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

I ordered this because of recommendations from several friends. Their comments were supported by Amazon reviews. However, it took me three units before getting one that worked. The first unit was not consistently recognized by my computer. At first I thought this was caused by incompatibility between my USB 2.0 and the units USB 3.0 but there were no similar problems with the replacement unit. More problematic was the fact that during backup, not all the files requested were copied. Soon the unit stopped working altogether. I called Western Digital several times while trying to work through these issues and their service folks were very responsive and helpful. Wait times were short. When they were convinced the unit was bad, they did not hesitate to tell me to return it for a replacement. Unfortunately, the 30 day period for return to Amazon had expired so I had to return it directly to Western Digital. I was a bit suspicious as the replacement from WD did not have retail packaging and was shipped with little cushioning. The replacement failed to work right out of the box. In talking with WD I got different stories. One rep said their replacement units were new, just without normal retail packaging, Another rep implied that the replacement units were reconditioned. So far, the third unit is working fine. The unit is compact and quite. The utility software is easy to use. The WD service people deserve five stars. Because of initial problems and unproven reliability, the hardware gets one star. I recommend that you proof the product within 30 days so that you can return in through Amazon. This appears to be the only way of getting a new device as a replacement. Also, return it at the first sign of trouble. It will not get any better and you risk loosing the Amazon return option.

I purchased the 2TB version of this External Drive to use as part of backup regiment for my android devices, laptops, desktops, and a small NAS. It is a nice sleek device with great read/write speeds of up to 50-54 MB/s read and 32.4 MB/s write (assumption being that you as well have the infrastructure required to produce said speeds.) What caught my attention and was ultimately most important decisional factor was the 3 year limited warranty. As great of product as it may be I did find two cons that could potentially have negative overview of the product. 1. You need to install WDs quickview and subsequently WD smartware as theyre tied together in the installation to safely eject the portable drive. 2. If a password is set on the drive you need administrative credentials on the local PC to unlock the drive when plugging it back in. These two issues can be a big issue when traveling as you might not necessarily have access to computer where youre the administrator thus not having the ability to install their software or as I would say bloatware. For my intents and purposes it works out great but if you plan on using it for travel I would read into these issues first.

All of the external hard drives I own are the Western Digital brand, and this one is by far my favorite. I love how small it is and how quickly I can move and save files. As a college student, time and backups are essential. I work with Pro Tools and in it comes, massive amounts of files and file backups within its own project folders, and my teachers always say if its not saved in three places, it doesnt exist -- that said, I love that I can trust this little thing not to crap out on me whenever I need to use it. Plus, I like that there are different colors, it helps not to lose it and also distinguish which is which if you use multiple, like I do. Lastly, because I had a difficult time getting a straight answer for this -- It does work for BOTH Mac and PC, but youll have to configure it for Mac, which isnt a terribly hard process at all. You can easily search for a tutorial or have someone show you, if you dont already know how to do this. As far as price and how broke college students roll, Im incredibly happy I made this investment. It was worth every penny to know that I can get my work done without worry.

I replaced my ailing computer with a cybertronics computer purchased through Amazon, it came with four 3.0 usb ports, and several other 2.0 usb ports. The purchase was to replace a motherboard that crashed. New peripherals were bought including 2 western digital Passport ultra 1 TB (both from Amazon), to back up the windows 8.1 machine. One was used by the Norton 360 program and the other using windows 8 back up (File History). I also purchased an external usb 3 dock (from Amazon), to house an internal hard drive that makes a continuous duplicate of my computers hard drive in real time. In addition, i had previously purchased an LG Super Multi Blue (from Amazon), that connects through a eSATA to 3.0 USB adapter (from Amazon). After adding an Epson 3640 printer (from Amazon), the keyboard, mouse, I had no remaining USB ports. I was tempted to purchase a Western Digital I cloud but worried about security in the cloud format. At this point, i wanted to be able to charge and connect with my smartphone and needed more ports. The Anker PCI-E box and instructions said it will instal to window 7, however i had a windows 8.1. the package was simple and the instructions was similarly so. Very to instal in less then a minute, after which i said that was it? when i turned on the computer, plugged in a peripheral, it worked even without installing the driver. Since the purchase, i moved my peripherals that where 3.0 usb to the Anker card, and it works perfectly without problems. Now all the peripherals, the multiple hard drives, printer, blu ray burner, cellphone, connects easily without plugging and unplugging. Transferring of data is dramatically faster then 2.0 usb. the pros regarding the ultra 1 tb external 3.0 is the small form factor, 3.0 usb fast connection, and the the warranty! This is important given that my previous drives failed within a year. I used the security software that came with the drive, works well enough on my computer, similar to other security software out there that require a passcode. It does what a drive is supposed to do. The color options are a plus too, since i have two of them, one for secure data other for media.

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.

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.

I own a WD Passport SE 1TB and found myself after a few years needing and wanting a drive with more storage and I have never had a problem with WD drives be they for internal or external use so I bought this one. Set up is fast and though I do not use the drive password software I am sure it sets up easily as was my experience on a past WD drive. I highly recommend the AmazonBasics Hard Carrying Case for My Passport Essential for this drive. This is the case I was using for my Passport SE and it fits perfectly with plenty of room for cable and a few small items like a flash drive. I have found on USB 3 transfer speeds vary greatly depending how many, how big, or a combo of both the files are. Slowest I have seen is 45Mb and fastest (sustained) around 75Mb. These were write speeds. Average from drive to computer for me has been around 45 to 50Mb sustained. A great drive for archiving as well as always connected use. The drive will power into a standby mode after a time of not being accessed. The light will flash slowly when idled. The drive itself stops spinning until accessed then powers up automatically. Never having had any problem with any WD I ever bought I only by WD drives since the prices are usually the same or better than others but much fewer complaints with WD.

Well, I was really excited to have all my file & system image backups on a single drive, without a wall wart and in a portable small form factor (I never move it as it is connected to a desktop system). Unfortunately, after 3 months, it started whining, then grinding and clicking and now it comes on only 5% of the time, regardless of the computer it is hooked up to - I thought it was the antique of a PATA drive I had connected to the motherboard making the noise but it wasnt. WD Drive Utilities says the SMART status passed, CrystalDisk Info says it failed and the Quick Drive test in the WD Utility says it failed. This just reinforces the need for a complementary Cloud backup solution or a second backup drive. This drive was Made in Thailand so who knows if it was made with the equipment that got affected by the flooding in the past. Usually, I only go with WD Black hard disk drives due to their well known, industry reliability and warranty coverage. I would just buy that with an external hd case but Im already invested in this drive now. Hopefully the replacement is new and works like expected. UPDATE: Since I had files on there that I wanted but wasnt willing to pay $500-$1000+ for data recovery services, I tried doing a PCB swap with a donor board and firmware transfer since that seemed like an inexpensive possible fix (pros did the firmware transfer). When that didnt resolve the situation, I had another 2TB WD My Passport Ultra around and I opened up that case to see what is involved with a potential platter swap (that didnt go well either). While doing so, when I opened up the new Passport Ultra, I noticed it specifically said on the drive Recertified!!!! I cant believe it. Seeing this only reaffirms my thoughts on just buying an external hard drive case and OEM HDD together and using that instead because otherwise, you dont know what you are getting. I still will use the WD Blacks as they have never failed me and I am very impressed with their performance and warranty. Also, for backup, I will stick with the 3.5 size as now I know, with everything so miniaturized on the the 2.5, recovery seems a little more challenging (which I will do what I can to even prevent that from being needed again).

Works as advertised, easy to set up. My only concern was that it initially took over an hour to do the original backup, and the software doesnt have a progress indicator to show how its progressing. I was VERY tempted to call customer support, but I left it running for over an hour and when I came back to the computer it was done. Of course, subsequent backups only use recently modified files, so they are almost instantaneous. I have the software set to automatically back up my files daily, which is more than enough for what I am working on. The only other comment Ill make is that the software could be more user-friendly. Most buttons have self-explanatory words on them, but the most useful button has only a clockface icon on it, again making it confusing to use and leading a novice (like me) to be a bit frustrated. Once I understood how it worked I was quite happy with it. Noiseless, never fails and plugs into a USB port in the back of your computer. Also, files may be OPTIONALLY encrypted. Lastly, the software allows you to restore files to your existing computer OR to another one if your original one is down (this is important).