Western Digital 320 GB USB/Firewire External Hard Drive with Dual Option Backup

List Price: $279.99 Discount Price: $227.00

Features:

• Features high-performance 7200 RPM drive
• Plugs it into your PC through via USB 2.0 or FireWire port
• Includes a six-foot fire-wire cable, USB cable, and AC power cord,
• Stackable compact shock-absorbent design measures a mere 1.7 x 6.1 x 8.6-inches (HxWxL)
• Hold up to 91,445 digital photos; 80,015 MP3 songs; 8,001 uncompressed CD quality songs; 25 hours of Digital Video; 142 hours of DVD quality video; or 39 hours of HD video

Accessories:
COMPAQ 024USB USB Extension Hub	LaCie 711854U Hub with USB 2.0

Customer Reviews:

Works fine for me after more than a year [Posted on 2006-08-02]
My experience with this drive have been good overall. I agree with the reviewer(s) who said the backup software sucks. I got Norton Ghost with my laptop so I never use Retrospect. I tried twice and it was ridiculously complicated.

As to reliability, my drive has been working over a year now. I kept mine formatted in FAT32 because I had read the reviews that said NTFS over a certain size was not recognized. I miss the security of NTFS, but FAT has given me no issues and the entire size is recognized.

I find you CAN turn off the drive by simply pressing the button under 2 circumstances: Either my laptop must be off or it must be sleeping (lid down). Once the drive recognizes there is nothing "attached" to it, it easily goes off with one touch. I turn my drive off regularly because I turn my laptop off regularly so it is possible that saves me some wear. I read on-line that leaving drives of this type up all the time does reduce their lifespan, but I doubt it's by much (has to do with the fact that they don't go into a sleep mode like regular hard drives do supposedly so they spin more).

I have defragged this drive more than once. That also did not cause a problem. The only reason I would think twice about this drive is that you cannot directly put it on a network like the other WD320 drive (Netcenter). I don't like having to have my laptop on to see this drive on my home network. Plus, it means my laptop is not really "mobile" anymore. After all, who wants to tote around a hard drive when they want to move their laptop??[...]

junk [Posted on 2006-12-28]
WTF! It arrived today and guess what, the power button does not work! I have owned two other WD drives with no problems they still work fine except they are full. This thing does not power on, it doesnt do anything. Looks like I will have to return it. I am switching to seagate, so long WD!!!!!!!!!!

External Hard Drive [Posted on 2007-10-04]
Item was received OK, however item was defective and is now being replaced by WD.

Western Digital has lost another customer, forever. [Posted on 2008-05-10]
I had this drive for about 14 months, and during that time I used it maybe less than 20 times. I backed up my data about once a month and 3 weeks ago my computer starting to have problems so I did backups and restore every other day. The power button, which has been okay before, started to not lit up. The drive also made a revving noise when I plugged it in which, is actually not normal. Normally, it should be quite after it's plugged in, only when I turned it on by pressing the power button should it make a sound. So, it made spinning noise but wouldn't turn on; hence, it doesn't mount on my desktop. But at least the drive isn't dead. After some plugging and unplugging and leaving it alone for hours and so, the power button would eventually work again. I read on the WD online forum that many people have the same problem and it probably has to do with faulty micro-switch design. So, I thought I might have to get a drive enclosure to save the hard drive, not that I know how to assemble one or even how to take the hard drive out. Yesterday it was still working fine. Today, when I wanted to use it, the button doesn't work again but it also makes no sound. I fear the drive has just died after having worked only 30 times or so. I will never, ever, buy from Western Digital again, and I urge you to look elsewhere for a reliable drive.

Died within months [Posted on 2008-05-25]
It was still under warranty (last year), but I didn't want to return it and definitively lose all data and programs stored there. I've been away and haven't had time to try a new drive case; maybe I didn't want to know the stuff is gone forever. I just ordered a new case, and got mad all over again.

Really, really infuriating.

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