I keep that right next to one of my PCs. But then weekly, I use the other 500 GB drive to backup the backup drive - and then I keep that one in a fireproof / waterproof safe. You can get these for $30-100, depending on their size, at office stores or online. I like the Sentry line of products.

No Problems
Date: 2007-04-23 | Rating: 5
I got this drive because my 250 GB version was getting close to being full. So now I use this as my primary data storage drive and leave it in all the time and use my 2-250 GB as backup drives and unplug them when not in use. I have had this drive for about 6 months now and it has never given me any problems and I have had the 2-Western Digital WDG1U2500 My Book Essential Edition 250 GB Hard Drive for over a year with no problems. They are pretty small and fit nicely on a shelf near my computer and I can't even tell they are running over the computer fan so they are pretty quite. External hard drives are much better than internal, if your computer dies you still have everything right there and can plug it into another computer any time you want without opening it up, ripping things apart, setting jumpers etc. So if you are looking for a small, reliable, quite external drive, look no further.

I'm Very Pleased
Date: 2007-05-06 | Rating: 5
I got it, plugged it in, and without any wait, I started saving my data from my overloaded pc into this external hard drive without any problems. It runs cooler than most other external hard drives, and I can hardly hear it working. It must be reformatted to NTFS in order to take advantage of its large capacity, and that is no problem, either.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Western Digital My Book Essential 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1U20000N (Black)

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$249.99~~

Accessories
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- AmazonBasics IEEE 1394 4-Pin/6-Pin FireWire Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]

Features
- Easy to set up, easy to use: Just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is no CD to install.
- Automatic backup: every time you save something it's automatically backed up.
- Fits right in: Takes no more space than a paperback book.
- Environmentally friendly: Designed to save power by going into standby mode after 10 minutes of inactivity
- Interface: USB 2.0

Product Description
Are you running out of hard drive capacity? Do you need to archive some important digital documents, photos, or music? The Western Digital WDH1U10000N My Book Essential Edition 2.0 1 TB external hard drive, which takes no more space than a paperback book, is the perfect solution. Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a shelf.

Customer Reviews

Very good external hard drive
Date: 2009-08-11 | Rating: 5
This is a great external hard drive. We bought two, and swap them out weekly for backups, and it has performed fantastic. The transfer speed is very fast, and hookup was simple and fast. I would definitely buy this hard drive again.

The Future is here
Date: 2009-09-15 | Rating: 5
WD has done it again. This 2TB External Hard Drive is the essence of simplicity and modern design. The external size is the same as the 500 GB WD that I purchased mere months ago. Now, it contains 4X that memory. This makes eight WD drives in my Media Center and I have had perfect success. Thank you WD!!!

Quiet And Compact
Date: 2009-09-17 | Rating: 5
Plugged it in and it was there. Am using WinXP, so I reformatted the drive. It runs very quiet, and appears to be well ventilated to keep it cool. We use it for music and seems very fast. I would definitely buy it again. Amazon had a very good price.

Love it!
Date: 2009-11-01 | Rating: 5
Works fabulously! I have moved most of my personal data to it; all video, music, and picture files - and am installing any new programs to it instead of to my laptop's hard drive. There is a few second delay in finding the files at first, only because it seems to be resting and has to sort of wake up - but nothing that is irritating.

Seamless connection, slow copy
Date: 2009-08-06 | Rating: 4
I bought the 2TB WD My Book in exchange to the aging 1TB My Book (and previously the 500GB My Book). There are very few changes. This time they fixed the loose usb coupling on the unit. Everything works as advertised. The unit connects easily to my windows xp sp2 laptop as well as to my windows vista laptop. With the 500GB I had to reboot windows vista. Now i don't. The only thing I don't like is the speed, it only averaged 5MB/s of write speed when I copied the data from the old one. I also recommend to format it to NTFS since it comes with FAT32. Formatting to NTFS makes it work faster and allows you to copy 4GB+ files which many of us increasingly have. A marginal plus is the polished black finish that goes with my Panasonic flat screen.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Western Digital My Book Home 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1CS5000N

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$154.99~~

Accessories
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- AmazonBasics IEEE 1394 4-Pin/6-Pin FireWire Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- Western Digital My Book Home Edition 750 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1CS7500N

Features
- Sold Individually

Product Description
Preserve your precious memories with this ideal combination of elegant, reliable storage and automatic backup features. Your baby's first step, your wedding in Bali, all your important milestones...all captured in digital photos and video. What could be more important? Store them safely and keep them backed up on My Book Home Edition external hard drives.

Customer Reviews

Excellent and flexible external hard drive
Date: 2008-03-25 | Rating: 5
I have this drive and also the 1 TB version, connected to two different PCs each running Windows XP Pro SP2. Both drives are excellent although I will mention one caveat below about the other 1 TB unit. I have not experienced any problems with this 500 GB drive. The drives both installed easily and automatically. They come formatted for FAT32 which makes them compatible with earlier versions of Windows although it limits file sizes. Windows Disk Management easily reformats them to NTFS. Although the reformat takes several hours. You can continue using the PC itself, though, while the reformat proceeds. Something unusual about the USB2 and eSATA interfaces. I tried the USB2 interface on both drives. I also tried the eSATA interface - in one case connecting to an eSATA port through a PCI card (and the PC has a 33 MHz PCI bus, not a 66 MHz PCI bus) and in the other case to a PCIx PCI Express interface. In both cases (!), the USB2 interface provided faster throughput than the eSATA interface. I believe the limitation is inside the PC, and NOT inside the drive. Nevertheless, it transfers about 1.6 GB in about 2.5 to 3.0 minutes. Plenty fast for my use. I now use the USB2 interface. Note that the fancy although difficult to interpret white LED display in the front of the drive works with USB and FireWire although not with eSATA. This 500 GB drive is super quiet all the time. The 1 TB unit is a bit odd. After accessing it, some time later it will sometimes make a low-level rapid clicking/whirring noise until the drive is again accessed at which time the noise stops. I actually replaced the 1 TB drive through WD and both drives did this. The drive passes the extended diagnostic test and WD says I am probably hearing a normal noise. I took it off the desktop and put it on top of the mini-tower so the noise no longer bothers me. I use Acronis software to do disk image backups with these drives and also do simple backups of user folders through Windows. The drives makes this so easy. I wholeheartedly recommend this 500 GB drive and also recommend the 1 TB unit although be aware of the possible noise.

Very Quick and Easy Setup
Date: 2007-11-20 | Rating: 5
I selected this unit because I use an iMac for my home business and I generate a lot of photos....over 50,000 high-res images in the past two years. I settled on the Western Digital My Book HD because of its Firewire 400 hookup and its 500 GB of storage. The fact that the manufacturer markets to Mac users was also a plus. It took me all of 5 minutes to unpack the device, hook it up using the supplied Firewire cable, plug it in, and start using it. I set up the hard drive to transfer 1,368 photos (a wedding I shot two weekends ago), then walked away. In 30 (or so) minutes all images were copied to the device...flawlessly and efficiently. I have two other external HDs that I also copy photos to, but the Western Digital My Book HD was vastly superior to them in terms of ease of setup and startup.

Great item, ports not large enough
Date: 2008-03-25 | Rating: 5
I have used the WD 500 GB My Book Home Edition for about a month now. Everything worked great. The only slight issue is that the cut-outs in the plastic on the back for the cables are too small. The mini-USB and power cable worked fine, but I had to cut extra room the eSATA cable to plug in. Great product, good price.

Smaller than it appears but The size I need it
Date: 2008-02-22 | Rating: 5
I was unsure which one to get, but I found this and it is good, I can use it USB or Firewire, the sSata is not really usefull for me now, the plus thing I found on it is that it turns on and off automatically with the computer, so no need to go and click on the power botton.

works great
Date: 2008-07-07 | Rating: 5
this product works great! we bought this as a secondary back-up to another 500 GB drive. with 2 backup drives and 3 year warranties i am not worried about losing any digital pics!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Western Digital My Book Studio 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1Q5000N

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$209.99~~

Accessories
- Case Logic Compact Portable Hard Drive Case (Black)
- AmazonBasics IEEE 1394 4-Pin/6-Pin FireWire Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters) [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- Case Logic VHS-101 Portable Hard Drive Case (Black)

Features
- Plug-and-play setup for easy installation
- Automatically backs up important data, synchronizes files to keep them current
- Compatible with USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and 800, and eSATA
- Formatted for Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later, can be reformatted for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista
- Turns itself on and off with your computer and Safe Shutdown prevents the drive from being powered down until all your data has been written

Product Description
Speed is what you need when for video editing, big design projects, or managing photo shoots and thats what this drive delivers with FireWire 800 and eSATA connectivity. With our automatic backup capability your creative masterpieces will be backed up the minute you save them.

Customer Reviews

The perfect pairing for Time Machine
Date: 2007-11-28 | Rating: 5
I recently bought a new iMac and immediately fell in love with the Leopard operating system(I'm someone that uses both Vista and Leopard now, and as much as I hate the advocates on either side, I'm finding myself using the Mac all the time and only using my Vista box when I'm forced to). One of the features I was looking forward to using was Time Machine, which for those that aren't familiar is a new program in Leopard that automatically(automagically?) backs up your entire Mac and then does hourly backups of any changes that occur thereafter. Wow. Erased an email yesterday that all of a sudden you wished you had today? Go to Mail, click on Time Machine and then go back in time to when that email still existed on your machine and recover it. Awesome. Simple. So enough about that. Obviously you need a drive to do this, and I didn't have one until the other day when I bought this WD My Book. I plugged it in and immediately Leopard spotted it and asked me if I wanted to use it for Time Machine. I sure did! It's quiet, it's cool to the touch, and it looks cool as well! It matches my Aluminum iMac. The only downside is I hate the light on the front, which is easily solvable...I turned it around! Now if my Mac ever crashes, I can be back to exaclty where I was within 15-20 minutes. Brilliant. Thank you WD and thanks Apple for making this software a part of your base OS.

The best companion for my MacBook Pro and Time Machine!
Date: 2007-11-16 | Rating: 5
I have this model and hooked it up to my MacBook Pro using the included(!) Firewire 800 cable. Then I reformatted the drive and partitioned it to dedicate half of the drive for Time Machine and the other half for a clean install of OS X for backup in case I have troubles with my MacBook Pro. I setup the drive to shutdown whenever I remove it from my desktop or turn off my computer and setup Time Machine to do the backups on this drive. Now all I do is plug the firewire cable to my computer (which starts up the drive), start Time Machine to start a back up and when it's all done, I eject the drive from the desktop and it automatically turns the drive off and then remove the cable from the computer. The drive is very quiet and compact. It only gets really hot the first time you run Time Machine because it does that initial back up of all kinds of files, but after that, it runs cool. I always keep this drive plugged into the wall outlet and only plug the firewire cable to my computer when I want to make backups. You may want to use it on your desktop computer and keep it plugged to the computer at all times, but I take my laptop all over the house and at least once a week I hook it up to the drive to do my backups. It really doesn't matter what hard drive you use to do backups, the important thing is to do backup regularly. But with this drive (and of course, a Mac using OS X 10.5, specifically using the Time Machine backup software) this process is soooo much easier, it is truly the poster child of real "plug and play" (and backup, in this case).

Works Magic for the Mac
Date: 2008-02-06 | Rating: 5
I am speaking about the My Studio 500GB for the Mac. In looking for a good external storage device for regular daily back-up I was guided to all sorts of products. But the My Studio was recommended the most and even was a highly recommended drive from the experts at Apple. The installation was easy (just connect and the software is loaded onto the computer automatically). Keep the software icon in the dock and you are all set. I travel a lot and I use the MacBook Pro (I still use Tiger OS X) and when I get home I simply attach the Firewire 800 (included in the box along with Firewire 400 and a USB cord) and the External Drive updates my backup within seconds. Yes, the initial back-up of the files took about 45 minutes, but then I had a lot of huge files and photos and music on my internal drive. But now, I leave the My Studio plugged into the power outlet and all I need to do is attach the firewire and the external drive turns on and backs up any changes within a minute. I can purge deleted files if I want, but I prefer to keep old files and the 500GB has the room. When I leave, I just quit the software and eject the My Book and it turns off all by itself (don't touch the on/off button; it is all automatic). I highly recommend this to Mac users. Don't get the WD 500GB for the PC even though it says it is good for Mac. You have to reformat the entire Drive and it does not work well with Mac. It costs a little more for the My Studio 500GB for Mac, but the ease of use is well worth it. Thanks Apple for the recommendation!

Very Quiet and Fast.
Date: 2007-11-01 | Rating: 5
The Western Digital My Book Studio Edition 500GB was an excellent purchase from the Apple store. I previously owned a LaCie d2 160GB with firewire 800 hard drive which did the job but just became to small to hold my backups. It is not easy to find an enclosure with firewire 800 and eSATA with a 16 MB cache/7200 rpm speed. What I did not realize until I used the WD hard drive was how obnoxiously noisy the LaCie was when it ran. This WD is hardly audible and fast. I did not use the backup software that was included (no cd, it's on the drive) since Leopard has Time Machine. However, I am using the Smart Power software which powers on and off the WD hard drive in sync with the Mac. It was difficult to get the WD to show up on the Mac, but after power cycling and re-attaching the firewire 800 it was good to go. Please remember I have only had this for one day, but the money is well spent!

Quick, cool, quiet
Date: 2007-11-02 | Rating: 5
I've had this hard drive for a few days and I have it hooked up to my Dell XPS Laptop. My notebook is very very quiet and this hard drive is a little noisy when you have dead silence. It is very small and cool looking. It stays pretty cool temperature wise as well. The light in the front is much less bright than the previous versions of Western Digital's hard drives, and I like this one much better. If the hard drive is in sight though, the light can get a little annoying because it is pretty much always moving around and pulsing. Speed wise it is one of the fastest I have used. And I am using USB. The coolest feature I think is how it starts up and shuts down with you PC. Very handy compared to other hard drives I have owned. One small problem that I have run into is that when I shutdown my computer, it doesn't always recognize this hard drive when I get back into Windows. I mostly just put my notebook to sleep, when it wakes up, the hard drive wakes up with it and works great. But for some reason when I shutdown and start up again, it never recognizes it. I have to unplug it and hook it up agian. A little annoying, but I don't shutdown much. Overall, I would highly recemmend this hard drive. Granted I have only had it for a few days, but it has suprized me in speed and reliablilty. UPDATE... This hard drive crapped out on me after less than a month. It just stopped working and I lost all of my information. Really really sucked. DO NOT BUY!!!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 160 GB External Hard Drive WDH1U1600N

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$94.99~~

Accessories
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition FULL VERSION with SP2
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
- Quicken Deluxe 2010
- Kaspersky Antivirus 2010 1-User
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 8

Features
- Box Contents - External hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter and Quick Install Guide
- Easy to set up, easy to use - Installation is a snap because you don't really install this drive, you just plug it in and it's ready to use
- USB 2.0 interface - A simple connection that offers convenience and compatibility among multiple computers
- Fits right in - Takes no more space than a paperback book
- Smart and energy efficient - Turns itself on and off with your computer

Product Description
They're your photos...your music...your videos... your important files. Make extra room for them and keep them safe on My Book Essential Edition USB 2.0 external hard drive from WD . Easy to set up, easy to use - this drive is all about simplicity. Plug it into your computer's USB 2.0 port and start saving. It's so simple and integrated that the drive even turns on and off with your computer. With just the essential features for add-on storage it's perfect for all your precious digital assets.

Customer Reviews

Great Hard Drive, Great Price
Date: 2008-03-25 | Rating: 5
I have had this for over three weeks now, and the hard drive is great. No set up, at all. No disk to put in or anything. Just plug it in and your ready to go. It has some free trial software that comes with it, but I recomend not installing it and just backing up manually or using an anti virus program. Also, I have a Dish HD DVR and I was able to use this hard drive to expand the storage space of my cable box. This was really worth the money. I have this hard drive in a safe spot so it doesn't fall or get bumped. Im not going to test its durability, but any hard drive will become damaged if its droped so be carefull.

I don't understand the bad reviews
Date: 2008-07-30 | Rating: 5
I have one of these external hard drives, I received it as a gift, and I've been using it for almost two years. I connect via a USB mini cable, I run Windows XP OS. I haven't had any problems whatsoever with this hard drive. It's been working since I first plugged it in. Take it out of the box, plug in the power and connect it to the PC. I've stored large files on it even in the FAT mode. I keep ebooks, videos, movies, music and pics on it, and I use it every single day. I have no problem with the speed of downloads and transfers, and frankly I can't understand anyone who does. The only possible conclusion I can come to, is that some people are so used to instant gratification that any delay is intolerable. *Shrug* I've had no problems with the computer acknowledging the drive, it operates quietly. But then again I have mine set up on a wire rack that doesn't impede airflow around the unit. There are airflow vents even on the bottom of the casing. I can touch it right now and it's cool to the touch. If you've got one set up on a solid surface you're blocking 1/3 of the cooling vents. I suggest investing in a small wire rack. They're cheap. It may not be sexy, but your external hard drive will thank you for it. And if you care more about how it looks than your data. Well what else is there to say? Maybe all these people with horror stories just got bad units. It happens. There are lemons in any kind of manufacturing. But I can assure you that I will be buying another one of these units to back up the one I have just in case. If you're that concerned about your data, back up your stuff on DVDs or CDs as well, and keep them in a safe location. There are no guarantees in life and that includes technology, but I've been very pleased with this hard drive. As much as I use it, you would think that if it was going to fail it would have failed already. But everything we buy does age and wear out, so before the next year is up I will be buying a new My Book to replace this one before the one I'm using wears out. Having said that, I'll say this. Recently I discovered, to my shock, that good shills, and bad shills, haunt review sites and post good things and bad things about products. This disgusts me. The whole point of reviews is to get information from other people about the product. I've seen competitors write crappy reviews and the seller shilling with good reviews. The only reviews I trust are my own because I don't spend enough time doing reviews to know who is who, I'm sure a great majority of other people don't either. Amazon needs to make people reviewing these products sign an agreement that they don't work for the selling company or a competitor and prosecute those who violate the agreement. I've gotten to the point where I don't trust the reviews here on Amazon. I just find someone I know that has one and I ask them about it. It's too bad corporate America can't produce products good enough to stand behind and feel like they have to put their employees online to tout their products. If the flipping product is good, you don't have to shill it. And I'll die a thousand deaths before I buy any product I find being sold in that manner. And I won't buy anything from a competitor that uses dirty underhanded tactics to undermine someone else's products. After all if a company engages in that kind of behavior, how are they going to treat their customers?

Great price, great performance, looks sleek to boot.
Date: 2008-11-21 | Rating: 5
I have been buying and using external harddrives for ages. When I shoot video, and do editing, I store the finished footage on these harddrives. When I shoot images and pictures I store backups of my raw files, and finished psds/jpg. Obviously, these files are very important to me, and thanks to past experience, I refuse to trust 1 drive to house all my important stuff. I owned another external harddrive, and it died, it was my incredible misfortune. I was switching to a new computer, and took the files off my harddrive, onto a new drive, (that I had for over a month and tested fine) and after my new computer arrived (and subsequently sold my previous computer) I went to backup my photos and the drive started smoking. I lost a whole trips worth of photos (40+gb) tons of panoramas (that I spent hours constructing) it all went to pot. I learned then, I'm never going to buy any other brand of external harddrive than a Western Digital, and I will always backup twice. I have been using WD drives for years now. I have several stored "offsite" and each one is labeled, I have a 3 ring binder that houses the index of my shoots. I can honestly say, out of 20 WD drives, only 1 has died. That might of been my fault. I usually "eject" drives, then unplug and plug the cords into another drive, I think the connection may of been weak, and it caused the drive to smoke, thus rendering it useless. This is the only case of a bad WD drive I have ever bought, and thats good odds (my other drive, was never plugged/unplugged, it just decided to smoke up, I blame bad ventilation --lacie). These WD's (especially the newer models with the blue light on top) look very sleek, you can arrange them like books. I like to put small labels on them at different areas, so I can see them from a ways back. Such as P39 For pictures 39, V12 for video 12. M02 for misc (personal stuff, like documents, themes, software, etc) and A02 for audio / video backups (bought videos and music). My 1 complaint about these drives is, the powercord. Specifically the plug that you plug into your AC adapter. The problem is it is so large that it easily takes up 2-3 spots on my AC adapter, meaning 1 ac adapter capable of holding 12 devices, can fit about 3 of these. Luckily, I researched this when I moved, and decided upon buying one of these devices: Power Sentry 5-Outlet PowerSquid Power Multiplier Power Sentry 5-Outlet PowerSquid Surge Suppressor Power Squid with 5 Outlets - White With these, it eliminates that problem. One of the great things about these drives are, they all use the same connectors. If you have an older model WD drive, it uses a bigger USB cord, but the power cord is backwards compatible, so you do not need to plug in a new power cord to read your previous devices. I have a WD drive (older model, several years old, several years abused) that I use as my computer backup drive, it is on all the time, and never gives me an issue. I used to work in IT, and when I was building computers all the time, I always choose WD drives. This lead to me one day buying a "mybook" over buying an external case and putting in a harddrive like I used to. I haven't regretted it yet. Remember, the drive may die on you one day. The best things to do is either not use it all the time, only plug it in to get new data off the drive, or backup. Or if your getting it for extra space on your laptop, get 2. 1 to use all the time, and leave the other for your backup. This reduces the chance that something bad will happen to you. Again, out of all the drives available here on amazon, I cannot recommend one more strongly than WD, it is the only drive I spend my money on. With amazons new low price, it is worth getting the 750 (698.46 gigs of usable space) over the smaller priced 500. It is now worth it to skip the 500's completely, and go to 750s (1tbs are still to high right now).

nice simplistic device-- works well, no frills, good price
Date: 2007-07-10 | Rating: 5
When setting up a Windows Home Server for my growing media collection (funny how quickly your collection grows when you start archiving DVR content!) I decided to use external USB drives. After a bit of research, I decided on the MyBook Essential 500 gig unit for a couple reasons: 1.) Reasonable price, no features that I didn't need 2.) Attractive, minimalist design 3.) stacks easily I have since bought 4 of them, and plan to buy a few more. I'm very pleased... the drives have been 100% reliable despite a year of constant heavy use, and are quieter than any of the other external hard drives I own. They also generate less heat. (The other drives are Maxtor OneTouch and LaCie enclosures.)

Great Price and Good Reliability
Date: 2008-10-29 | Rating: 5
I have purchased four or five of this model in both the 500GB and 750GB sizes for my workplace about a year ago. I am very pleased with them so far. The are quiet and they are easy to hide away on your desk. They are easy to set up and format on OS X. As far as reliability, I haven't had any failures. They are used with desktops so they are rarely moved and that probably helps but I also have several Western Digital Passports that I use with laptops and they have proven just as reliable. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with Western Digital and would recommend them.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Western Digital Essential Edition 320 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive WDH1U3200N

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$93.99~~

Accessories
- Case Logic HDC-1 Medium EVA External Hard Drive Case (Black)
- Rebit Backup Software for Single PC- RSCD35000POS
- Rebit Backup Software for Multiple PCs (6) RSCD350000MPOS
- Multi-pc User CD

Features
- Sold Individually

Product Description
Small, simple, elegant, and very easy to use. Just plug it in, and you've got plenty of room to back up and save your valuable data, music, photos, and movies.

Customer Reviews

Great Hard Drive, Great Price
Date: 2008-03-25 | Rating: 5
I have had this for over three weeks now, and the hard drive is great. No set up, at all. No disk to put in or anything. Just plug it in and your ready to go. It has some free trial software that comes with it, but I recomend not installing it and just backing up manually or using an anti virus program. Also, I have a Dish HD DVR and I was able to use this hard drive to expand the storage space of my cable box. This was really worth the money. I have this hard drive in a safe spot so it doesn't fall or get bumped. Im not going to test its durability, but any hard drive will become damaged if its droped so be carefull.

I don't understand the bad reviews
Date: 2008-07-30 | Rating: 5
I have one of these external hard drives, I received it as a gift, and I've been using it for almost two years. I connect via a USB mini cable, I run Windows XP OS. I haven't had any problems whatsoever with this hard drive. It's been working since I first plugged it in. Take it out of the box, plug in the power and connect it to the PC. I've stored large files on it even in the FAT mode. I keep ebooks, videos, movies, music and pics on it, and I use it every single day. I have no problem with the speed of downloads and transfers, and frankly I can't understand anyone who does. The only possible conclusion I can come to, is that some people are so used to instant gratification that any delay is intolerable. *Shrug* I've had no problems with the computer acknowledging the drive, it operates quietly. But then again I have mine set up on a wire rack that doesn't impede airflow around the unit. There are airflow vents even on the bottom of the casing. I can touch it right now and it's cool to the touch. If you've got one set up on a solid surface you're blocking 1/3 of the cooling vents. I suggest investing in a small wire rack. They're cheap. It may not be sexy, but your external hard drive will thank you for it. And if you care more about how it looks than your data. Well what else is there to say? Maybe all these people with horror stories just got bad units. It happens. There are lemons in any kind of manufacturing. But I can assure you that I will be buying another one of these units to back up the one I have just in case. If you're that concerned about your data, back up your stuff on DVDs or CDs as well, and keep them in a safe location. There are no guarantees in life and that includes technology, but I've been very pleased with this hard drive. As much as I use it, you would think that if it was going to fail it would have failed already. But everything we buy does age and wear out, so before the next year is up I will be buying a new My Book to replace this one before the one I'm using wears out. Having said that, I'll say this. Recently I discovered, to my shock, that good shills, and bad shills, haunt review sites and post good things and bad things about products. This disgusts me. The whole point of reviews is to get information from other people about the product. I've seen competitors write crappy reviews and the seller shilling with good reviews. The only reviews I trust are my own because I don't spend enough time doing reviews to know who is who, I'm sure a great majority of other people don't either. Amazon needs to make people reviewing these products sign an agreement that they don't work for the selling company or a competitor and prosecute those who violate the agreement. I've gotten to the point where I don't trust the reviews here on Amazon. I just find someone I know that has one and I ask them about it. It's too bad corporate America can't produce products good enough to stand behind and feel like they have to put their employees online to tout their products. If the flipping product is good, you don't have to shill it. And I'll die a thousand deaths before I buy any product I find being sold in that manner. And I won't buy anything from a competitor that uses dirty underhanded tactics to undermine someone else's products. After all if a company engages in that kind of behavior, how are they going to treat their customers?

Great price, great performance, looks sleek to boot.
Date: 2008-11-21 | Rating: 5
I have been buying and using external harddrives for ages. When I shoot video, and do editing, I store the finished footage on these harddrives. When I shoot images and pictures I store backups of my raw files, and finished psds/jpg. Obviously, these files are very important to me, and thanks to past experience, I refuse to trust 1 drive to house all my important stuff. I owned another external harddrive, and it died, it was my incredible misfortune. I was switching to a new computer, and took the files off my harddrive, onto a new drive, (that I had for over a month and tested fine) and after my new computer arrived (and subsequently sold my previous computer) I went to backup my photos and the drive started smoking. I lost a whole trips worth of photos (40+gb) tons of panoramas (that I spent hours constructing) it all went to pot. I learned then, I'm never going to buy any other brand of external harddrive than a Western Digital, and I will always backup twice. I have been using WD drives for years now. I have several stored "offsite" and each one is labeled, I have a 3 ring binder that houses the index of my shoots. I can honestly say, out of 20 WD drives, only 1 has died. That might of been my fault. I usually "eject" drives, then unplug and plug the cords into another drive, I think the connection may of been weak, and it caused the drive to smoke, thus rendering it useless. This is the only case of a bad WD drive I have ever bought, and thats good odds (my other drive, was never plugged/unplugged, it just decided to smoke up, I blame bad ventilation --lacie). These WD's (especially the newer models with the blue light on top) look very sleek, you can arrange them like books. I like to put small labels on them at different areas, so I can see them from a ways back. Such as P39 For pictures 39, V12 for video 12. M02 for misc (personal stuff, like documents, themes, software, etc) and A02 for audio / video backups (bought videos and music). My 1 complaint about these drives is, the powercord. Specifically the plug that you plug into your AC adapter. The problem is it is so large that it easily takes up 2-3 spots on my AC adapter, meaning 1 ac adapter capable of holding 12 devices, can fit about 3 of these. Luckily, I researched this when I moved, and decided upon buying one of these devices: Power Sentry 5-Outlet PowerSquid Power Multiplier Power Sentry 5-Outlet PowerSquid Surge Suppressor Power Squid with 5 Outlets - White With these, it eliminates that problem. One of the great things about these drives are, they all use the same connectors. If you have an older model WD drive, it uses a bigger USB cord, but the power cord is backwards compatible, so you do not need to plug in a new power cord to read your previous devices. I have a WD drive (older model, several years old, several years abused) that I use as my computer backup drive, it is on all the time, and never gives me an issue. I used to work in IT, and when I was building computers all the time, I always choose WD drives. This lead to me one day buying a "mybook" over buying an external case and putting in a harddrive like I used to. I haven't regretted it yet. Remember, the drive may die on you one day. The best things to do is either not use it all the time, only plug it in to get new data off the drive, or backup. Or if your getting it for extra space on your laptop, get 2. 1 to use all the time, and leave the other for your backup. This reduces the chance that something bad will happen to you. Again, out of all the drives available here on amazon, I cannot recommend one more strongly than WD, it is the only drive I spend my money on. With amazons new low price, it is worth getting the 750 (698.46 gigs of usable space) over the smaller priced 500. It is now worth it to skip the 500's completely, and go to 750s (1tbs are still to high right now).

nice simplistic device-- works well, no frills, good price
Date: 2007-07-10 | Rating: 5
When setting up a Windows Home Server for my growing media collection (funny how quickly your collection grows when you start archiving DVR content!) I decided to use external USB drives. After a bit of research, I decided on the MyBook Essential 500 gig unit for a couple reasons: 1.) Reasonable price, no features that I didn't need 2.) Attractive, minimalist design 3.) stacks easily I have since bought 4 of them, and plan to buy a few more. I'm very pleased... the drives have been 100% reliable despite a year of constant heavy use, and are quieter than any of the other external hard drives I own. They also generate less heat. (The other drives are Maxtor OneTouch and LaCie enclosures.)

Great Price and Good Reliability
Date: 2008-10-29 | Rating: 5
I have purchased four or five of this model in both the 500GB and 750GB sizes for my workplace about a year ago. I am very pleased with them so far. The are quiet and they are easy to hide away on your desk. They are easy to set up and format on OS X. As far as reliability, I haven't had any failures. They are used with desktops so they are rarely moved and that probably helps but I also have several Western Digital Passports that I use with laptops and they have proven just as reliable. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with Western Digital and would recommend them.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Western Digital WDG1U2500 My Book Essential Edition 250 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$199.99~~

Accessories
- Rebit Backup Software for Single PC- RSCD35000POS
- Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate FULL VERSION [DVD] [OLD VERSION]
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium FULL VERSION [DVD] [OLD VERSION]
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit for System Builders [DVD]

Features
- Store and back up your music, photos, videos and important documents with this external hard drive
- Easy to set up and use with built-in installation software
- Simple user interface features USB 2.0 connectivity
- Device holds up to 250 GB of data
- Measures 5.55 x 2.25 x 6.71 inches (WxHxD)

Product Description
Small, simple, elegant, and very easy to use. Just plug it in, and you've got plenty of room to back up and save your valuable data, music, photos, and movies.

Amazon.com Product Description
Is your computer loaded with photos, music, video, and all sorts of important files? If so, you should make extra room, back them up, and keep them safe on Western Digital's WDG1U2500 My Book Essential Edition 250 GB Hard Drive. This reliable, easy-to-use external hard drive is the perfect storage solution for all your precious digital assets. Save and back up all your digital assets with the My Book Essential Edition Hard Drive. View larger. Simple, easy-to-use design. Connects to your computer via USB 2.0 interface. View larger. The elegant case takes up very little space. Installation is a breeze because you don't really "install" anything -- just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is not even an installation CD because all the included software loads automatically from the hard drive the first time you plug it in. The My Book Essential is all about simplicity. Just plug it into your computer's USB 2.0 port and you're ready to start saving and backing up your files. But that's not all. Western Digital uses a smart design to make the My Book Essential look as good as it performs. The elegant case resembles a book and takes up very little space on your desk. Plus, it stacks horizontally and allows two or more drives to nestle neatly together like encyclopedias on a shelf. Inside the stylish exterior is an exceptionally fast, ultra-quiet, cool-running hard drive. Last but not least, the My Book Essential is equipped with free Google software that searches your drives, manages your photos, and simplifies Web searches. My Book Essential Edition Hard Drives are ideal for: Simple add-on storage for your files, music, photos and movies Adding virtually unlimited storage with multiple USB 2.0 external hard drives Archiving the music stored on your MP3 player Adding plenty of space for digital video capture and editing Saving and organizing your digital photo collection Note: For higher performance and automatic backup software, consider the My Book Premium Edition 250 GB Hard Drive. What's in the Box My Book Essential 250 GB USB 2.0 external hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter with power cord, and quick install guide.

Customer Reviews

My Book is a great addition to your pc station
Date: 2006-11-03 | Rating: 5
I purchased the Western Digital 250GB "My Book" 250 GB Hard Drive about a month ago. Unlike a lot of products I purchase, I did not do a lot of research on this, I needed extra space for some files and I needed it soon. For the price, it was perfect compared to some of the other drives out there, which may boast more features but give you less total storage space. I have not encountered a single crash with mine. I noticed from other reviewers that several are experiencing this. I don't know what else to tell you, the possible consumer, except for the fact that I have had no trouble with it. The Hard drive is sleek and small, sitting next to any computer tower without taking up desk space. It's also small enough to easily carry in a backpack or small bag. Everyone seems to be going ga-ga over whether something is used with Fire wire or not, but with USB 2.0 I have no issues. Its not how fast I can get something on or off of this hard drive, my main concern was the space it offered. USB 2.0 is not bad at all and in less than 30 minutes had transferred over 35 GB of data to it in the forms of word documents, music files, movie files, Adobe documents, and pictures. The only downfall is I cannot seem to find a carry case for this type of hard drive. Everything seems to be made either for a specific brand that is a hindrance since the size is not universal, or made for a laptop. In this case I guess I can improvise and just buy a hard shell meant for a handgun and cut the foam accordingly to fit the shape. I've never had any issues when booting up, nor disconnecting. It may seem hasty I am reviewing it after only a month but I use it every day and have yet to have any bad experiences with it. I have not regretted purchasing it yet and have really enjoyed it.

couldn't be easier
Date: 2006-12-07 | Rating: 5
steps 1- Unboxed it. 2- Plugged the power cord 3- Plugged the usb cable to the computer 4- BAM!!! Additional 250Gb I didn't install any software. Windows XP automatically recognizes this as an additional logical drive. The only bad thing is that it comes formatted as FAT from factory. But nothing a good reformat won't solve. Transfer rate is excellent. I actually plugged this to my server and shared it on windows so I could access it on my home network. Now I can easily backup files from my laptop to this device (that's actually connected to the server) For those giving bad reviews because it crashed... Keep it in mind that it's a hard drive... Hard drives do crash... That's just something they do. You should always keep 2 backups. Actually, I'm now researching online backup services (like Genie Backup). What good are 10 backups in my house if there's a fire (knock on wood) and it destroys my computer and all the backups I had. Really great product for the price.

A+ Drive
Date: 2006-11-25 | Rating: 5
We bought 6 for our office as back-up drives for each pc. They are now around 6 months old and have never failed. They work flawlessly. I don't know why people say they have had crashes. We back up large projects daily and have never had an issue with any of them. I would highly recommend them to anyone considering an external hard drive. Just a update we still have the original 6 drives and after 18 plus months of heavy use none have failed...

Very Satisfied
Date: 2006-09-06 | Rating: 5
This thing was almost TOO simple to set up. You just plug it in and it's all set. Some people will look for a CD or some other software and be frustrated, but you're assuming more complication than there is. The software is on the hard drive and it installs itself. I also reformatted the drive to the newer standard, and I lost some GB in the process, don't know why, but with my computer it took less than a minute to reformat and partition the drive. I put programs in one section and files in the other. The drive does turn off, or, as I think about it, go into sleep mode if you don't use it for a while. That means when you go to save something, you have to wait a couple of extra seconds for it to wake up. Once I understood this it didn't bother me. I have this on my shelf, and not only does it look cool, I can't hear it at all. You can't go wrong with this drive, especially for the price with all these rebates around.

Great backup drive
Date: 2006-11-24 | Rating: 5
I bought this drive about a month ago and it works great. It was easy to set up and it works very much like a large USB flash drive. I mainly use the My Book for backup purposes and leave it turned off a majority of the time.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Western Digital My Book Studio II - 1 TB (2 x 500 GB) USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH2Q10000N

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$300.99~~

Accessories
- Mack 3 Year for External Storage Device / Hard Drive, for Items with a Retail Value of up to $500.00.
- Sandisk 64GB SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card, 90MB/s (SDCFXP-064G-A91)
- Western Digital My Book Studio II - 2 TB (2 x 1 TB) USB 2.0/FireWire 400/FireWire 800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH2Q20000N
- SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro CF memory card - UDMA 90MB/s 600x (SDCFXP-032G-A91, US Retail Package)
- SanDisk 32GB Ultra Backup USB 2.0 Flash Drive (SDCZ40-032G-A11)

Features
- Contains Dual-drive storage system, FireWire 800 cable, FireWire 800 to 400 cable, USB cable, AC adapter, Software CD, Quick Install Guide
- FireWire 800 combined with RAID 0 (Striped) yields the speed you need for smooth video editing, rendering complex 3D objects or special effects
- Designed to use only WD's GreenPower drives, the system uses about 30% less energy than standard systems and runs quietly as it doesn't need a fan
- 1TB = 1000GB Hard Drive Capacity; Pre-configured to RAID 0 (Striped)
- Helps saving huge blocks of data in record time

Product Description
Quad interface, RAID-enabled, about 30% less power consumption, formatted for Mac. The My Book Studio Edition II treads lightly on the earth and carries big performance for creative professionals.

Customer Reviews

Expanded Back-up
Date: 2008-11-29 | Rating: 5
With the ever increasing size of my digital photo library I needed to increase the size of my back-up drive. I use this unit with a Mac and set to a RAID 1 configuration for mirrored storage. RAID 1 knocks down the usable area to 931 MB. It seems to work with Apple's Time Machine back-up program and OS 10.5. I did reformat from my Mac as I have always found I have to do for external drives. After about a month, everything seems good.

A Great Product by WD
Date: 2009-11-12 | Rating: 5
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: PROS- -Exactly as advertised by Western Digital -Drive/RAID Management Software is very easy to use & works well in OS X -Works very well with AirPort Extreme Base Station -Excellent as an AirDisk for Time Machine (follow process listed elsewhere in reputable Mac Forums) -Includes FireWire 800/800, FireWire 800/400, and USB A/Mini-A Cables (the FireWire Cables alone are a big plus for new Mac Owners) CONS- -Included WD Anywhere Backup is a waste of time - does not do full system backups EXCRUCIATING DETAIL: I purchased this drive to run it from an AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) as a self-mirroring Network Attached Storage (NAS) volume in a mixed-platform environment (WinXP and OS X). MAC EXPERIENCE: Initial set-up was a snap by connecting the drive to a MacBook Pro via Firewire 800 and using the included drive/RAID management software to configure it to be a RAID 1 HFS+ volume. After following the processes to set this drive up as a Time Machine target, it has performed flawlessly. PLEASE NOTE: Using any drive as a Time Machine target via an AEBS IS NOT SUPPORTED BY APPLE. WinXP EXPERIENCE: This drive was made available to my Windows Platforms via an AEBS. Mounting this volume was handled automatically by AirPort Base Station Agent. PLEASE NOTE: If using this drive on an AEBS in a Windows Environment, the AirPort Base Station Agent translates HFS+ File System into FAT32 in real time. For most new applications, this will not be an issue BUT some legacy software will either hang or post an error if writing a file larger than the 4GB limit in the FAT32 specification (this happened to me with Ghost v9), but I was able to establish a workaround. OVERALL: This drive has performed HOURS of continuous READ/WRITE without any of the disconnect/dismount problems reported by other users (please see my note in the paragraph above as to my theory on why that happens). The Power Save mode is mostly transparent although there will be a minor delay as it restores itself. This is my third WD "MyBook" purchase, all of which have been dependable workhorses.

Excellent drive for use with time machine on apple OSX
Date: 2008-06-19 | Rating: 5
I bought this drive to serve as a backup disk for my iMac. Its working great, and the large capacity allows for "longer" range of backup.. I can go back over amonth and restore files long lost.

Cheap, reliable storage for Time Machine
Date: 2008-08-12 | Rating: 5
Using this drive with RAID level 1 and Time Machine is an easy way to get backup storage you can trust for the Mac. I prepared by downloading the latest driver from Western Digital and installing it instead of the driver on the CD. I turned off Time Machine so it wouldn't prompt me to use the drive the first time I plugged it in. When the drive arrived, I followed the instructions on the quick start card to change the drive to RAID level 1. (This uses the second drive for redundant storage. If a drive fails, you just pull it out and replace it, without losing data.) Then I turned on Time Machine and clicked Change Disk. The WD drives in the enclosure are WD5000AAVS "Caviar Green" drives. The rotation speed varies depending on a number of factors, mostly to save power. That's why the data sheet doesn't specify 5400 or 7200 rpm. I tested the heat issue by copying files for an hour and then opening the enclosure. The drives were almost too hot to touch. However, I don't think this is an issue in practice, since the drives don't normally need to run for such an extended period. I would rather have them quiet--and redundant.

Mac Mini Music Server eSata Modification
Date: 2009-06-16 | Rating: 5
I was a little apprehensive about buying this external hard drive because of the issues staying connected via Firewire. Well it does drop offline on occasion with Firewire or USB. (However I find this is normal with all USB/Firewire hard drive I have owned). I use my 2009 Mac Mini strictly as a music server and hooking up to eSata proved to be as reliable as my internal Super Talent Ultradrive SSD drive I added. To add eSata to the Mac Mini I removed the internal ROM drive an added a special Sata to eSata chassis cable. (Buy them at CPU Stuff dot com, item SKU: ESATABKTM8I)The sata end of the cable has to be secured with a dab of silicone as the internal ROM drive uses a Slim Sata connection. (I now use and external USB Blue Ray drive) I then used a Dremmal Cutting Wheel to cut out the area where the Kennsington Lock was. Next I modified the plastic chassis mount end of the eSata adapter cable to fit in this new hole. The Mac Mini case comes apart easily with a pizza cutter, forget the putty knives other people suggest. When you put the Mini back together the top of the case pinches the modifed eSata connection and holds it securely. Nice! Hooking up the My Book Studio Edition RAID 1 with eSata is the only way to get a totally reliable and fast hard drive connection for secure music storage. To bad Mac doesn't offer this connection standard on their computers. You need to buy your own eSata cable as it is not included with the Studio Edition. My Mac Mini Music Server works awesome.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Western Digital My Book Studio 320 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1Q3200N

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$137.99~~

Accessories
- Western Digital 750 GB My Book Studio Edition USB 2.0 Esata FW400 FW800
- Western Digital My Book Studio 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1Q5000N
- My Book Studio Edition WDH1Q10000 - Hard drive - 1 TB - external - FireWire / FireWire 800 / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300

Features
- Sold Individually

Product Description
Speed is what you need when for video editing, big design projects, or managing photo shoots and that's what this drive delivers with FireWire 800 and eSATA connectivity. With an automatic backup capability your creative masterpieces will be backed up the minute you save them.Installation is a snap because you don't really install this drive, you 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.Back up important projects to multiple destinations including files servers, portable drives and My Book. Synchronize project files to keep them current and secure. Set it and forget it; every time you save a change it's automatically backed up.Powerful quad interface - USB 2.0 - for convenience and compatibility among multiple computers, FireWire 400 and 800 - high-performance interfaces that are perfect for Macintosh computers, eSATA 3 Gb/s - the ultra-fast eSATA interface gives you speed comparable to a state-of-the-art internal hard drive.Set up with HFS+ Journaled formatting for complete Macintosh compatibility.Takes no more space than a paperback book. Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a shelf.See at a glance how much space is available on your drive. (Works with the USB and FireWire connection only.)This environmentally-friendly drive is designed to save power by going into standby mode after 10 minutes of inactivity. When you're ready to use it, My Book wakes up automatically.This drive turns itself on and off with your computer and Safe Shutdown prevents the drive from being powered down until all your data has been written. (Works with the USB and FireWire connections only.)The My Book enclosure's heat dissipating design with Morse Code prevents heat buildup... a notorious data killer. How cool is that?

Customer Reviews

Works Great with a Mac
Date: 2008-04-11 | Rating: 5
I purchased this drive to back up files on my 2.33GhZ 17" Apple laptop. It worked perfectly right out of the box. Plus it looks great. I'm using the SuperDuper freeware utility to back up my files.

Worked flawlessly out of the box
Date: 2008-11-28 | Rating: 5
I have been using this connected via FW800 for about 6 months now with no problems at all. My primary drive gets backed up to this drive every night - it worked perfectly right out of the box

Review of Western Digital 320 GB for the Mac
Date: 2009-08-04 | Rating: 5
This was a simple installation, just plugged the USB connector into my MacBook, turned on the external hard drive and it worked right away using Mac's Time Machine software.

won't work at all
Date: 2008-01-09 | Rating: 1
I have a Macbook with a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo drive and 2 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM running OS X Leopard. I bought this drive about three hours ago. I brought it home, unpacked it, and started it up according to the instructions included in the box. Nothing happened. It will not mount to my desktop. My computer won't recognize it at all so disk utilities has been no help. I searched the Western Digital support website for help and found nothing useful, so I called customer service. After about 20 minutes on the phone and countless tests, I was told to return the drive to the store from which I purchased it. I would not recommend this drive to anyone.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Western Digital 750 GB My Book Studio Edition USB 2.0 Esata FW400 FW800

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$149.99~~

Accessories
- SanDisk Ultra Backup 64 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ40-064G-A11
- Case Logic HDC-1 Medium EVA External Hard Drive Case (Black)
- My Book Studio Edition WDH1Q10000 - Hard drive - 1 TB - external - FireWire / FireWire 800 / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300
- Western Digital My Book Studio 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1Q5000N
- Mack 3 Year for External Storage Device / Hard Drive, for Items with a Retail Value of up to $500.00.

Features
- Easy to set up, easy to use: Installation is a snap because you don't really install this drive, you 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
- Automatic backup: Back up important projects to multiple destinations including files servers, portable drives and My Book. Synchronize project files to keep them current and secure. Set it and forget it; every time you save a change it's automatically backed up
- Powerful quad interface: For convenience and compatibility among multiple computers, FireWire 400 and 800 - High-performance interfaces that are perfect for Macintosh computers, eSATA 3 Gb/s - The ultra-fast eSATA interface gives you speed comparable to a state-of-the-art internal hard drive
- Formatted for Macintosh: Set up with HFS+ Journaled formatting for complete Macintosh compatibility. Software included requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later. Can easily be reformatted for Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Fits right in: Takes no more space than a paperback book. Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a shelf

Product Description
Speed is what you need when for video editing, big design projects, or managing photo shoots and that's what this drive delivers with FireWire 800 and eSATA connectivity. With the automatic backup capability your creative masterpieces will be backed up the minute you save them.Set it and forget it; every time you save a change it?s automatically backed up. The drive is nestled in an elegant, small-footprint enclosure, reminiscent of a book, and provides massive storage capacity without overcrowding your desk.

Customer Reviews

Great External Storage
Date: 2008-05-26 | Rating: 5
I have no complaints about this drive thus far. It worked just like it was supposed to right out of the box. The Firewire 800 transfer speeds are excellent. I like the automatic sleep feature as well. *Leopard users make sure to upgrade the firmware to the newest version to get the most compatibility out of this drive.

My Book Studio Review
Date: 2008-04-05 | Rating: 5
This WD device set up easily and has worked flawlessly as my backup and video drive

Great Drive
Date: 2008-12-06 | Rating: 5
The drive sets up very easily with Time Machine. Speed is fantastic (FW800). No problems at all.

Western Digital 750 Gb Studio edition
Date: 2009-05-30 | Rating: 5
This product was easy to to install & setup. The only distraction was having to find & install the recommended upgrade which was extensive & time consuming. Since installation, the device has performed as advertised.

Great Video Storage Device
Date: 2009-11-02 | Rating: 5
I do a lot of video editing and this is one of several WD multi-interface external drives used with my iMac. All three of the WD external drives and my camcorder's DV output jack are daisy chained to my computer via the FireWire 800 interface. Installing this drive couldn't have been easier. Plugged in the power, attached the provided IEEE cables to my other externals, and my iMac immediately recognized the drive. Works great and am very pleased with its size and virtually noiseless operation.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

My Book Studio Edition WDH1Q10000 - Hard drive - 1 TB - external - FireWire / FireWire 800 / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300

From Western Digital

Price:	~~$451.99~~

Accessories
- Case Logic HDC-1 Medium EVA External Hard Drive Case (Black)
- LaCie Big Disk Extreme+ 1 TB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/FireWire 800 Desktop External Hard Drive 301199U
- Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.11 Bulk/OEM Hard Drive ST31000340AS [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
- Hitachi Ultrastar A7K1000 - Hard drive - 1 TB - internal - 3.5" - SATA-300 - 7200 rpm - buffer: 32 MB
- Western Digital My Book Studio 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1Q5000N

Features
- This drive is formatted and the pre-loaded software is designed for a Macintosh operating system

Product Description
Speed is what you need for video editing, big design projects, or managing photo shoots and that's what this drive delivers with FireWire 800 and eSATA connectivity. With our automatic backup capability your creative masterpieces will be backed up the minute you save them.

Customer Reviews

Great drive for Macs! Love it!
Date: 2008-06-13 | Rating: 5
I've done a lot of research in purchasing an external drive for my iMac and this drive came as my #1 choice. First of all I would like to address all the other reviewers saying they have problems with this product - please note that YOU MUST UPGRADE product's firmware software before you can use it with Leopard (a small download from WD web site and software installation)! In my product packaging I've had a written notice on this from WD and this was the first thing I did! This is the only con I have for this product, however once your firmware is updated, the drive works like a charm!!! WD made this model specifically for Macs, the drive is even HFS+ (Apple) formatted. I've also seen this drive being sold in Apple retail stores! I've had this drive for the last couple of months and I've never had problems with it, I love it! The product is very much aesthetically pleasing, its operation is dead quiet and I love the automated power save feature (drive powers off automatically when not in use)! The drive features quadruple interface (USB, ESATA, FW400, FW800) - I use firewire 800 and the data transfer is blazing fast!! In my research the runner up was LaCie Big Disk Extreme 1 TB having similar features as this WD drive, however besides a small difference in price, the major difference was that WD extends 5 year warranty for its WD drive, whereas LaCie gives you only 3 years warranty! I would highly recommend Western Digital My Book Studio 1TB hard drive, Mac (WDH1Q10000N) to all Mac users, you cannot go wrong with this one! :)

Exceeded expectations
Date: 2007-11-16 | Rating: 5
I had read reviews of previous versions of the WD MyBook series drives being excessively loud. This 1TB (931GB actually) drive is very quiet, just a slight hum to it. I have an iMac with a 1TB drive and I am using this WD external for Time Machine under Leopard with FireWire 800. I have had it about a month and am very pleased so far. The front has a light bar that strobes or flashes depending on what the drive is doing. Some may find that annoying (for example if used in a bedroom). I'm not sure if this can be turned off. I have not tried the backup software that came on the drive.

Great Mac Backup Drive
Date: 2008-02-18 | Rating: 5
I'm a recent switcher from PC to Mac and in the process of moving all my personal 'stuff' (digital pictures, iTunes library, documents, etc.) realized that my 300GB USB drive, while probably sufficient, would always leave me wondering if it was 'enough' for Time Machine. Info online said your backup drive should be 2-3 times the size of your hard drive, so I figured for the 320GB drive in my iMac, I should go with a 1TB backup drive. I wanted FireWire connectivity as well, so I started searching. I found this drive, and although the reviews were generally good, there were some that were scary - and who wants to take a chance with the backup of your irreplaceable memories and creations? So, I bought it and have to say I'm thrilled. It's incredibly quiet, its aluminum-silver look matches my iMac perfectly, and most of all - it works. Time Machine saw it right away, did it's initial backup overnight and I haven't had any problems going 'back in time' to retrieve files (thankfully, just to test - I haven't had any problems that caused actual data loss). Peace of mind, good price, easy-as-pie setup (on a mac, anyway), and more storage than you can shake a stick at. Go for it. If your experience is like mine, you'll be satisfied.

It works if it's not defective
Date: 2008-08-19 | Rating: 5
This is my third WD My Book Studio Edition. The first two were defective with the familiar freezing problem that WD's technical support pretended not to be familiar with (have they ever heard of Google?). After two bad drives I wanted to have my money back but WD talked me into getting a third one. So far the third works well. I gave the 5 stars to my third drive. My first two drives deserve 0 stars each. THE GOOD. Beautiful, well made, quiet, not too hot, multiple interfaces, great warranty, excellent and smooth exchange policy. THE BAD. Too many defective drives. THE UGLY. Technical support pretends that problems don't exist and I was just unlucky. Yeah right. NOTE. This is a 5200 RPM drive and not 7200 RPM (at least mine).

Excellent at first, disappointing in the the end
Date: 2008-04-13 | Rating: 5
I have owned several external hard drives with mixed results. A couple have just outright failed. This drive has been solid and the price was great. The firewire 800 on my iMac lets me back up my 750GB hard drive in half the time of my USB or other firewire 400 drives. This drive is quiet, well ventilated and yet compact enough to fit in out of the way places. I highly recommend this drive. Update: After 6 months this drive completely died and could not be recovered. Therefore I have to revoke my 5 star and say buyer beware.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Friday, February 12, 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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