(Old Model) WD My Passport Ultra 1 TB Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive with Auto Backup, Black

**Please format this drive prior to use. Otherwise, it will store all your files as read only** This makes a good backup drive especially if you know how to dabble in Windows DOS (xcopy) or Linux/Unix xterm (cp) commands. The backup software that comes with this device is, quite frankly, unamazing. I certainly wouldnt trust it with my precious data either for a proper backup or restore. I personally use this device to backup all my documents, photos, and music. I wrote a specialized xcopy script which I run in my Windows 8.1 task manager. Most people wouldnt know how to do this (especially because not everyone knows how to dabble in DOS). You can still backup your files manually using Windows Explorer to MacLinuxUnix File Manager. The read/write performance on this drive using my MacBook Pros 3.0 outlet was uninspiring. Copying a 50mb music WAV file took around 2 seconds each. So that makes it around 25mb/s in write performance. The read performance, in my opinion, was even slower. I am hesitant to make that a firm conclusion since reads are usually faster than writes for hard disks. My guess is that the disk is probably running at 5400rpm. Overall, the overall disk performance was satisfactory but certainly not excellent. Since USB 2.0 can still transfer far faster than 25 megabyte/s, I would think this disk would have been just as fast if it was using USB 2.0. So for those with only USB 2.0 connections, I would say this disk would work just as well as those using USB 3.0 ports. Another quirk of this drive is that every file I store using Windows shows as read only on my Mac. I tried to override this using NTFS privileges (give everyone full control) but something overrides it. So I couldnt use this as a shared disk between my Windows and Mac since my Mac can only read the files and not make changes to them. Pros: 1)Compact and can store lot of data (mine is 1TB version). 2)Reasonably good backup device with sufficient performance for almost every consumer. 3)Works well with DOS, Windows Explorer, MacLinux Xterm. 4)Having only USB 2.0 connectors will not hinder the performance of this disk since its read/write speed is way below the maximum USB 2.0 threshold. Cons: 1)Backup software is unremarkable and I am not sure if I can depend on it for reliable backup and recovery. 2)Performance is merely satisfactory. I get only about 25megabyte/s for writes and even less for reads (I am not sure why). Still, this is more than enough for most consumers. Just dont expect cutting edge hard disk performance. 2)Mac OS reads everything copied from Windows as read only. I cant override this with NTFS permissions. So OS interoperability is quite poor.

This hard drive is a hardy little workhorse! Bought it almost a year ago, and hasnt failed me yet. I formatted it in Ex-FAT, allowing cross-compatibility reading and writing across Mac and Windows, without the restriction of the 4GB maximum file size. This conveniently allowed me to store my legally obtained HD and Blu-Ray copies of my favorite movies on the hard drive! Many people dont know about thiThis hard drive is a hardy little workhorse! Bought it almost a year ago, and hasnt failed me yet. I formatted it in Ex-FAT, allowing cross-compatibility reading and writing across Mac and Windows, without the restriction of the 4GB maximum file size. This conveniently allowed me to store my legally obtained HD and Blu-Ray copies of my favorite movies on the hard drive! Many people dont know about this new file formatting option. I went home for the week and somehow both the Weimaraner and the Golden Retriever, both puppies one year old (so old enough to do some damage) tore through the entire case, and chewed up the corner where the USB 3.0 plugs into the hard drive. After thinking that the entire endeavor would be hopeless, I still decided to give salvaging a try. The part where the USB 3.0 plugs into the hard drive was dented and squished, and there were random white parts of what looks like paper stuck inside hole. I poked around a bit with a pen and cleared out the hole, and plugged in the cable. To my complete surprise, the little blue light came on and started blinking, and the hard drive started spinning. The thing works. I mean what the hell? Fantastic, I just ordered a replacement.

The low cost for the 1TB drive with USB 3.0 transfer speeds, and the small size of this drive are the reasons I decided to purchase one to backup my Windows 7 PC and store movies, music, photos and documents. I liked that it had an automatic backup feature and was excited to get started using it right away, as the directions were basically plug n play. Unfortunately I found that after an easy setup; installing the software that is located on the drive, the auto-backup feature would not work for me. I made sure the USB 3.0 port on my PC was working, and I also changed out the USB 3.0 cable to make sure they were not faulty. I updated the software and was given WD SmartWare Pro version 2.4.12 software version as an update (setting it to automatically update in the future). You can set the drive to backup specific files or categories of files, on a scheduled frequency (daily, hourly, specific days and hours of the week) or whenever anything changes it automatically is supposed to update in the background. I was able to choose a specific category like music and get it to quickly transfer via USB 3.0, but if I checked more than one category, the software stalled and wouldnt transfer files. Certain categories Documents was one for me, would stall in the backup process, while others flew right through. You also have the option to backup to Dropbox, which works OK, but its not as fast as the USB 3.0 transfer speeds even with 60 Mbps high speed internet. The Backup software does not work as expected, which is disappointing as its such a great selling point for this drive. Despite the software issues, youve still got a compact, high-capacity drive at a great price. I intend to research a bit more about the software and try to solve my issues with this product. Im going to try it out with a Windows 8 PC to see if theres a difference. Maybe the Pro version update is to blame? Whatever it is, its a frustration and a the reason I dropped a star from my review. The build quality of the drive, the speed with which files transfer via USB 3.0 and the price are all good, but as stated the software may be a bit buggy for you.

Man...about 5 years ago I bought a 1 TB WD storage unit for the same price, one that is about 5 times bigger! This thing is smaller than my receipt-filled wallet, lighter than my smartphone (in its protective otterbox), and much more portable than the clunker of the 1TB storage device I used before. I plugged this int the USB of my Windows 8 and Windows 7 laptops and it started working without a hitch. BUT: One warning. If you plug this into your first computer and set-up hardware encryption and then plug it into another computer that doesnt have the software/driver installed, it wont open up. At least it didnt for me! Im still trying to figure out how this is done. However, since this drive is reserved solely for my use on my computer, Im not too worried but some of you may have an issue. Another thing: the transfer speed arent that great. I averaged about 25 MB/S with a USB 3.0 drive. Not sure why

I wanted an external drive for my Macbook Pro. I was looking for a good looking drive that was small, had USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt connectivity and one that didnt need an external power source. Of the drives that fit my criteria, I was drawn to the Western Digital drive because of the form factor, the price and the brand. This drive looks good. It is fairy small, about the size of an index card and a little large than .5 inch tall. The drive has a small white LED on the front that lets you know when the disk is being accessed. It comes in a variety of colors. I loved the both the red and blue versions because I was simply tired of the blacks and grays. I know it seems odd to be concerned with how the drive looks but I think you should get pleasure from the things you see and use all the time. When you see this drive you should not only see something that is technically competent but also something that is pleasing to the eye. I have experience with Western Digital drives in a number of internal applications over the year and have never been disappointed. This external drive has been in use since January and I am completely satisfied. It is very reasonably priced. It is quiet and stays cool to the touch. It has USB 3.0 connectivity so it is zippy. A thunderbolt 2 connection would have been great since my Macbook supported it, but those drives were hard to find at the time and I didnt think it was worth the extra money for just a thunderbolt connection. As far as throughput spend are concerned, USB 3.0 has max throughput is 5 Gbps, Thunderbolt is 10 Gbps and Thunderbolt 2 is 20 Gbps. USB 3.1 will be also 10 Gbps.

Thank God i picked up this little guy, my computer got messed up and i was able to get everythign back because i had backed up everything just a few days ago.. Anyways, on to the review: Ok so i did my research before buying and went with Western Digital since i had already owned a previous external hard drive from them and know of its reputation. The price was perfect and I got a good deal of Amazon. I personally did look around and I dont think you will be able to find a better deal than the one Amazon is curently providing.. This portable hard drive is so light , im amazed how far these things have come.. it feels like it weighs less than my smart phone! The drive is pretty fast and has plenty of storage with the 1 TB option.. I usually dont install the software that manufacturers send with their devices but i thought why not, I was so impressed that this drive actually backed up my whole PC, and that too just the way i wanted it to and im sure most people would want, all the pictures in a seperate folder, music in another documents in another , videos in another... I mean it blew my mind, i just watched it do everything on its own and it barely took any time.. I backed up my own laptop and my wifes laptop the same day and it did it quickly and everything is well organized.. I would also recommend you to look at the Amazon Basics Case for this drive, thats the one i got and its fits perfectly..Highly recommend this drive to anyone.. Extremely easy to use.

If you want a portable hard drive that can carry a serious load od data, or simply have an Xbox 1 and want to increase your storage drive, this is a wicked cool drive to do it with. If you type Western Digital My Passport Ultra in YOU TUBE, you will get BOMBED with thumbs up comments, along with how to set it up to be either Ones Xbox SECONDARY drive, OR ones PRIMARY (by the process of simply moving your actually game related information to the secondary, and keeping your APPS on your original Xbox drive. Heres a funny guy that can walk you right through the entire process ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ktwLI_uokk ). NOTE: I have HEARD that: 1.> This drive is all OVER the place. 2.> You can buy a additional protector case for travel 3.> If you FORMAT this buster for a XBOX, you CANNOT go BACK to say for PC use. 4.> This IS A SMALL drive, for XBOX people, you DONT INSTALL it physically. You let it sit in top of the Xbox1 or behind it. You hook up USB 2 USB 3. Your Xbox it waiting for it now with an opened XBOX. 5.> Install process determines on your current data load. 6.> Comes silver as well. 7> NOT intended for this drive to run while INSIDE the optional travel case, due to venting. 8.> You CAN move this drive to a FRIENDS Xbox 1, and use it, but your DONT forget YOUR GAME DISKS. You WILL need them. 9.> This drive MODEL is limited to 2 TB, Western Digital makes BITTLE (3 TB, etc) as portables. 10 This drive has a little white status light, so if you have any reflective that can the REAR of this drive, it can be seen from across the room, Example: I have a glass and black gloss painted TV stand. My Xbox is on the top shelf just below the tv. This light Im talking about is reflecting by my TV stand right at me. I fixed the problem by simple some wrapping the TV reflecting area with some electrical tape. No more reflecting. Later ;-)

I was looking for a nice 1TB drive to use as a backup for pics, videos, files, etc. I had a 250GB that I never thought Id fill up. Right. The Good - this will work if thats what you need. It runs pretty fast, and so far, no problems. The Bad - if youre looking for a drive to back up files, do NOT run/load any of the programs. I fell for this, and it was hours that I cant get back. You dont need to do this unless you are using this drive as a auto-backup - in the sense of, if your computer crashes, you can plug into a new one and this will put everything back as you need. Since this isnt what I needed, it caused me some heartache (and a lot of time). The ugly - its cheaper to get elsewhere. I got it for $65 - still a good price, but its now up to $69, and Ive seen it elsewhere for $59 (pretty consistently). Still, 4 stars since it (now) is doing exactly what I needed it to do. -1 star for the hassle.

4.5/5 PROS: - Great Price - No plugs! - Small (Can fit in your pocket) - USB 3.0 support - 1.81TB of storage CONS: - Not really plug-and-play as the quick set-up guide suggests (Used on Windows 7) - Not easy to eject in Windows I really love how portable this device is, its very small and easy to carry around. I have a WD 1TB mybook, and its a lot less convenient in comparison. My Passport Ultra is just much more enjoyable to use as I dont have to plug it into another wall socket. The 1.81TB of storage is excellent and provides enough space for most people, however, many may question where the other 200GBs of storage went. In case you were wondering, the difference lies within how hard drive manufacturers calculate bytes vs how companies such as Windows calculate bytes. This isnt unique to this hard drive as every storage device is calculated this way. I really enjoy using this device, my only real gripe was that it wasnt really as easy to set up as the instruction manual suggested. According to the quick-set-up guide, the device is supposed to open with a setup window as soon as you plug it in, unfortunately this didnt happen for me (using Windows 7). Instead, the device requires you to assign it a letter before you can format it, luckily theres Google to help figure out this process, but I think you shouldnt have to search (beyond an instruction manual) to figure out how to properly set up a device. One other annoying thing is that this hard drive isnt read as an external storage device on Windows 7, so it cant be ejected simply. Im sure there is a way to eject it, Its just not as simple as right-clicking it and selecting eject. Those are minor issues that youll only have to figure out once, so after that the hard drive is excellent! Im constantly using this device to transfer storage from several computers and also as a second backup. Its very convenient, I dont regret this purchase at all~

Hey Amazon community, I recently purchased this and as an avid lover of WD, this does not disappoint. The transfer speed is great when at 3.0 - I get about 96-100mb/s or if youre on 2.0 I get about 20-26mb/s. Now mind you, thats using a software called Teracopy so your mileage may vary. I like this drive because you dont need an external power source for it, so to me its just a huge flashdrive. Now before I get called out on that, I know, I know.. its like one, not that it is one. I bring this up because I pondered how I seem to like 3.0 flash drives yet.. This seems to do the job so very well and its got a lot of storage. I formatted mine to NTFS because I can transfer single files that are over 4gigs without the restriction of FAT32 telling me that it cant transfer the file so thats something to keep in mind for when you have a hard drive. I take this everywhere with me and overall its an awesome product. Im just a PC user as my current macbook is in the shop so I never got to test this on a mac yet but its not a problem to get this going. Extremely easy set up right out the box, no hassles, no complaints.