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(More customer reviews)The main difference between the WD Passport Elite and the slightly cheaper Passport Essential is in the pre-loaded software. Both versions include sync and encryption software, but only the Passport Elite comes with the "WD Anywhere" automatic backup software. However, if your main reason for buying the Passport Elite is to use it as a data backup drive for your PC, you better think twice - details on that later.What's so excellent about the hardware?
SIZE: The drive is so compact and light, it can fit in my shirt pocket easily.
CONNECTION: Just a simple USB cable takes care of both power and data. The provided cable is only 15 inches long, but I have tried a generic 30-inch USB cable and it works just fine.
SPEED: I benchmarked the data transfer rate to be 30MB/s for writing large files. This is about as good as it can get for a 5400RPM hard drive connected through USB 2.0.
NOISE: What noise? I have to put my ear right on the hard drive, in order to heard a faint sound during read/write.What's not so hot about the WD Anywhere backup software?
Initially, the WD Anywhere software appears to be a 30-day trial version. It turns out that on-line registration is required to activate the full version. Fair enough, except that my virus protection program blocked this software from accessing the Internet. So I have to temporarily suspend the virus protection in order to register.
Next, I started to backup selected directories on my PC. The software seems to get 'stuck' after transferring just a few GB of data. It would consume over 60% of my computer's CPU power, yet the files are just crawling along. I restarted the process a few times, but the results are the same. Finally, I downloaded the latest WD Anywhere Backup version 3.50, and it doesn't hang up anymore. However, there are still problems when using this automatic backup software.
Suppose I transfer some image files from my camera to my PC, while the portable hard drive is not connected. WD Anywhere will queue-up those files for backup later, once the drive is connected. The problem is: if I rename/edit those files in the mean time, WD Anywhere is not smart enough to update its queue accordingly. So it will try unsuccessfully to backup those old files, and it will NOT backup those new files I have edited. It is ironic that the backup software for a PORTABLE hard drive requires the drive to be connected all the time. I have yet to find a way to force the software to rescan my directory and look for new files to backup. It is easier for me to just copy the whole directory manually.
The bottom line is, WD Passport Elite is still an excellent USB hard drive. Just remember that you cannot rely on WD Anywhere to backup all your files automatically.
[Update on April 4th]
Thanks to suggestion by William E. Merkley II, I downloaded a free program called 'SyncToy' (part of the Microsoft PowerToys suite). It works exactly the way I want to backup my photo files. I have already deleted the WD Anywhere backup program and will only use SyncToy from now on.
[Update on May 25th, 2009]
I tried using this hard drive connecetd to the USB port of my Philips DVP5990 DVD Player. The DVD player can detect there is an USB device connected, but it cannot read anything from the device. I think the fault is with the USB port of this player. It seems unable to supply the 500mA current required, therefore the hard drive cannot spin up. For this application, I need to get an USB hard drive with its own power supply instead.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Western Digital My Passport Elite 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive (Titanium)
With a luxurious, soft-touch finish thats elegant and comfortable to hold, the chic little My Passport Elite Portable USB Hard Drive from Western Digital has mega-capacity for all your digital content. The worlds most sought-after portable drive is now the most stylish way to carry thousands of songs or pictures. Because the drive is powered directly through the USB cable, there is no power adapter to carry. Included automatic backup software lets you back up all your files on your laptop computer; WD Sync software synchronizes and encrypts your data; and MioNet Key software gives you remote access to your data.
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