WD Elements 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

by Western Digital

• Easy to Use - Just plug it in and it's ready to receive your data
• USB Powered - These drives require no power adapter
• Compact Design - Weighing in at only a few ounces
• Reliable - All WD drives, even our most basic products
• All WD drives, even our most basic products, are designed to protect your data

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5 x 3.1 x 0.6 inches ; 7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002CZQ4GU
• Item model number: WDBAAR5000ABK-NESN
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (272 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 15, 2009

Product Description

Capacity: 500 GB

From the Manufacturer

WD Elements™ Portable Hard Drive - Simply affordable. Easily portable.

Western Digital's WD Elements Portable USB 2.0 hard drives are the right answer for simple, reliable portable storage. Simply plug one in to a USB port and start saving your photos, music, video, and files.

Features at a glance Simple add-on storage Plug-and-play USB 2.0 interface WD quality inside and out 1-year limited warranty

Plug-and-play simplicity - Just plug the WD Elements Portable drive into a USB port to instantly add more storage to your computer.

USB powered - These drives require no power adapter because they are powered directly though the USB cable.

WD quality inside and out - Designed with the same commitment to quality that made WD external drives the number one selling drives in the world.

Packaging - Packaged in a minimized way and recyclable packaging made from recycled materials.

Preformatted for PCs - Designed for use with Windows-based computers. Can be easily reformatted for use with Macs.

Compatibility

Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7
Can be reformatted for Mac OS® X Tiger®, Leopard®, or Snow Leopard™

Note: Compatibility may vary, depending on user's hardware configuration and operating system.

What's in the box

USB 2.0 portable hard drive, USB cable, Quick Install Guide.

Portable Storage Comparison Chart WD Elements Portable WD Elements Portable SE My Passport Essential My Passport Essential SE My Passport Studio Simply affordable, easily portable. Maximum capacity storage in a compact design. Next generation storage to go. Next generation high-capacity storage to go. Pure performance for Mac.   Interface USB 2.0 USB 2.0 USB 3.0, USB 2.0 USB 3.0, USB 2.0 FireWire 400/800, USB 2.0   Capacity range 500 GB 500 GB - 1 TB 500 GB 750 GB and 1 TB 320 GB - 640 GB   WD SmartWare       Automatic backup       Password protection and hardware encryption       Ultra-portable form factor           Capacity gauge           E-label           Highest capacity

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

169 of 184 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Basic Portable External Hard Drive August 22, 2009

By Lawrence H. Bulk TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Size Name:320 GB

I bought this Western Digital WD Elements 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDBAAR3200ABK-NESN (Black) last week at, I regret to say, Target - not Amazon. Target had it "on sale" at $59.95, an irresistible price. This unit works perfectly with Linux (both Ubuntu Linux - which is my main computer's operating system - and the modified-Xandros Linux found on the ASUS Eee PC 1000 10-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Solid State Drive, 20 GB Eee Storage, Linux, 6 Cell Battery) Pearl White which I own) and, naturally, Windows. (It is "pre-formatted" for Windows - it has some programs incorporated which I of course immediately deleted as I do not use Windows.) This unit will also work perfectly with the Apple Mac operating system (Windows and Mac compatibility are specified on the box.) As another reviewer has mentioned, it may be necessary to format the drive for use with a Mac.

Used with a Linux computer, no formatting or any other special operations are necessary. Just plug it in and you're instantly "on!" (Of course, this same comment about no formatting necessary also applies to Windows computers, though, the first time you use it, a Windows machine may take a few seconds to recognize the new drive.)

Packaged with the unit is a standard USB connection cord (supports v. 1.1 and 2.0 and, in addition to connecting to your computer for data transfer, it also powers the unit; no other external power supply is necessary) as well as the usual warranty, etc., information. In addition a CD containing the operating manual is included. I have not looked at this - really however, what is there to know about how to use this external drive? Just plug it into your computer! - that is, of course, if you use these drives as I use them: as storage units only. (I now own quite a few of these drives.)

I find that, especially with Ubuntu Linux, that it is very easy to copy everything in one's "Home" folder to one of these external drives and, should it become necessary to reinstall the operating system, it is quite easy to restore all of your documents, music, pictures, etc. from the external drive. It is also possible to store one's music, videos, audio books, etc. on one of these drives thus freeing up space from your computer's hard drive. (That's why I have several of these things!)

Naturally, the same uses I mention above are also available to Windows or Mac users. These portable external hard drives are very useful and this one, being a simple, basic, unit, is all one truly needs, in my opinion, if your reasons for buying one are the same as mine. I do suggest that, if you do not have an urgent need for one of these drives, or if you are buying an "extra" or "spare" unit, you wait until you see a really good "sale" price either on Amazon or elsewhere.

Like all Western Digital external hard drives that I own it is very well-made and, with reasonable care, should last a very long time. (My oldest Western Digital external drive - 40 GB, "huge" at the time I bought it - is over five years old, still in use, and still going strong.) In my own personal experience the company is reputable, responsive and VERY customer-oriented.

I highly recommend this unit.

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great little package October 1, 2009

By Speedway Girl

Size Name:500 GB

I retired my little Passport for use solely as a backup for my MacBook, since they had the exact same size hard drive. So then it was time to shop for a replacement to move data back and forth between my PC's and Mac's. There was a great deal for this little gem that I saw on [...] from Dell, so I scooped it up. It seems like a great drive. It is substantially faster than my Passport, so that was a plus. It moves back and forth from machine to machine, up and down the stairs, gets carried around in the briefcase and works like a charm. My only complaint was that I had to wipe it and reformat it in order to be able to have the Mac write to it, but that took only a few minutes.

Very happy with this purchase!

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple works November 30, 2009

By shopaholic

Size Name:500 GB|Amazon Verified Purchase

This thing is the exact same width and length as the passport, but slightly thicker. It really is like a brick, and is not the slickest looking thing out there. But I LOVE the matte casing. My 500gb passport got so scratched up from the tiniest handling that I dread smooth shiny surfaces now. I don't know why this only has 1 yr warranty as oppose to the passport's 3 yrs. But hopefully it's of the same quality I've always been expecting from WD. The price was good, and amazon surprisingly delivered it super fast even with super savers s/h. Ordered on black friday and got it today on a Monday. Quite happy so far.