STORAGE, 250GB PASSPORT PORTABLE by WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
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Digital camera reviews of STORAGE, 250GB PASSPORT PORTABLE
Digital camera Review: Decent Drive for the Money
Summary: 4 Stars
First off, I have been a fan of Western Digital's external drives for the past two years since I discovered them to be a low-cost, fairly solid brand. There are few brands on the market now who offer lower prices for the same amount of data storage.
I own a Passport drive from about two years ago as well. By comparison, that drive was a little bigger and heavier. But by the same token, it seems a bit more substantial. This drive seems much more fragile. The sounds of internal functions of this drive, though softer than those of earlier models, seem much more clearly audible because of this drive's thinner skin. The glossy exterior also seems to be more prone to dust and scratches as well.
Also, for anyone thinking about it, DON'T push the glowing blue light on the front of the drive. I thought it was some type of fancy on/off button and ended up punching part of it into the body of the drive.
Performance-wise, I really have no complaints. This drive has not failed me in the several months that I've owned it. I leave it attached for several hours a day and have yet to notice any issues. I'm running it on Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard formatted as a Mac OS Extended drive.
Bottom line, aesthetics and tactile signs of durability aside, this drive is a great value. At 150-odd dollars for 250 gigs of storage in such a small package, I can't complain.
PS: Be aware, if purchasing with the Case Logic Small External HD Case, note that the fit is not perfect. The elastic in the case doesn't hold the Passport all that snugly. Maybe some sewing or other small modification can fix this.
Digital camera Review: Did not work well with my mac
Summary: 1 Stars
The hard drive was not what i expected. It didn't work very well with a mac even though it claimed it was mac compatible. I did not like the product, although I do think WD makes some of the best computer components on the market. I ended up having to return the unit because it was ejecting itself for no reason and I couldn't even get any data into it. I went with the simple smartdisk firelite and found it to be perfect for a mac.Digital camera Review: Do not recieve what was ordered
Summary: 2 Stars
I ordered a "black" Passport Portable 250GB Hard Drive, but I recieved a "white" one instead without an explaination. Notwithstanding this the product is working fine and I have back-up information from my work and home computers all in one placeDigital camera Review: Don't believe the doubters about power consumption issues
Summary: 5 Stars
All good reviews, but don't believe the issues with power. WinXP SP2 blocks the use of the drive because it thinks it draws too much power. But there is a simple procedure to override this (from WD site):
"Problem:
Under Windows XP, an error message of "Power Surge on Hub Port" or "USB device has exceeded the power limits of it's hub port" is displayed when connecting a USB device to a USB port on a computer or Hub.
Cause:
Under some computers, USB devices are only allowed to draw a maximum of 500 milliamps (mA) per connection from the USB port on the computer system or from a USB hub. Under the Windows XP Operating System, with the release of Service Pack 2, if a device attempts to draw more than this (500 milliamps), a USB port balloon message is displayed to indicate this over current condition. When connecting a USB device that draws power from the USB bus, a very brief over current condition is sometimes detected by the OS, and the warning message is displayed.
Resolution:
This message has no affect on the functionality of the USB port. The USB hard drive should still function correctly on the USB port regardless of the error message. To prevent the USB Power Surge Alert message from displaying, please complete the following steps:
Click on Start.
Click on Control Panel.
Double-click on the System Icon.
Click on the Hardware Tab.
Click on the Device Manager button.
Click on the + next to Universal Serial Bus Controllers to expand the selection.
Right-click and select Properties on any listing that displays USB UNIVERSAL HOST CONTROLLER.
Click on the Advanced Tab.
Check the box that says: Don't tell me about USB errors."
This works fine, and the drive works fine afterwards. I suspect it actually draws less power than they say. Maybe it has a brief power draw spike on startup, but it's running power seems less. In any case, it works fine without the Y cable. I do think it is tacky that WD doesn't give the cable for free, since my $7 Sabrent 2.5" Hard drive enclosure came with a y cable.
But most likely the drive will work fine for you. It is a lovely quiet drive, and takes up no space at all.
PS I just tried it on my IBM X31, which is several years old, and it worked fine. So I think the power issue is really a non-issue, but if you really are worried about frying your usb port, then buy the Y-cable.
Digital camera Review: Drive Failures Within a Week
Summary: 1 Stars
Western Digital has always had a tremendous reputation for quality drives. I used a TEAC casing with Seagate drive for years as a portable drive without any issues.
Within a week of getting this model, the drive wouldn't spin up. The drive had been carried in a protective case and used on solid surfaces when in use--a desk, in most cases. One reviewer, Brandi, reviewed that the drive has problems when being moved--I'm not sure if the movement caused the issue or not, but if that's the case, then the drive is a failure for a "portable hard drive".
Unfortunately, replacement or not, I'm now leery of the device and see backups going from weekly to daily. :( What a hassle.