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Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDBAAA5000ABK-NESN (Midnight Black)

1 rating: 3.0

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The world’s most popular portable drive is now smaller than ever. And it’s smarter than ever with automatic, continuous backup software and password protection. Choose your favorite fun color to look smart and stylish. Our smallest portable … see full wiki

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1 review about Western Digital My Passport Essential 500...

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I wanted it as the equivalent of a 500 GB USB thumb drive, and it works fine...

Sep 6, 2010

by duffbert

Rating:

Through Amazon Vine, I got a Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDBAAA5000ABK-NESN (Midnight Black) for review. Although one of the selling points is the automatic backup software that comes with the unit, I have no use for that. What I wanted this for was 500 GB of portable hard drive goodness. And overall, I think that's what I have.

When I first plugged it in, I found it wasn't the "plug and play" that they advertised. The automated driver setup fails, and you have to go into the drive to find and run the full driver setup to get everything set to perform. The next thing I did was delete the over 600 MB of backup software that comes with the unit, as I wanted nothing to do with it. I was able to get it quickly set up under both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 that I run.

The other reviews on Amazon seem to have a number of complaints about loose USB connections, but that's not the case here. Everything is secure and well-fitted. It also doesn't bother me that it uses a micro-USB plug, as it's likely I'll just leave the plug attached to the hard drive when I travel with it. It's not like I have a dozen of these I'm switching back and forth between.

I believe your satisfaction with this unit will depend on what you wanted it for. If you want a backup unit that does all sorts of things automagically for you, it appears that you might be disappointed. The software hasn't gotten rave reviews. But if you're viewing this as the equivalent of a 500 GB USB thumb drive, it rocks. Just minor points off for having to install drivers instead of it just working "out of the box."

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Amazon Vine Review Program
Payment: Free

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