WD My Book 1TB External Hard Drive Storage USB 3.0 File Backup and Storage

I have used several WD external drives, but this is the first one that required an external power source. The others were all passports (which I really like as well) powered by the USB (for laptops on the go). It was extremely easy to setup, and as my first USB 3.0, I love the speed at which it performed my complete backup. The 3.0 speed is really not so necessary after the initial backup unless you frequently store items in excess of .5 GB. It runs nicely in the background, uses minimal system resources, and I like that the included software lets you customize things like how many iterations of each file you want it to keep. I am good about using save as, but it is nice to have that extra added security knowing the odds of an original you modified is still in-tact are high. It automatically recognized multiple machines, and stores each backup separately. I considered wiping the drive of its proprietary back up software and letting windows manage my backups to the drive, but the windows auto backup does not allow for storing multiple versions of the same file, or continuous backup. Great drive, WD would have to mess up pretty big to lose my consumer loyalty.

Drive very fast w/ USB 3. Comes w/ cable that will connect to USB 2 or 3. Included software for continuous backup works well. Easy to configure. Only downside is that when I tried to make an image backup with Windows 7s backup utility, I got an error. To correct this you have to reformat the drive, which means you have to dump everything off it and put everything back on after reformat. Troubleshooting and doing required moving set me back about 3 hours. Heres the solution if anyone gets error when making image backup, and note then that it wont be usable with Windows XP: Error: 0x8078002A occurs when backing up to a 2.5 or 3.0 TB drive in Windows 7 Backup and Restore Problem: When using Windows 7 Backup and Restore with a 2.5 TB or 3.0 TB drive, the backup fails with an error code of (0x8078002A). Cause: This problem is caused by an issue with the Windows 7 Backup and Restore utility when using drives with 4K Logical sector sizes, which are found on WD 2.5 TB and larger external drives. This is different from an Advanced Format (AFD) drive which use 4K physical sector sizes. AFD drives should not cause this problem. Solution: It is still possible to use a 2.5 TB drive or larger with Windows 7 Backup and Restore, as long as you dont need to use the drive with Windows XP. Using the WD Quick Formatter tool, select the Factory Default configuration to reformat the drive. Warning: This tool will erase all data on your drive, so take the necessary precautions. After formatting the drive to Factory Default mode, the drive will be usable in Windows Vista and Windows 7. However, the drive will not be recognized in Windows XP. This is the only way to get Windows 7 Backup and Restore to work correctly.

I received this as a birthday gift from my dad and I couldnt be happier. I have never used an external drive and setting this up was super simple. I also revived it in the nick of time since my computer was having issues and the mother-bored needed to be replaced. 3 tbs is more then enough of space for my music and Sims. I havent had an issue with the USB being flimsy either as I just leave it plugged in at all times and when I must unplug it I unplug it from the computer, not the drive itself. I have to say though I was a bit shocked at the size because I expected it to be bigger, not small. But that isnt a huge deal to me. So if you arent computer savvy and need the extra space (like me) then this product is for you. **Update 5/08/2013** I still love my external drive...except that I have had to reformat it a few times since I first plugged it in. I currently at this time am in the process of reformatting it. Fingers crossed though this fixes this issue, but if not I think it will be time to send it back in exchange for a new one v.v **Update 9/03/2013** So after almost a year and a constant error I had finally gave up and sent it in. WD makes it a huge hassle just to send in an item.. However, as soon as they received it they shipped out a refurbished one and I have had it all of maybe 2 weeks...and I still get an error about the drive, letting me know the recycle bin is broken. I am not sure how to get rid of it because even reformatting my other one over and over..the error still popped up. Dont get me wrong..I still love my drive..but after this experience I wont be buying from WD again.

Well--it arrived on time. When I opened the box, the box the unit was in had one corner slightly dented. I didnt think too much of it. So I assembled it and everything seemed to be working fine. I backed up a few movie on it. But---when I tried playing it back...the drive completely shut down by itself. Id bought several external drive from Western Digital before, but I never had one so large. I was thinking the shutdown was a fluke. But as I tried using the drive--recording to the drive was effortless and trouble-free. But each time I would try running a movie Id backed up on the drive it would run for 20 minutes and freeze and or/completely shut down. You can imagine my frustration. Additional Warning: Do NOT stand this product UPRIGHT as it is shown! WHEN this HD tips over your drive can be catastrophically harmed. I decided to call WD tech-support and find out from them what was happening. The told me the DRIVE WAS OVERHEATING! They provided outstanding customer service, and told me to pack it up and send it to them--they paid the shipping. So thats what I did. I am expecting a replacement soon. So who is at fault? The drive arrived unopened, packed in original packaging--it appeared. It felt like Id just bought from the store. I dont know if the vendor knew the drives actual condition. Did the dent on the corner of the box indicate it had been dropped at some point? I dont know.

I purchased this drive to give me some much-needed extra space, and a way to transfer files from Windows7 to Ubuntu, and back again. It has performed flawlessly and more quickly than expected. Windows Users: Install the driver that comes on the drive. Then Install the software that comes with it only if you plan to use it (I didnt, so Ill not review the software). Then run Windows update to update the driver. Ubuntu users: The drive will work without additional drivers. Leave the drive formatted as NTFS if you intend to use it on other operating systems. Mac Users: I suggest installing an NTFS FUSE driver for read/write access to NTFS partitions before plugging the drive in, otherwise you will have read-only access until you install the included software and reformat the drive as HFS+. HFS+ is a poor choice if you intend using the drive with other operating systems, as they will have read-only access to the drive without significant modification, if indeed they have access at all. Applicable to both: This drive is suitable for any and all external storage needs. No external drive can equal the performance of an internal, but for most uses, this drive is more than adequate. While I would not suggest it as a boot drive, few people would wish to use it as such. be careful when plugging in/removing the cords, as others have had issues with the connectors breaking (personally I believe they were abusing the drive, but cannot be sure, all I know is that this has not happened to me, and I am not overly careful about such things). UPDATE 12Nov2012: This drive continually puts itself to sleep and parks the heads to save power. While this behaviour in no way compromises the drive while reading or writing to it, if you do not use it constantly, it becomes quite annoying waiting for it to spin up and get ready. There is no way to disable this feature. -1 Star for poor design.

Bought this product as backup mainly of photos. The installation on one USB 3.0 port of my PC was done in a matter of few minutes - a very simple an reliable process, the backup software installation also went smoothly. The drive is very silent, you hear nothing even when files are written on the disc. The file transfer seems very quick. The hard disc case stands securely as shown in the photos, it cant flip easily. Main con I have observed so far is a missing on/off switch (most external hard discs dont have one unfortunately). As other reviewers mentioned, for some reason the WD software only switches this drive to sleep mode (with blinking LED light) when the PC is turned off. You can remove the drive from the USB port with the WD software before you power down the PC, but then the drive is not being recognized when the PC is turned on next time. You need to unplug and plug in again the USB cable to activate the drive in this case. I found a pragmatic and simple solution for this problem: just plugging the power cord of the drive into a cord with on/off switch. Now I can manually turn on the drive when needed and turn it fully off after the PC is turned off. Since many described this problem of not getting the hard disc turned off when the PC shuts down even with older external WD drives, I wonder why the WD software still was not updated in this regard. This cant be so difficult to do! This issue made it loose one star in my rating.

When it comes hard drive, what I usually look for is the size and whether it retains heat while exchanging files. This is a great drive from WD. I like WD since many years ago and it continue to produce great hardware. The drive itself is a 2tb drive and it is very fast. I cant believe that usb 3.0 is so much better than 2.0 usb. this drive comes in a sleak black color, shinny it is. has vents on sides that help to keep the drive cool. I bought this drive mainly to get it to store files and play on my playstation. Since playstation has a limit on 2tb, this is great. Formatting to Fat32 is a breezed. It came with a formatter as well. So for those that needed to format, you have everything in the drive, although you need to copy that formatter.exe file to your computer before you format. as for the durability, i say its great. I like for that fact that it feels solid and strong. When you hold it, you feel like it is made from a well made strong and quality material. Some drives you buy cheap will not have this feels. One thing I dont like about the drive is that not about its performance but rather maybe the black shinny outside shell tends to collect dust or maybe its black and it is easier for me to see. I clean it and later I see dust on it again. Although it does not affect the drive performance but it does look dirty if look at it close up. overall the price is decent. it isnt cheap or expensive for a 2tb drive. however, because of the brand I think you get it for a very good drive for backup.

My Book sits securely on my desk with its reassuring tiny light blinking, absolutely quiet. It has ridges on the bottom so it can ventilate from the bottom as well as the back and top, so Im not worried about placing it anywhere or about it overheating. Right now, I only use it to store photos. Im not well organized and take lots of photos so I need a place to dump a lot of them without worrying about overloading my computer. So Ive just been selecting whatever photos I might want to use for free-lance assignments from my card reader and sending them to My Book. Then I could erase my memory chip and start shooting photos again. I then search the photos in My Book to pick the 1 to 20 photos Ill submit for my assignments and if theres any mess of photos, its not taking up my memory on my cameras memory chip or my computer. When I get time Ill start checking out My Books other capabilities, like backing up my computer. So far, My Book hasnt registered any memory used despite several weeks of downloading photos that fine quality digital photos that take up more room than raw photos. So Im very pleased. Its just what I needed.

I was hesitant to purchase this because of all the minor and major complaints. I dont like to see the number of 1 star ratings become 50% of 5 star ratings, but Ive learned to ignore many common types of complaints from non-technical users - here and at work. One minor complaint was that Windows 7 backup cannot recognize this size drive for imaging. I found this to be true, but that is not the drives problem. Other backup software does work and address the sectors correctly (NTFS). Complain to MS. I like Cobian for its uncompressed simplicity for home use and it works fine with this drive. I use compression and massive incremental tape backups at work and this is why I love Cobians simple mirroring system at home. The bottom line was that it wasnt a legitimate complaint and created 2 and 3 star ratings. Really? Go tell it to Steve, but hell tell you that its always a 3rd partys mistake. Another complaint was setting up the drive. Windows 7 did it for me and I did not use the proprietary software. In this day an age, I would think installing a driver to be like knowing how to update your DVR firmware. Wait, I may have lost some people there. There were many other complaints involving premature failure. When I see a customer with 2 or 3 catastrophic failures on the same product I start to question the customer. Its the same as questioning the person with multiple marriages. Whats the common element in all these failed marriages? USB voltage and other conditions can adversely affect external drives. Is it on the floor and/or are the vents covered with dust? Is the room 85 also? Does the dog pee in the corner? etc. etc. I havent broken the USB connector as others have because its a desk external and not an SSD portable. Again, I saw many softcase travelers knock this drive. There are good portable, small, USB portable drives for this so pay the extra per GB. et SSD if you really care because it rocks. The message is, dont kick it or drop it or manhandle the connectors in any way and youll be fine. Transport it with some care and consider removing the connectors before throwing it in the back seat or kicking it on the floor. Ive run this daily for 7 months without issue (24x7). Its part of a triple redundancy backup scheme which I recommend to home users. Your PC, your external and then something that goes in a fire safe, leaves the house, or is stored in the cloud. Ive seen to many tears over lost photos. Pros: 1. Good Price for the amount of storage, disc size and speed. 2. Reasonably fast at USB 3.0 and not bad at 2.0. If you arent seeing this, your BIOS, Firmware or actual USB hardware is likely at fault. Cons: 1. I have nothing here as my expectations were realistic. In summary: I believe hard drive reviews to be extremely anecdotal and I come from a IT background. I take complaints without data with a grain of salt. Do we really think from the reviews that 30% of all Western Digital drives are 1 star failures? Not a believable business model. PS - Comments from those who say it happened to me should be directed to WD. Thanks.

I have expanded my collection over time of MyBook Essentials from a 1 TB version purchased about 5 years ago to about five total split betwee the 2 TB and 3 TB versions. I like the 3 TB version because of its extra capacity (I use them exclusively with Windows 7 backup and WHS 2011 backup) but the 3 TB version wont work with Windows system imaging because it doesnt have 4K sectors. But after a lot of investigation it turns out that Windows has a LOT of limitations related to the 2 TB limit with Windows backup and system images (for bare metal backup) because it uses Microsoft VHD (virtual hard disk) technology behind the scenes. Microsoft made the same oops mistake in software that standards committees made in hardware when they decided that 2 TB was more disk space than anyone would EVER need. So for now I mostly use the 2 TB versions of the MyBook Essential although I have really outgrown it, because otherwise I cant get a bare metal backup (there are some external 3 TB drives from other manufacturers now that do 4k sector emulation; but I dont trust their drives reliability). Hopefully Microsoft will fix the issue with Windows backup and/or VHDs soon.