Western Digital WDXMS800TN Passport 80 GB USB 2.0 2.5-Inch Portable Hard Drive

by Western Digital

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 4 x 7 inches ; 3.7 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000HZD2YE
• Item model number: DXMS800TN
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

From the manufacturer

Pack up your office files and take them home. Carry thousands of songs or pictures. These drives are simple to use, light and easy to carry, and require no power adapter--they are powered directly through the USB cable.

Key Features

Easy: Installation is a snap because you don't really "install" this drive; you just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is no CD to install; the included software loads from the drive the first time you plug it in.

Smart: Powered by the USB bus, so no separate power supply needed.

Ultra-portable: This ultra-portable drive fits easily in your pocket or purse, weighs only a few ounces and holds tons of valuable data.

Synchronized and Secure: WD Sync synchronization and encryption software lets you save your critical data, and take it with you. Plug your drive into any PC, edit files, read e-mail, and view photos. Then sync all of your changes back to your home or office computer. (Windows only)

Google software: Search your drive, manage your photos, and simplify Web searches with included Google software. (Windows only).

Fast: 5400 RPM hard drive – almost 24% faster than 4200 RPM drives.

Stylish: Elegant glossy black case with soft-touch base

Compatible:Use with Windows and Macintosh computers

Ideal For:

• Carrying important files and e-mail between work and home or on the road
• Sharing large files between office and home, between Mac and PC
• Backing up your existing notebook hard drive for extra data safety

Product Description

80GB 5400RPM 2MB Buffer USB2.0; 12ms seek; Passport 2.5inch External Hard Drive

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Note Power Requirements, May 10, 2007

By 

Jason! (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Western Digital WDXMS800TN Passport 80 GB USB 2.0 2.5-Inch Portable Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

I bought this drive, saved the included software to another computer, then deleted it from the WD Passport....then reformatted the Passport. It worked fine on both my desktop and my laptop even though my USB ports (on both desktop and laptop) only provide 500mA of power. This drive, like most of it's competitors, requires 1000mA through the USB port to power itself. Some users have reported all sorts of problems because of this, as you can tell by the negative reviews here.

As i said, for some reason it works fine on my computers. My desktop did have some weird issues the first night i used this drive, but they stopped occurring since then.

You can check how much power is going to your USB ports by (in XP) going to Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> System. Then click on the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager. At the botton of the next window will be the USB (universal serial bus)controllers. Double click on the "USB Root Hub"s and then click the Power Tab to see what the 'Total power available" is for your ports. If it says '500mA per port' then this WD Passport will not work properly on your computer without a special cable (available at WD's site, though it has been out of stock for several months).

Even if it does work on a 500mA port, like my situation, you still really shouldn't use it on the lower amount of power. Electrically, the USB hub is being strained and may eventually have problems.

And THAT is why i'm exchanging this unit for the Maxtor or the Samsung Zirex Pleomax, both of which COME WITH THE SPECIAL USB CABLE REQUIRED TO POWER THE UNIT OFF A 500mA PORT!

Those units are also encased in metal, which dissipates heat better than the black plastic of the Passport.

I really wish the Passport came with that USB Y-cable though. Other than this power issue, it is really nice. Western Digital really messed up by not providing the necessary cable for most users to operate the device safely.

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made of Awesome, February 8, 2007

By 

J. Hartung (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Western Digital WDXMS800TN Passport 80 GB USB 2.0 2.5-Inch Portable Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

At my job, it's been my responsibility to send tens of thousands of digital images overseas to our international clients. At this point, I believe I've bought about twenty-five of these things - mostly the 80gb, some 40gb, and a couple 60gb. (I haven't tried anything larger than the 80). I've plugged them into multiple PC's (using XP Professsional). The drives are always read right away and have never required any driver downloads. I've not experienced any errors in copying data to them. I've sent the drives to fifteen countries. No one has reported any problems. As I've been sending these to countries with different power inputs, it's been a great boon that the drives get power via the USB connection.

Like I said - Made of Awesome.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Did NOT Work, April 8, 2007

By 

CyberLouis (ALEXANDRIA, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Western Digital WDXMS800TN Passport 80 GB USB 2.0 2.5-Inch Portable Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

I tried the product in three different computers and each time received an error: "Power limit has been exceeded on the USB Port". I went to the Western Digital site which offered two solutions: (1) buy an extra cable which powers the hard drive by using two USB ports or (2) simply ignore the error (they claimed the hard drive would still work). The extra cable is hard to find (it was out of stock on Western Digital's site). Regardless, I located a cable, but still got the same error message. So, I moved on to the next solution: ignore the error. That did not work either. The computers automatically disabled the port. Not to mention, the hard drive was obviously dead as a door nail. I did further research and found that this is a common problem (in many cases, the product was found to be defective). Someone suggested using a powered USB hub. I tried that, too. Hard Drive still dead and same error. So, I returned it. Long story short: this is a common problem. Sometimes it can be corrected with an extra cable; sometimes it is just a defective product. You are taking your chances with this product.