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Western Digital My Passport Essential 250GB USB Portable External Hard Drive | 
| Brand: Western Digital
Category: Personal Computer
Buy New: £59.99
as of 3/9/2010 17:48 CDT details
New (10) Used (1) from £59.99
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 1325
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: No
Hard Drive Size: 250
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5 x 3.1 x 0.6
Legal Disclaimer: http://www.rpadistribution.com/terms_and_conditions.asp
MPN: WDME2500TE
Model: WDME2500TE
UPC: 718037729602
EAN: 7180377296022
ASIN: B0012IOHVM
Release Date: February 13, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great Product - Read if you are worried about the sync software February 5, 2009
F. Hatch (UK)
58 out of 58 found this review helpful
I bought this external drive only a few days ago after reading the good reviews and I was worried about a few things, firstly about the sync software and secondly about the low transfer rate, thirdly about the power required to run the drive.
Let me start off by saying it is a wonderful product and that you should not worry about any of the above. I use the drive to store files that are important such as documents, pictures, films, music and TV series.
Firstly about the sync software, I do not like most software that comes with items like this. It is made for people that just want an "easier" method of transfering files, and creating a better backup of your computer files. But if you are fine with transfering your own files, you know how to create folders, and just use the drive for storing files rather than create a backup to boot from, then just ignore the sync software. You do NOT need to use it for just file storage use, after you tell it to not ask you to run the setup.exe, it no longer will. I was undecided as to whether i would ever require it so i just placed it all in a new folder on the drive in case.
Secondly the transfer rate i found with just moving files onto the drive was great, and not slow as some reviewers said. I cannot give exact speeds, but for about 30GB of data it took about 15-20 minutes or less. I have no had any problems with it on vista, everything was recognised and i just treat it as another drive.
Thirdly I have had no problems with running it from my desktop computer or from my laptop.
On another point, i do not find that it scratches much, it has a four base pads protecting it from the desk, but i find it to be sturdy and easy to just wipe clean with something dry.
If you want an all round good drive, then I would recommend this drive depending on the amount you want to store. Its a great buy.
Effortless. April 23, 2008
Mr. T. Hare (United Kingdom)
272 out of 276 found this review helpful
I had read a lot about Western Digital Passport drives not getting enough power from certain laptops. I checked my USB 2.0 connections in 'Hardware' in 'system information' and was informed that all 4 were rated at 500mA (Dell Latitude D630) so I did wonder if I would have problems with this unit.
However, there were no problems at all. Having got the packaging off with an angle grinder and an industrial laser (and a small first aid kit)** I simply plugged the Passport into a spare USB 2.0 and it started up immediately and was recognised by the system. (XP Pro) I formatted and named it in order to get rid of any dubious (and usually ineffective) software/adware etc that manufacturers provide, and fired up my Acronis True Image 10 software. Fifteen minutes later I had a complete bootable clone of my entire C drive. Job done.
I tested by booting from it and there were no problems. System is a bit slow when everything is running through USB 2.0 (to be expected) but re-assuring to know that if my Laptop's internal HD died then I could get a new one installed and boot from the Passport to load everything back without a rebuild.
Maybe the underpowered issue is one that has been addressed with this generation of Passport. Maybe the people who had problems were trying to drive the Passport from USB 2.0 whilst their laptop was running from battery rather than the laptop mains adaptor. Maybe Dell are a bit 'conservative' in the rating of 500mA. I don't know but it all worked fine. Nice, elegant, compact, quiet and suprisingly quick.
Good luck with yours.
**I wish manufacturers would use something other than impenetrable plastic 'bubble' packaging. What is wrong with using a recyclable card box?
Good things come in small shiny packages! July 18, 2008
Julikat (Surrey, UK)
64 out of 65 found this review helpful
Well, I've been using this for 4 weeks now and I love it. I have the bigger external Western Digital MyBook 250GB, and it's been so reliable for the past eighteen months that I decided to stick with the same brand for my first portable hard drive.
After wrestling with the user-unfriendly blister pack, I plugged it in, deleted all the software on it, and immediately dragged over and backed up 20GB of music. It was that simple, an absolute breeze. As I use it primarily at home as a backup for its big brother, I didn't bother to buy an expensive case for it. When I need to take it out, I just use a spare padded camera pouch which protects it from bumps and key scratches!
So far, I'm really pleased with it, and I love the convenience of being able to take all my music and photos out and about with me.
PROS:
* Fast file transfers, considering it's a usb-powered portable drive.
* Simple enough for anyone to use. Just drag and drop.
* Completely silent when in use.
* Looks beautiful. Tiny and shiny. What more could you want??
* Uses a standard mini USB connection, so the cable is easy to replace.
CONS:
* Total fingerprint magnet. Smudges if you so much as look at it.
* Cable could have been a little longer, but that's nit picking.
WD My Passport 160GB on Asus F3Jc and RM destop PC September 25, 2008
bzhchem (Surbiton, England, UK)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
This product does exactly what it says on the tin.
The drive can be used with or without the encryption/synchronisation software. The software is easy to use and offers 128bit encryption of the backed up data. Thankfully, it is not bloated with un-necessary features and looks pretty much like MS Windows Explorer, giving you access to the backed up drives/folders as if you were accessing them on the master PC. It also will backup and give access to your outlook file system and calendar and to your favourite browser's bookmarks/favourites.
It truly is a plug and play solution for those who need to carry their sensitive (or not) data with them. So, if you are a teacher/lecturer and need to roam from one PC to another, or if you want to avoid having to carry a laptop to and from work, this drive is a good investment and solution for you.
Unlike another reviewer, I find it refreshing that the cable provided is shorter (45cm) than those usually provided with portable USB devices. This prevents unnecessary clutter when one uses the front USB ports found nowadays on desktop PCs. I use the drive on a desktop PC (main) and on a laptop PC (ASUS F3Jc).
I am happy with it and I have just recommended the same drive to a colleague (who also works in academia). I think the product is well thought, simple to use and, having used WD hard drives in the past, I do not anticipate problems (I am not planning on dropping the drive to see what happens to it either).
I can only recommend the drive.
No nonsense drive with no frills (not that you need frills!!) August 26, 2008
Dr. D. E. Goldwater (Bushey, Herts, UK)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
This was delivered last week. It looks very nice (although it gets grubby fingerprints on it when you look at it). It should really come with a case but I found it fits like a glove in my Archos case which I had replaced.
I have not bothered with the software but as a drive it is quiet and quick and HUGE. All my photos, music and video backed up in minutes.
I have not a bad word to say about this product. This is not really a terribly sexy area of technology but I am quite excited to own this.
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