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The Western Digital Elements is, by far, the most robust external hard disk I've ever owned. And, when I say solid, I mean almost 3 lbs. solid (I didn't put it on a scale but it feels that way), 100% metal casing, likely to survive a building collapsing on top of it. Given that I bought it for backups, not for travel, I actually like it this way.
It's probably helpful to enumerate the features I feel are worth being aware of before one buys it (and I shall answer any additional questions if you drop a comment, to the extent that I can):
# Heavy, solid build, almost bullet-proof enclosure.
# 8"x4"x1" rectangular prism (these are not exact measurements but I'm confident it's close.
# USB port for data transfer, cable included.
# External power supply.
# Silent run - you can't hear it spinning unless you place it close to your ear.
# Cool - after one night of uninterrupted operation it was barely warmer than room temperature.
# Not a speed demon but I backed up 50GB in something like 20-30 minutes.
# Formated as FAT32.
# Comes with no software but it was instantly recognized by both Vista and my PS3 (more about that later)
# There is no manual to speak of - and no manual is needed.
# One year warranty.
# 30-day free tech support during the warranty period where the clock starts running after the first call to WD.
# Lacks the (to me annoying) carnival lights that some other drives have these days - only one blue LED, on the back, blinks when read/writes are performed.
# Competitive in price with the Western Digital Elements 1 TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive WDE1UBK10000N (Black) which I happen to own.
I can't think of anything bad to say about the WD Elements. I went for the 1TB size because I wanted to back up several smaller computers on it and my 320GB PS3. For a stress test and if you are going to use it with XP or Vista you may want to reformat the disk as NTFS - Microsoft will be spinning your disk for many, many hours and, if you bought a dud, chances are it will stop working during the 10-12 hours format process. Or, you can check the 'fast format' option and the formatting will be done in less than one minute.
After the overnight test was passed, I partitioned the disk into 4 using Vista (no problem whatsoever) and I formated 3 of them as NTFS and one as FAT32 (get FAT32FORMAT off the Net because Microsoft's utility does not work on a 300GB partition). Backups ran flawlessly with Microsoft's backup interface and backing up the PS3 was incident-free too - it instantly recognized the FAT32 partition and I have a nice PS3 backup now.
I highly recommend this drive as a backup device that does not travel a lot. If you wish to save a few dollars and don't have much use for an extra 300GB, go with this one. Otherwise, get the 1TB version.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Western Digital Elements 640 GB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive WDE1UBK6400N (Black)
Product Description
WD Elements Black USB 2.0 external hard drive is an easy, reliable way to add more storage to your PC or Macintosh®. Simply plug it in to a USB port and start saving or backing up your photos, music video and files. It's preformatted for immediate use. The compact, durable metal case provides extra data protection.
Product Details
- Brand: Western Digital
- Model: WDE1UBK6400N
- Platform: Windows
- Format: CD
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 3.05 pounds
- Hard Disk: 640GB
Features
- Fast, reliable storage
- Plug and play
- Compact design
- Aluminum enclosure
- Backing up photos, music, video, or any files
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