External Hard Disk: for your storage needs. Review on WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB

As you all know that your data on computer increases with time. Mine also was soaring at a very high rate as I regularly used to download movies over Internet. And I don’t want to delete any of my data hence arises the need of an external storage device. First of all I listed down my requirements so as to easily narrow down my search.

My Requirements

1. Compact and handy that’s easy to carry.

   
   




2. Minimum 1TB storage capacity as I don’t want to assist it with another storage device in near 3-4 years.

   
   




3. USB 3.0 compatibility as it is the latest data transfer mode.

   
   




4. No external power supply.

   
   




5. Most importantly, it should be in the price range of 5-6k.

   
   

Western Digital or Seagate

I started searching over Internet and finally short listed two major brands dealing in external hard disks- Seagate & Western Digital. Now I have to choose a particular model from these two brands.

Considering my requirements I choose Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 2.5inch 1TB. Seagate was bit costlier than WD. Generally speaking, WD has an upper age when talking of storage devices, but that doesn’t mean that Seagate is inferior to WD in any way.

USB 2.0 vs. USB 3.0  

USB is the acronym for Universal Serial Bus.

USB 2.0 hi-speed offers a link speed of 60MBps while USB 3.0 super-speed establishes a link speed of around 625MBps. The transfer speed also depends upon the internal hardware.

Usually a USB 2.0 will offer write and read speeds close to 30MBps and a USB 3.0 offers read speeds close to 90MBps and write speeds close to 60MBps (but only if plugged into a USB 3.0 port which is available in latest PCs). For information, if a USB 3.0 device is connected to USB 2.0 ports, it works like a USB 2.0 device only.

In gist, data transfer over USB 3.0 is 3-times faster than USB 2.0 . Also note that still USB 3.0 is not available in all computers and will take time to completely replace USB 2.0.

Features of WD My Passport

1. Dimensions- 4.3 x 3.3 x 0.7 inches

   
   




2. Weight- 0.2kgs

   
   




3. Hard drive capacity- 1TB

   
   




4. Size- 2.5inch

   
   




5. Spin rate- 5400 rpm

   
   




6. Connectivity- USB 3.0, backward compatible with USB 2.0 & USB 1.1

   
   




7. Supported OS- Windows XP, Vista, 7 and Mac

   
   




8. Warranty- 3years

   
   




9. No external power

   
   




10. Plug & play simplicity

    
    




11. Password protection

    
    

Hardware and inclusions

The external drive is very lightweight and compact. The size is like it’s name- Passport. It is so small that it can easily fit into shirt or jeans pocket. The looks are not very attractive and the plastic case is very glossy and can easily attract fingerprints.

The actual storage capacity is 931GB and it is because of the storage drive manufacturers measure the capacity in decimals where as Windows does it in binary.

The package includes the drive and USB 3.0 cable. The length of provided cable is just around 12 inches but anyways it is sufficient.

Software

The software is preloaded in the external drive and it is very easy to use. You have to install the software on your computer. First time when you connect it to your PC, it will ask you to backup the data on PC. Once you have taken the backup on the external drive, it will automatically check for any additional files when you connect it to PC next time. During backup the software displays the overall data transfer progress. The restoring is also a very easy process as you can choose the location where you want to restore the backup data.

There is provision of password protecting it but if you forgot your password, no one can help you- not even WD support. It will be a useless gadget for you in that case.

There is option of drive diagnostics to check the performance and also to set the timer when the drive goes to sleep.

Problem faced & Customer Support

There is only one problem that I have faced with my device till now. When I am trying to remove this device from my PC it is always (most of the time) showing the error that ‘Generic Volume cannot be removed. Please close other programs’. I have tried to diagnose the problem but unable to find a solution till now.

I have called WD customer support (Toll free number: 1800 200 5789) and they told that it might be because my operating system is using any of the files on my external drive. They suggested removing the drive after shutting down my computer. Though I am not totally satisfied with their response but I have no other option.

Pros

1. It is very compact and lightweight considering the storage of 1TB.

   
   




2. Works silently, can rarely hear the drive sound.

   
   




3. User-friendly preloaded software.

   
   




4. Does not require external power.

   
   




5. Easy to backup and restore files .

   
   




6. Automatic backup of data.

   
   

Cons  

1. Plastic housing feels cheap and flimsy.

   
   




2. Micro USB 3.0 socket is different from USB 2.0 , so if you lose the original cable it may be difficult and costly affair to replace it.

   
   




3. My mobile didn’t recognize the external drive while connecting it to my Nokia N8. It may be because of the incompatibility of my mobile with 1TB drives.

   
   




4. No carry case provided . Even other manufacturers also don’t provide it but it is very much required.

   
   




5. I tried it to backup OS of my Vaio (having USB 2.0) but I couldn’t do, as there are devices/ computers that still don’t support USB 3.0.

   
   

Pricing

I purchased it from flipkart.com for Rs.5240 in June’2011. It is now available at Rs.6693 (I am unable to understand the hike in prices) at flipkart.com & at Rs.6300 on letsbuy.com .

Final words

It may not be a perfect device, but with its moderate price, this is a decent device to back up big files from your computer on this small portable hard drive. Western Digital is a big name in external storage drives so it can be relied upon.

Recommendations

1. It is highly recommended for travelers and entrepreneurs who are always on the move. Just imagine carrying all your data in your pocket.

   
   




2. If you have limited hard disk space and you don’t want to change your PC, juts go for it. It will fulfill all your storage needs.

   
   




3. If you are having desktop computer , this device will give you the portability of Laptop computer as you can connect it to any PC at any place/ cyber café.

   
   

BEWARE :

External drives are very delicate and need to be handled with care. You have to be very cautious while carrying it in your baggage. A hard jerk or a drop can be deadly for it. So it is always advisable to carry it in a properly padded/ cushioned case. I purchased such a carrying case from ebay.in for Rs.300.