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

(1059 reviews)

Price
$95.99

Quantity
(10000 available )

Total Price
Share
99 Ratings
58
27
7
1
6
Reviews
  • G

    > 3 day

    - R/W @ 100 MB/s [if @ USB 2 port, its port-limited to 35 MB/s] - WD reliability - Silent - This works: repartition/format as two volumes; 1 small boot-able system recovery/utilities; 1 big encrypted storage. Now for the complaints: - Unlike their legacy WD Elements SE 1T USB 2 drive, this one REQUIRES their WD SES driver install, lest you get an annoying driver-install-fail message from Windows each time you connect the drive. The drive will function [R/W] regardless, but their SCSI Enclosure Services [SES] driver is needed by their WD Disk Utilities app, which also requires installation, to set the drives sleep timer and run diagnostics. So much for portable. - Good luck their proprietary software requiring install/setup per machine, but the first thing I do w/ portable drives is clean and repartition disk into 2 volumes; boot-able system recovery and backup. Do people really put up w/ all these different backup/encryption methods for each drive/manufacturer? W[hy]TF does no disk maker go open source w/ their backup/encryption software? It may be counter intuitive, but this would instantly vault make them to industry leadership role AND bring an explosion of goodness from the OS community, at no cost to the manufacturer. Theyd steer the development and be the most compatible, so all other manufacturers would be forced by the market to yield. And current market leaders shouldnt rest on their laurels. As things are, none have yet to even match the ease and PORTABILITY of, say, that crappy little native windows app, ROBOCOPY, for backup, or open source for disk encryption; learn it once; use it for ANY and ALL storage; THAT is portability. [hint: we want to protect/backup/clone/port our DATA, not the physical disk].

  • brainout

    > 3 day

    Update, 3/7/14: Amazon wont let me update my review on the older Passport model, or I cant now find that review, so this update covers it, and also has relevance to the Ultra, originally reviewed below. This update will be very important to Windows 7 users. Presumably Win8 will have the same quirk. Here goes: when I first hook up the Passport or Ultra to the machine on Win7 (I refuse to use Win8), sometimes it wont register in Windows Explorer (later named File Explorer). But the drive will be detected in diskmgmt.msc as unallocated. You will be asked to initialize it. DO NOT do that, if you want the files on the drive (driver, backup files, etc). Just back out. THEN, hook up your machine for Windows update, or even invoke it manually. You should then get the very same WD SES driver that you wanted to use, but Windows wouldnt recognize it. The update will list this driver as an optional update; note the file name, and accept it. I know, because I just did what Im telling you to do, except that I made the horrific mistake of initializing the drive, and lost the files. So I had to format the thing. No problem, really, Ive got a backup of those files from another 1TB purchased. If you dont, then search in Win7/8 for that file name, and BACK IT UP. Frankly, this is the first time Ive had this experience in Win7, but then these last two drives purchased were silver ones from Warehouse Deals (for $30 off, listed as like New) -- so they might have been wiped. Gorgeous things. Brilliantly packaged by Amazon. Im going to buy two more. :) For heres the secret with these drives: you can partition them, and have the partitions CLONED, but the remainder, as extra filespace or backup. So on one drive, you have the best of both worlds. Now of course everyone will tell you never have only one backup -- okay, but then you can CLONE THE WHOLE DRIVE using some other, less-used machine, to make your second copy, rather than go through it piecemeal again. For any kind of cloning process takes a while, when large. I use Macrium Reflect 5 Pro for this. You might prefer some other software. Clonezilla is a great choice, too, see my review on its CD, here in Amazon. I now have 12 (or more?) of these WD Passports (in black, silver, red); 2 of which are the Ultra, reviewed below. I just love them, but the above quirks (and too the cord), will remain. Its not WDs fault: Windows wont allow the driver to install in the normal manner. I dont recall having any trouble with Linux Mint 13 or Fedora 17 recognizing them, either. Original review follows, below. ==== Just like all the other 3.0 USB WD Passport drives, this one has a nuisance cord and that too-bright light. If you ever saw those keyring lights which are thumb-operated tiny but too bright to look at, then you know what kind of too-bright-light I mean. Great for the keychain. Not so great for a drive. LED would have been better, especially if mild green (no red or amber, please). Comes also with a pouch that easily snags, a cross between nylon sack and satin. Shoulda been neoprene. But, you can use it for other things. Like, covering up the Perixx dedicated Peripad Keypad sold also here in Amazon. Pouch fits it perfectly. That way you protect those nifty keys from dust. Drive doesnt need any protecting like that. For it, you can get kitchen liner, though I like to cushion my external drives within big old ladies leather wallets. Theres room for the peripherals, extra SD cards, even paper clips. Cord too stiff, so you cant easily position the drive to avoid the light searing into your eyes; cord not long enough for the best deployment of the drive, which is to hook it up to a HUB MONITOR, so the power supply is not the computer. So buy the Tripp Lite 3.0 blue superspeed cord (3ft, sold here in Amazon), or I suppose some other one (but dont go for cheap, if you want durability and predictability). I did that, and my blue WD Passport Ultra works just fine. The Ultra emits much more vibration than its earlier cousin the WD Passport. The Ultra is maybe 20% thinner, too. I got a pair of blue Ultras on sale for Cyber Monday. Not sure Id buy them again, as the earlier cousin is heftier (I have four of the older ones, now maybe a year old, all are fine). The lighter the drive, the more problems it will have; but thats a guess. Will edit out this claim if it proves wrong. Bear in mind that most monitor hubs are 2.0, so you wont get the 3.0 throughput. Your computer must also have a 3.0 port, for that high throughput to work. Most computers dont have them; even if you get a separately powered 3.0 hub, it also wont operate at high speed, if the computer itself doesnt have the same 3.0 USB port for the powered hub. All that being said, the throughput is reliable. I have a 3.0 port in one of my laptops, and yes, its faster then. Else, you get 2.0 speeds. Important: the problem with larger external drives, is they need power. So you cant just expect your computer to support all that size when the drive itself is not separately powered. So you must hook up the drive to a separate hub, be it on a monitor or hub you buy, that itself IS powered. If you dont do this, your WD Passport wont always work. So dont blame WD, as some reviewers have. Blame ignorance, and then correct it. One more hint: WD is like a Ferrari or Jaguar; it needs TENDER care. Dont bump it. For extra protection, I line these drives either by putting the white plastic packaging they came in, underneath; or, lay underneath some fruit foam (after all, its Christmas) or camp foam or even kitchen drawer liner (the squidgy waffle kind that sells in varied-color rolls at Walmart for $4, or maybe even here in Amazon, I didnt yet check). That way, even if you bump the table the drive will stay put. (I swear by kitchen liner, for all electronics. That, feathers, and unused makeup brushes.) Finally, the WD SES driver will be needed. Usually in XP or Win7, this need is detected, but sometimes not. Eventually, if not detected, though the drive still works, sometimes it will seem NOT to work. In that case, use the driver. Microsoft knows about it, and will install it for you from its online driver base. As for the WDs own included software, I dont use it, so have nothing to say. Like the other reviewers noted, it comes with an ADVERTISEMENT for Dropbox, not actual cloud storage. (Did you know, you have 5GB of free cloud storage right here in Amazon, anyway.) Id rather use SD chips, pen drives or external drives, than the cloud. So cant comment on the Dropbox deal.

  • Mr Mac

    Greater than one week

    The physical drive is a 5 so far using it as a continuous backup drive. Its operating on a HP Pavilion Elite M9340F 64bit, Win7 Pro with a 3.0 PCI card using Acronis True Image 2014 and WD Smartware backup software. The 4 rating goes to the SmartWare and the difficulty in getting Win7 to recognize the WD drivers. Also, Trying to follow directions in the User Guide was worthless, even the updated version. The disk comes with SmartWare version 2.6 PRO but almost as soon as the software is activated a popup indicates a new version. The new version installs as non-pro with an indicator for upgrading to the pro version, for free. The directions to upgrade are simple enough however, when the request is submitted it errors out and doesnt upgrade but it does remove one of three authorized installations. It took over a week of emailing WDs tech support, who did work with me, to get the new pro version activated. All indications are that WD has/had a Win7 structure glitch in its automated upgrade software. It appears the software needs a file that should be located in a particular structure of Win7s Program Data but it isnt. After sending WD my structure they were able to manually upgrade the software. As for the drivers, Im still not sure Windows is using the proper driver but it works so Im not going to fight it any more. I finally got Windows to recognize the drive name in the Device Manager and get the SES driver install however, details of the driver under Disk Drives in Device Manager indicates its a Windows 2006 driver. The instruction indicates using the Extras folder on the Passport to update the driver but Windows return a no drivers that match your device error. All attempts to find an updated driver failed. As said, it works. Im leaving it alone.

  • PasoCreek

    Greater than one week

    Flawless. Just load this up with all your photos and documents. (Highlight folders, right click, hit send to WD Passport or highlight and drag.) It can take whatever you give it pretty much unless you are decades behind this holds a ton of data. No clumsy CDs or DVDs to store! Delete, add upload download, it works perfect and as easy as working from a folder, file or destination on your pc. Just plug in the USB cord to your pc and get going. I own two of these and a great feeling all my photos/documents are safe and secure as with two I can store them in separate locations in case of fire or disaster. Burning CDs suck, this is the way to go. Oh and just take this palm size device to any WalMart or any photo processor, plug it in and select and print from all your folders. Such a great feeling to have everything stored and not afraid of a glitchy pc dropping everything.

  • Student

    > 3 day

    I wanted an external drive I could plug into several computers, and back up each one independently. When first inserted into the USB, it installs a bevy of programs onto your computer. Then it asks if you want to back up on a schedule or continually. There is no provision for backing up when you attach it to your computer, immediately. Its designed to be left plugged into a computer and left there. If you dont want to leave it attached to a computer the whole time, this backup system is not for you. I believe my files are backed up, but not the newest files I created today. Also, you cant access the software to order the My Passport to start a backup. Right now the Smart Ware software wasnt even working, so when I clicked on the icon it just spun and spun, never opening the home page. Uninstalled everything. Very disappointing. Update: You are able to set backups for hourly, then connect the WD My Passport before the hour, it will often begin the backup shortly after the clock hits the top of the hour. Often. Or, you can tell it to start a manual backup, but that doesnt always start, either. Better than nothing but not intuitive or effortless.

  • Miguel

    > 3 day

    Well, Why 5 Stars: USB 3.0. Im just starting to use my USB 3.0 port... And I copy all my stuff almost 400gb incluided music, videos, movies, documents, etc... in about just minutes! not hours like old times just minutes. Not even half and hour.. more about a 15min I think was it. Blue: I really like the blue color. So when I looked this color Design I knew that I would really like it. What else? 1Tb of a Top High Brand Manufacturer like it is Western Digital. They are PRO in what they do. Many years in the business aprove it or I think so haha. Security. Even when it have a software of keeping a track on backups, I just have the option that when you plug it to your pc is prompt an Autorun and no Disk appear: You most Autorun the security Software and insert the password otherwise you CANT, read well Can Not access the Disk information. I like this option. So if i lose my backup No one can access my data. And if you forget the key... damm. Better have a good memory, all for security reasons. Insert the password (with remember option for the current pc) and the drive will just appear. Like that. I really Recommend This product and no.. no one is paying me to say this. Is that I think that is a great product of a great company for a essential need: Save all important stuff that u dont wanna erase Ever. And the 1 Tb because I think is the average for most people and great capacity. I recommend that if you buy a Portable External Hard Drive, buy that one at least 60% more than you are gonna backup. For various purpuses: 1. You are not going to spend money in another one in near-medium time. 2. You have enought space to keeping downloading stuff, creating data , music , videos, documents, and stealing music or games from your friend..and 3. We always want More. Haha. I also recommend two of these. Yeah. 2 !. well. that for even more security porpuses. One that your gonna save alll your stuff that never will erase... you keep this in a safe place, where is the important documents of family etc, and the other is where you are gonna work with and travel around, backup here backup there.. You are going to work.. take the bus.. go to work... work indeed.. backup your stuff like always and returning home...someone steal your bag... you lose all the data? no. You just lose the Recent one that maybe it still is in the actual hard drive pc. but the important ones like family pictures.. music collected from year to year, Family videos.. software that u dont know where to download it again... or heavy ones that you will take years to download again.. are Safe.. at your home. Nothing no worried about. That steal the bag oh damm.. yeah but Who return all your working in collecting that data.. over the years.. and that time spent? No one does. or maybe yes... Time Machine! Last recommendation: When you guys are going to backup some data, take the time to stay secure that there is no viruses o malware or strange virus that may compromise the entire drive. See u around. I expect that this review help you in a way or another. =D

  • 3rd Day Believer

    > 3 day

    Ive written many reviews for Amazon, and count myself a B or B+ when it comes to matters technical. Ive never had any problem with Western Digital external hard drives--I own five--or with the SmartWare backup system. However, I plugged this item in yesterday. As has always been my experience, auto-backup went smoothly and was complete. Just now however, for the first time in--what? eight years?--I had a blue-screen event. I didnt even know these were possible in the modern age of PCs. It took one anxious forever for Windows 7 Enterprise to recognize the issue, and when it did, I got the message to remove any external devices and start your computer again or words to that close effect. I removed this WD drive and restarted. Restart happened without issue, and Im using that computer right now. Im very disappointed here, because Ill need to wipe this WD drive (hoping no blue-screen happens while Im doing so) and return it, and now Ill have to think seriously about ever buying another WD product. Ill probably contact WD customer support to see if they have a resolution to this problem, and if they do Ill change this rating and update this review. For now though, I think its appropriate to post a warning about this product. And if you do have that blue-screen moment, do not panic. Just remove the drive and start over. Your computer is not dead! Update July 16 2014: WD support was excellent and detailed. I received a prompt reply. Tech support proposed that I had a faulty cable and sent me a new one free of charge. I did as directed and reinstalled SmartWare. As before, backup was fast and complete. Everything now seems to be going smoothly, after a week of use. In brief, THIS EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE SEEMS OK. I wish I could write more convincingly, but only time will tell. As noted above, Ive never had issues with my other five WD drives, and in fact use them with my PCs and on the MacBook Air my university provided me. This is the only one that seemed to create issues. WD tech support told me it was highly unlikely an external hard drive could create blue screen issues, but in the bad old days that was not my experience. For example, it use to take Vista 25 minutes to boot, until I realized it was searching my 1TB WD external hard drive for the OS before it searched the internal hard drive. Bad things do happen with good external hard drives. And really, can it be coincidence that my first blue screen in half a decade happened upon restart after installing this drive? Of course the answer is yes, and though we see other complaints here in the one-star department, they all revolve not around blue screen, but around drive failure. Hey, there is a spinny disk in these things still, and spinny disks are prone to failure. Ill update again if I have further issues with this hard drive. But contrary to some reports here, WESTERN DIGITAL TECH SUPPORT IS EXCELLENT. I have always found it to be so.

  • E

    > 3 day

    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.

  • Shop-Til-You-Drop

    > 3 day

    Let me start off by saying the drive itself is great. Backups up quickly and efficiently and there is a wide range of options...BUT there are some lacking features. Many other reviews tell you what it can do, I feel you need to know where its lacking. Lets begin with and issue that will affect novice computer users. This drive comes with a tiny one page pamphlet. The graphic shows you to connect the drive to your computer, then theres a little graphic of a book and a web address. You need to go to the document section of their website. From there, you locate the manual for your drive. Going by their pamphlet, you need to be connected to the internet at the time of your initial install. This is not always an option for everyone. But heres the thing, if youre a Windows user, click on MY COMPUTER, then click on the MY PASSPORT drive, you will find a directory of User Manuals. The instructions should state this. Once youre in the user manual, you discover that you only needed to run the WD APPS SETUP file, which you access in the same way as the manuals. Already youre doing more work than necessary. A simple sentence of connect drive to computer, open drive folder, double click WD APP SETUP file would have saved some aggravation. Once the software is installed on your system, you can access the help menu within the program, which is very user friendly. There are a few software items I dont like. You have many choices on when to schedule your backup, (daily, weekly, monthly, immediately) except on a certain DATE of the month. Say, I want to back one of my systems on the 1st of the month. Not an option. You can choose the first Monday (Tuesday, Wednesday, etc) of the month, but not a specific day. I also would have appreciated a confirmation screen or at the very least, a status bar notification that told me my drive actually performed the backup. Even a little notification that the drive is currently backing up would be nice. And as I discovered, a blinking light on the drive does not necessarily mean its backing up your computer. To ensure the drive is actually backing up or to confirm a backup has completed, you have to open the WB SmartWare software and click on the Backup Tab. If its currently backing up files, you will seeing a copying files message on the top of the screen. To confirm a backup, you need to click on the clock icon located near the bottom of the screen. This will tell you your Next Backup, Missed Backup and Last Backup. BUT, I had a daily backup set for 5PM and the drive wasnt connected at the time...the missed backup never appeared on the list. One might argue that it didnt log the missed backup because the drive wasnt connected. My argument is you should NEVER keep your backup drive continuously connected. If a virus hits your computer, it hits your Passport Ultra too. Ive already been there, done that with another external drive, hence the reason why I always disconnect. The hardware is great and I love the drive, BUT I have had to help a few older, less tech savvy people set this up and explain how to double check their backups. Theyve all asked the same thing...why doesnt it tell you when its done? Bottom line, it an awesome little drive, but the software leaves a bit to be desired. Would I recommend it? Only to people who have a modest amount of tech knowledge and who dont mind extra clicks to double check their backup.

  • Spoon

    > 3 day

    Update 5-2016: Updated my computer to Win10 and have had no problems with this device. Also managed to buy a longer USB3 Y cable for this at a going-out-of-business Radio Shack for several dollars. ----------------------------------------- Works as advertised. Bought this to backup files and photos from a Dell computer running Win7. This external drive requires no plug-in power supply; it runs off USB power. A nice feature lacking from many external drives. My computer recognized the new drive immediately. Basic setup took less than five minutes. This drive can be encrypted, which I did. This took an addition several minutes. I did not set up multiple partitions, sticking with just one. With multiple, you can encrypt one partition without having to do them all. So far a good performer (3 months so far) and a good price. Only complaints: (a) the USB cord is only 17 inches long, limiting placement in and around the computer, and (2) the USB cord that attaches to the drive is one of the new USB3 mini Y connectors (power and data are split out), so a little more costly to buy a replacement cord if you lose this one. I couldnt find a replacement cord listed on the WD site, but theyre starting to show up on Amazon and other sites.

My Passport Ultra – Ultra-compact, local and cloud backup to go.

My Passport Ultra portable hard drive features WD SmartWare Pro backup software that lets you back up to the drive itself or use Dropbox to back up to the cloud. Move files quickly with the blazing speed of USB 3.0 connectivity. Keep your data private with password protection and hardware encryption.

Automatic & cloud backup.

Safeguard your memories with WD SmartWare Pro automatic backup software. Back up directly to this drive or back up to the cloud using Dropbox.

High-capacity, compact, storage to go.

Offering up to 2 TB in a compact design, My Passport Ultra is the ideal companion for your Ultrabook and other slim notebooks. Travel light with all your digital content.

Password protection secures your drive.

Use WD Security to set password protection and hardware encryption and protect your files from unauthorized use or access.

Ultra-sleek design with high capacity.
At just half an inch thin (12.8mm) for the 500 GB model, this drive is sleek and fast with plenty of capacity for your important digital content. The 1 TB model is a mere 0.60 in (15.3 mm), while the massive capacity of 2 TB is only 0.81 in (20.5 mm).

Ultra-fast transfer rates.
When connected to a USB 3.0 port, My Passport Ultra lets you access and save files in blazing speed. Reduce transfer time by up to three times when compared to USB 2.0 transfer rates.*
*Performance may vary based on user"s hardware and system configuration.

USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility.
With this single drive you get compatibility with your USB 2.0 devices today and the ultra-fast speed of USB 3.0 when you"re ready to step up to the to the next generation.

Automatic, continuous backup software.
WD SmartWare Pro automatic backup software works quietly in the background to help protect your data using minimal PC resources. Whenever you add or change a file, it"s instantly backed up.

Local and cloud backup.
WD SmartWare Pro lets you choose where you back up your files. Back up files to your My Passport Ultra drive or back up your files to the cloud using Dropbox.

Secure your files.
WD Security utility allows you to set password protection and hardware encryption for your drive to help keep your data private.

WD Drive Utilities.
Register your drive, set drive timer, run diagnostics and more using WD Drive Utilities.

Durable enclosure protects the drive inside.
We know your data is important to you. So we build the drive inside to our demanding requirements for durability, shock tolerance, and long-term reliability. Then, we protect the drive with a durable enclosure designed for beauty.

USB-powered.
Powered directly from the USB port on your PC. No separate power supply is needed.

Ideal for

  • Transferring files in blazing fast speed with USB 3.0
  • Connecting to the latest USB 3.0 devices and even backward compatible with USB 2.0 devices
  • Backing up your files to the local drive with automatic backup software
  • Backing up your files to the cloud using Dropbox
  • Adding extra storage for your videos, music, photos, and files.
  • Securing your files from unauthorized access with password protection and hardware encryption
  • Connecting and powering through your USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 interface

What"s in the box
Portable hard drive, USB cable, WD SmartWare Pro software, Quick Install Guide.

Compatibility
Formatted NTFS + Windows 8 or higher, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP operating systems
Requires reformatting for Mac OS X
Note: Compatibility may vary depending on user"s hardware configuration and operating system.

Features at a glance

  • Ultra-compact design with plenty of storage
  • Blazing-fast data transfers with USB 3.0 interface
  • Automatic backup software for local backups
  • Cloud backup through Dropbox
  • Password protection and hardware encryption
  • USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility



Portable Storage for PC
Comparison Chart

Premium Storage

My Passport Ultra My Passport Slim Perfect for Added storage and backup when you"re on the go. Stylish storage and backup for your music, movies and photos. Available colors Black, White, Blue, Red, Titanium Silver Connection USB 3.0, USB 2.0 USB 3.0, USB 2.0 Capacity range 500 GB - 2 TB 1 TB - 2 TB High-capacity for all your photos, music and videos Automatic backup with WD SmartWare Pro Cloud backup with Dropbox Password protection

Related products

Shop
( 1466 reviews )
Top Selling Products