Customer Reviews

Western Digital My Passport Elite 320GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (Bronze)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Smallest, lightest, virtually silent drive I've ever used. In comparson to a deck of cards, this drive is sightly longer, about the same width, somewhat heavier.

I lke it a lot, in fact I just bought a second one, and will be dumping 3 or 4 of my 100-200 gb annoyingly large, heavy, hot, and loud external drives.

This drive works great, BUT only after I connected it to my laptop using an externaly powered accessory USB hub. I strongly recommend this type of connection for external drives, USB/CD burners, etc. The power coming from one USP port of my IBM-T42 simply did not provide adequate power to the drive, and my laptop WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE the drive when I connected with the supplied cable. This is a common problem for external devices such as drives and burners. Many computers, especially laptops, have very limited power available from a single USB port.

I installed the included backup software but then disabled it. The backup software can be set to "syncronize" folders you pick so that two or more folders on different drives will have the same contents. This works but is not the type of back up strategy I use. I backup the whole drive, windows and all, to make disaster recovery a "one step" job.

I wanted to use the included encryption software but apparently this is a "pay-extra" software and I couldn't install it.
So I am now using an open source encryption tool called "true-crypt", which I highly recommend. Don't forget your password however, there is no "back door" once you've encrypted your data!

Bought on 6/17. Amazon was $199 on 6/16 so I bought at B-Buy for $159 on 6/17. Came home and it was $137 on Amazon. Oh well...
This exHD is awesome.
I love the bronze color and the size is perfect; literally the size of 2 passports stacked on top of each other. The white LEDs give it a professional look more than a neon geek color :-B Price per GB is spot on. I paid .50 cents per GB, but its obviously less now. Sure you can buy a plastic S*mpleTech for less per GB, but you can also get the exact same problems every negative review had about them. No problems here.
I followed another review of another Passport exHD and plugged it into my iMac (OSX 10.5.2 Intel 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo). Apple's Time Machine or something came on instantly and asked if I wanted to use it as a back-up. I closed it and went into the Disk Utility under Applications>Utilities. From there I made it a journaled disk from the drop down menu. From there it shows up initially labeled My Passport. I used the first menu to verify the exHD. After that, I went to erase as I did not want to ATTEMPT to foil with any proprietary software. I chose Mac OSX Extended (Journaled) and named it My Passport again (because I'm so proud of it). This deleted any software that *might have been on it. As soon as it was formatted I moved the files that were bogging down my poor iMac HD and then I opened Time Machine and used the Passport as my source for all my necessary files to be backed up. Works great.
5 Stars for
1. Price
2. Size
3. Style
4. Function
5. No Complaints
If I need more space, I'll be buying the exact same drive again. /Maybe in
titanium for organizational purposes/
Hope this was helpful for Mac community :)

Overall, I like this hardrive. It is small and light, fits perfectly in my bag. Compared to the essential version, I would expect a better finish. It's still plastic, though matte and not as easily scratchable. The drive gets really warm after just a few minutes of use. The transfer is slow, at around 10 mb/s but that's what you would expect from a usb device.
Despite the fact that I like it, I would not buy it the second time.

The last backup drive I bought was a 4 gig flash drive. Its nice but I should of just bought two of these there just as portable for adults . I bought this model it was only $10 more then the essential and the door on the USB data port is worth that much . IT came with the little bag too otherwise I was going to put it in a crown royal pint bag . Buying a case is worthwhile it comes with a 20% off coupon for one from WD . You would think they would just sell it with one at cost .

Thankyou other posters for telling me that it was formated in Fat32 . I plugged it in loaded all the software in my machine then I reformated it . The WD backup has a product code lock its on the quick instal manual so dont toss the instructions . Basically the real manual is in the software . If you loose it you can find it at the WD site . I figured I would loose mine when I reformatted to NSFT using my machine through exlporer . However since it was all loaded on my machine already it was fine . Infact when I ran WD backup it reinstalled it for me on the elite drive . All the other programs are trial or pay for software the one you want is that WD backup though I can see where some would pay for the others its up to each person . There is another free program to restore you can download when you go through the backup process the first time . After I put the NSFT format on the drive I was able to backup my entire machine . Thats what I bought this for I have lost to much important data over the years to viruses , burnt hardrives and or theft . I was worried about the synch feature causing bad files so I didnt encrypt with the horror stories others have told about WD wanting thousands to break code and back out .but ...we will see I am looking for software elsewhere with a backdoor to do this just incase I loose the password . ( I am a head injury patient and have health issues organization and memory arent my strong suits )

I saved $$$ buying a different color then i originally wanted . They are all good i was very happy once I got the Bronze home . Check to see which one is the cheapest and buy that one unless your a guy and its pink . IT will be in a case most the time anyways . I dont know what their talking about the brush soft coat wearing off its just rubber coating on the areas that would be the spine and front and back covers if this was a book . The page areas are black plastic . ITs nice . It does heat up a tad but not bad . The extra USB is for power and you have to ask for it my Desktop ran this fine but I might say I need it . You could buy one for a few bucks the cable is just like any other USB data cable . The person that talked about the external powered USB hub was a good tip but this is so nice if it works through the one USB cable alone . Mine does yeah . It fits easily in a t-shirt pocket , the cable is about 16 inches long too bad it just is loose so you need a case or a bag which mine came with . ITs just a velvet black draw string pouch and thats fine . I like it very much . I will post again at a later date like all electronics the price fluctuates daily plus falls . I paid $129 and am very pleased . The last backup for me besides that recent flash drive was a Iomega zip drive and I paid $450 bucks for it. You can imagine how geeked I am on this . I am not computer savvy . I am a 50 year old disabled blue collar worker with 2 years of college .

I read the reviews used the tips to help me . It backed up my entire drive while I slept . I have not tried using it at another computer yet . I may buy another one to just synche the suggested files . I cant imagine a easier way to back up my ever growing digital photo's , music and documents for the last decade .It stated it would just synche the back up for me once a day due to the size of my backups and all files . I keep everything scanned into my computer . This would of filled twenty file cabinets . Do it . I had my home broke into and lost a computer . I plan on having everything backed up and in two locations from now on . Again the printed material is lacking just once sheet of useless mumbo jumbo in many languages that really only gives you their online website address and a quicklaunch few page booklet with your product key for the Wd backup software otherwise its all online or inside the drive just open the file . Good luck I am glad I bought it .

I have owned several Western Digital Passport drives and a few other mobile drive brands. This drive is great for backups, as you can hook it up fast without a power supply and store it anywhere. Put it in your briefcase, put it in your safe, take it with you anywhere and keep a copy of your data. It is almost pocket-size and the only thing you have to keep with you is a short USB cable. Some people consider the short cable that's included to be too short, but it's mobile!

Some owners have commented on needing a power adapter or extra usb cable for it, but I've never had that issue. I've used it on multiple desktops and multiple laptops with no issues at all, but you'll have to try it on your own system.

The surface of the Passports can be easy to scratch if you throw it around or keep it in your bag with other items. That would be my only complaint, but it doesn't really bother to me.

All WD Passports that I've owned, including this one, have stood up very well. I've never had a drive failure, the transfer speed is always quick, and the case is very sturdy. I have these drives everywhere, because of their mobility and performance. You can't beat them!

The speed is very responsive. I've used it on an XP and Vista machine and both have copied data to it fairly quick. I haven't performed tests on it, but it always gets the job done for me. The 320GB version is a great upgrade on the previous Passport models.

Check back often for pricing. Amazon and other retailers change the prices of the WD Passport drives all the time!

Excellent, portable hard drive. However, it is factory format to FAT 32 (at least the drive we got was...). Once re-formatted to NTFS, storing large files (> 4GB) was a breeze. Excellent quality and price.

So far this product has lived up to the reputation seen in customer reviews and expert reviews.

Software included is a little less than stellar (which is why I give it 4 stars) but good software is a lost art anyway. The software is functional and installs easily (no experience with Vista).

Synchronization is a breeze although if you change the internal folder structure of a folder that you have chosen to synchronize, be sure to check any new folders you have added or moved. Another little quirk.

Powers from single USB port on most newer computers.

Easy to carry and the pouch is a nice add on.

at around $120 -- it's a pretty good deal.

The WD My Passport Elite is very nearly perfect. Data transfers are fast and quiet, and the unit does not get too hot. And its compact size makes it easy to stow in your laptop bag. I'd give it 5 stars were it not for two shortcomings. First, the capacity gauge/activity lights are on the same side as the USB connector so they face away from you when the drive is plugged in. You have to pick it up and turn it around, but this is awkward with the short USB cable. Second, the black dye in the carrying case has left black smudges on the side of the unit that won't wash off, making the arguably ugly bronze exterior a little more so. But aesthetics aside, this is a great drive for the price.

Very nice looking drive, has 4 nifty white LEDs that sequence back and forth, and feels good in your hand - not as slippery as the high gloss plastic versions. Appearances aside, it also has a sliding cover for the USB socket when the drive's not in use, which should come in handy for protecting against grit when it's stuffed in your purse/pocket/bag.

This portable HD is so light, so small, yet so big on storage it will become your life line. This is great to have to store anything those important files that you don't want others to see or to just save in case your computer crashes. The design is very durable, it is easy to connect and the software it comes with is easy to use. The carry case was a nice freebie that comes with it making it super portable and safe. The price is great. You will be happy with your purchase plus you will be happy that you have this if ever something bad happens to your computer and you lose everything.