 |
|
Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive WDH1U5000N | 
| Brand: Western Digital
Category: CE
List Price: $119.99
Buy New: $89.99
You Save: $30.00 (25%)
New (39) Used (5) Refurbished (1) from $75.99
Rating:  161 reviews
Sales Rank: 102
Media: Personal Computers
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Hard Drive Size: 500
Size: 500 GB
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 2.1 x 6.5
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: WDH1U5000N
Model: WDH1U5000N
UPC: 018037120806
EAN: 0018037120806
ASIN: B000XRK3LG
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Tell A Friend
Add to Wishlist
Add to Wedding Registry
Add to Baby Registry
| |
| Features:
| ⋅ | Includes - External hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter and Quick Install Guide | | ⋅ | Smart and energy efficient - Turns itself on and off with your computer | | ⋅ | Saving and organizing your digital photo collection | | ⋅ | USB 2.0 Serial Bus Transfer Rate - 480 Mbits/s | | ⋅ | System Requirements - Available USB port, Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later |
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
This elegant external hard drive, reminiscent of a book, is the perfect storage solution. It takes no more space than a paperback book. Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a shelf. Installation is a snap because you don't really install this drive, you just plug it in and it's ready to use. A USB 2.0 simple connection offers convenience and compatibility among multiple computers. Dimensions - Height 6.5 x Length 5.4 x Width 2.1 Weight - 2.5 Pounds
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 156 more reviews...
 Nice USB Hard Drive January 9, 2009
Shawna R. Bandow (Montgomery MN USA)
Great price for a nice size hard drive. No complaints. Plug it in and it's there :)
My Book Essentials January 6, 2009
Vickie G. Cannon (North Carolina)
Excellent product. Easy to set up and super easy to use. If I can do it, anyone can!
 Define your objectives January 1, 2009
mateo52 (State College, Pa.)
The Mybook essential 500GB HD is an economical choice for PC users who have a need for extra storage space or external back-up capability but do not require a range of connectivity options as it only accommodates USB.
V2.0 has some changes in features from 1.0 and I am not convinced all of the variations are beneficial. First and foremost, V1.0 had a forwarded located on/off button that I found particularly useful with consideration to some quirky performance of the drive from time to time, where it tended to impede boot functions or seems to initiate untimely back-ups of revised files. This newer version lacks a physical power switch but has a blue-hued activity indicator lamp and is designed to power down after 10 minutes of inactivity, or upon recognition of a system shutdown. I have seen little evidence the inactivity power down facility is accurate.
While I have never personally encountered heat or overload issues with my V1.0 drive - I've used it for back-up only for 18 months - the new unit has a slightly smaller footprint ( approximately 4" x 6" x 2") but similarly configured for ventilation and heat dissipation with top, back and bottom air outflow slots. This version also features a mini USB cable that limits the distance the drive can be situated from the CPU and if you have a vertically oriented workspace as I do that may represent some challenges. Due to the USB configuration and potential heat related read/write issues, I do not believe this drive to be an efficient or viable alternative for productivity applications or as an external streaming server.
This drive is essentially plug and play. Upon installation a prompt is initiated to install a trial version of some back-up software, a diagnostic toolkit, a google bundle and another option I no longer remember and cannot get back to since I opted not to install and immediately reformatted from the pre-loaded FAT32 to NTFS with a single partition of 465GB, a step that is preferable for windows users but one you may want to defer until you have registered the device via that same install module as registration thereafter becomes a headache since the device serial number is printed on the label in a font only decipherable with a 10x magnifying glass.
My intent for the drive as well as the predecessor I own is as a dedicated resource for back-ups of individual desktops. For facilitation of services across a home network, a NAS unit such the Netgear RND2150 ReadyNAS Duo 500 GB Desktop Network Attached Storage with RAID capability seems to be a safer option.
|
|
|
| |
|
