Customer Reviews

Western Digital 160GB 2.5-inch Passport USB Portable Hard Drive

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

This hard drive is worthy of consideration given its compact size, capacity and ease of set up. I have 3 external hard drives, all of which need an AC adapter. Given that the weight of those are quite heavy and the inconvenience of needing a plug, I needed an alternative.

I attached the USB cable to the laptop and the drive, and that was it. Before saving any data, you might as well format it to NTFS, since FAT32 is the default (files greater than 4 GB minus 2 bytes won't transfer on FAT32)

Just right click with the new hard drive highlighted and click "Format" with NTFS selected and you're off to archiving your data. Even more importantly is the ability to back up data on the laptop and have some convenient method of restoring the information.

Powered through the USB cable, this convenient package eliminates the need for an additional power outlet. This is especially useful for the traveling user where all you may get is a plug for the laptop. This unit is quiet and I barely hear it which limits any distraction from the 'plug in units' that I own.

The case is about the size of a 30 GB video ipod with a glossy black finish. My only grip is the 8 inch cable that accompanies it but it is hardly a showstopper.

Your other brand considerations are the Smart disk Firelite which is the pioneer of the portable high capacity HDs and the Seagate double USB corded hard drives.

Seagate 120 GB 2.5" Portable External Hard Drive 8 MB Cache ( ST9120801U2-RK )

Wolverine Data Portable Series 120GB External Hard Drive USB 2.0 ( 2120 )

SmartDisk FireLite - Hard drive - 100 GB - external - Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB -

For cost, capacity, styling and size, this one has absolutely NO comparison.

Any case that can hold a Nintendo DS will hold this drive. Here are some examples:
Nintendo DS Lite Carrying Case

Nintendo DS Lite Ultimate Leather Case



Two thumbs up.

This is a very good drive but be aware that it does not work with all USB ports - a lot of them will not supply enough power to run the drive so you will need the power booster cable WDCA029RNN which connects to 2 USB ports to get enough power to the drive. The pity is that WD do not include this as standard since quite a number people buying this item will actually need it to run the drive. Would have got 5 stars were it not for this.[[Western Digital 160 GB USB 2.0 Passport 2.5" External Hard Drive ( WDXMS1600TN )

I needed to move my data from a Dell Inspiron 8500 (a large laptop) but when I plugged the drive in I got 'USB Power Overload' messages and the drive wouldn't power up. Tried it in a few other models of Dell laptops in the office and got a 50% success rate.. only some laptops had enough power to drive this thing.

I ended up spending another $20 on an AC powered USB hub to get it working. The extra gear makes this drive much less portable. Otherwise it works fine, and no problems when used with a desktop machine.

I'd been eyeing this and some other portable drives here on Amazon for awhile and bought it from a brick-and-mortar store on a lark yesterday when I was in desperate need of some extra space.

I plugged it in and waited for the drive to appear on my PowerBook's desktop. Nothing. I checked Disk Utility and it didn't show as even an unmounted drive there, so I checked System Profiler and it didn't even register as anything connected by USB, which was strange, I thought, because the light on the device was pulsating.

A bit of Internet research and I've figured out the problem: the USB specifications only require each USB controller to put out 500mA, and this WD drive requires more than that (1000mA at spinup and 650mA continuous). Unfortunately, my PowerBook G4's (17") ports only put out the required 500mA, but you can't really fault Apple, since they're just following the standard.

This is a known issue, too. A Google search for "western digital passport not enough power" returns a half a million pages, and the top few dozen are all reviews from here and other stores as well as from professional reviewers that all mention the same problem. It would be nice if the USB standard were upgraded to support higher-power devices, but until that happens, WD should post a disclaimer on their product descriptions or at least, as one Web site poster said, should not put the USB logo on their products since they're out of compliance.

WD seems to say this is a "rare problem." Unfortunately, it appears that it is not as rare was WD might claim. It would be nice if they would include the USB Y cable they sell online (it allows you to draw power from two USB ports), although this is far from a perfect solution (tying up both of my USB ports is not nice, especially since I need one for the Logic Pro USB key fob).

Fortunately, that brick-and-mortar store's very liberal return policy will be working in my favor this afternoon.

One star for false advertising. If WD were clearer about their requirements (or better, included the Y cable), I'd consider upping the rating.

As many have stated, many Mac PowerBook G4s and other laptops don't provide enough power through a single USB port to properly spin this drive.

Western Digital does have a FREE fix, which is a power booster cable that plugs into 2 USB ports and replaces the original USB cable... and they'll ship it to you free if you call them. As you might have guessed, this means you need two free USB ports in order to use the drive (which is very small and sleek - tres chic).

You cannot buy the power booster cable anywhere that I can find. To get the cable, call WD tech support AFTER you get your drive (you need the serial number to call them) at 800-275-4932. At the prompts press 2 and then 2 again. Be sure you have your serial number when you call.

Others have pointed out that you can use a powered USB hub, however, I encountered trouble in doing so, plus as they point out that means carrying an extra USB cable, the hub, and the power source. The free power booster cable from WD replaces the cable that came with the Passport and thus you only have to carry the drive and the one cable.

The title says it all: I like the drive (and carry it in my briefcase for data transfer).

The software that came with it doesn't install on my fairly vanilla laptop. Good thing I don't need it to use the drive.

Attempts at customer service have been a 100% total waste of time. No answer to my questions about the software at all.

Oh, and the package says the cable that comes with the drive is 22" long. It's not, mine is about 7". A longer cable won't work.

I use this drive and a seagate 100 gig drive (I also reviewed that one) to back up our office p.c. It works great and I'm very happy with it. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because there is NO ventilation in this drive (unlike the seagate) so I'm a little worried about it over-heating at some point (which is usually what fries these little externals). It may well be that there is no heating problem though in which case I give this a 5 star rating. It's very compact (about the size of an ipod I think). I haven't used it with a notebook p.c. yet, so I don't know if the average notebook will provide enough juice to power it. There is no a/c adapter option, so you are forced to use the usb port to power this. This isn't a problem with desktops. If you are using a notebook, I would probably get the Seagate, which has the option of getting an a/c adapter. It is slightly bigger and bulkier than the WD though (it's a little bigger than a deck of cards). I alternate between these two drives just in case one of them burns out. I bought another one of these WDs to back up my home pc...

I bought this product with much anticipation. Great size, nice little case and 160GB.

I had problem after problem since I got it and WD tech support SUX!!!!

I first got the drive and tried to perform a sync using the supplied software. My computer locked up during that process and after reboot I was unable to access 4GB of data on the drive. That is where the sync data was stored. I called WD and they said sorry, you have to delete the drive partition and reformat the drive. So I delete the partition, re-add the partition but the drive won't format.

I run the diagnostic and it says "Cable test failed". I got on the phone with tech support again and they say I must have a bad cable. I happen to have another cable so I try that. No luck. Tech support says it must be a bad drive.

I ship back my drive and they send me a new one. SAME PROBLEMS.

So I do my own due diligance research.

This drive requires 650mA of power from your USB port. I got this from Western Digitals website and I DO NOT THINK THAT IS POWER REQUIREMENT IS STANDARD. I have a brand new Dell laptop and those USB ports only output 500mA.

I called Tech support to ask about this and they will not aknowledge the problem. They said the only problems they have had reported are on old notebooks and there passport drive will work with any newer laptop. I repeated my claim that it had to be a power problem. The tech said it can't be a power problem because my laptop would not even recognize it. I think that is a bunch of BS and nonsense.

I am now forced to return it.

PS - I was told a "Y" USB Cable might work becauase it is supposed to grab power from two USB ports. It did not work for me.

Not a solid product for universal use!!!

The 160GB Western Digital Passport is my third (including 40 & 120GB models) and has endured 10-18 hour work days (5-7 days a week). It travels to and from work EVERYDAY and has joined me on domestic and international trips.

Given the amount of time and money invested in my 'digital' life; Western Digital's Passport has been the sole source of security. Despite PC crashes, thunderstorm power-outages, and suffering a pretty bad 'spill' at work; the Passport has paid for itself many times. I don't use it to 'back up' my music and video files; it stores a working clone of them.

I empathize with some of the poorer reviews. However, I suspect many of them are Mac users. I also own an Apple G4 PowerBook and NONE of my Passports are adequately powered by a single G4 USB port. I've researched the issue and am confident many (if not all) pre-Intel MacBooks have limited power through their USB 2.0 ports. I even tried a LACIE (Mac endorsed) external with my PowerBook; the drive does not mount without using both USB ports.

If you use Windows-based PCs at home or work consider making the Western Digital Passport essential as a surge protector. Its the sleekest, sexiest, and most reliable brand I've used.

After reading the reviews on this website I was a little apprehensive about buying this drive, but I'm glad I bought it.

The drive comes installed with a FAT32 file system. FAT32 has a 2GB file size limit. This can be very limiting for backing up large files. However, I was able to format the drive easily to NTFS using the format command on the Windows XP.

The drive works fine after formatting. It is very light and portable and very quiet.

I just wish it came with a case.