The Western Digital MyBook Essential Edition is a pared-down version of the MyBook Premium Edition that we reviewed. Available in sizes from 80GB to 500GB, this external hard drive features the same exterior design as the Premium Edition. It also uses the same 7,200rpm hard disk drive, so we expect the performance to be on a par with that of the Premium Edition. The Essential Edition drive has only a USB 2.0 connection (the Premium Edition can also connect via FireWire) and doesn't come with the EMC Dantz Retrospect software that ships on the Premium Edition. Also, the capacity meter on the "spine" of the drive glows green instead of blue.
Intro:
This Western Digital My Book Essential Edition External Hard Drive is a 250GB, external hard disk drive.Compared to other external hard drives on the market, it is midpriced at around $150.This drive attaches to a system though a USB 2.0 port.This is a 7200 rpm drive and has an 8MB cache.
Noteworthy Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Weaker Features:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
Suited for those who don't want to take apart their computer to add another hard drive -- just plug it in.
Value:
Overall, this hard drive has good features for the money.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal What a Nightmare!
I have just finished 4+ hours and two timezones with WD support, who are unfailingly polite, only to find out ...
I have just finished 4+ hours and two timezones with WD support, who are unfailingly polite, only to find out that this 250 GB Book is a dud. Certainly one of the four "support engineers" I spoke with could have figured that out. How many times does a computer have to re-boot and fail in installation? From 4:45 edt to 7:45 p.m I worked with these folks. Now, after 8 p.m. I am hold for over 30 minutes to the return "support engineer" who will probably not be in California but further out in the time zones... trying to get a return code number... replacements are the only option. Designed primarily for a PC, I suspect, even if they say it is not. This back up drive is a total disappointment and I cannot get a refund just another dud replacement. My experience is a tie for incompetence between the product and the ignorant, but polite, support system. Grrr...
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by PDBudd (see profile) -
September 11, 2006
65 out of 65 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 out of 10 - Terrible Only worked sporadically......
I had no problem getting this up and running, but it kept "disappearing". Finally it died after only a week, ...
I had no problem getting this up and running, but it kept "disappearing". Finally it died after only a week, right after I finished backing up all my files. (Of course.) It started making the 3-click sound, and I couldn't read a thing -- even diagnostics failed. WD's solution? Send it back, we'll replace it. Good thing I didn't have anything really critical on it yet. Judging by my research on the support forums, this is not an uncommon problem with this unit. Next time I'll Google the support forums BEFORE I buy! This is unfortunate, because I've always found Western Digital to be a such a good product. I'm sure I'll try them again.
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by babzter (see profile) -
August 21, 2006
85 out of 90 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Superb looks and Quality...
This hard-drive combines all of Western Digital's Best aspects. It has an amazing look, (similar to the XBOX), which ...
This hard-drive combines all of Western Digital's Best aspects. It has an amazing look, (similar to the XBOX), which allows it to fit in nicely with the black and siver themes with computer companies like Dell. It is unbelievably quiet! I first purchased an inexpensive drive due to rebates, and the next day this went on sale. Drawing my attention, I looked up revieve on both drives. It seems many drives lock up and tend to make whinning noises. With nearly a month under my belt with this Drive I have no complaints. It is Stackable and it can sit upright like a book. It even comes with four little pads to put on each corner - if you want it flat. The WD My Book Essential comes with a USB and DC Power imput in the back. (All cabels are included.) On the back there is also a Kensington Security Slot. (This allows people to lock up their HD like a bike. Locks sold seperately.) When you first connect the drive, IT INSTALLS ALL DRIVERS NEEDED. IMEDIATELY!! Fast installation requires no user interaction. If you would like you can even install Google Desktop - (That and Acrobat are the only programs optionally installed on your computer.) No spacey software is required. The drive does not affect PC performance, (however google desktop might, but it is optional.) OVERALL, this hard drive is a GOOD buy, which will never let you down. From my expertience and research it appears to be the top of the line. (Other than the MyBook Pro an Premium .)
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by dmfay89 (see profile) -
June 6, 2006
65 out of 65 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 out of 10 - Terrible Drive died after 1 month
I bought drive to backup my work files. Great design, fairly compact. No software included for backups so you have ...
I bought drive to backup my work files. Great design, fairly compact. No software included for backups so you have to provide your own. Worked fine for 1 month but drive failed. Would not power up.
RMA process costly and at your expense. You must ship in anti-static bag (so save box). No communication or response to 4 e-mails I sent. Not only did I lose 1 month of backups but it cost me quite a bit to ship back.
Recommend if you buy it to don't rely solely on it for at least a few months. You have a chance of losing your only copy of something if the drive fails. Hope replacement is more reliable.
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by dublinjohn (see profile) -
November 21, 2006
20 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent The winner of a two gun showdown
This drive is pretty sleek, looks neat (like a book with morse code on it for some reason), has a ...
This drive is pretty sleek, looks neat (like a book with morse code on it for some reason), has a crazy but cool little circle deal going on, powers down when the comp does, very quite and with all the rebates, discounts and so on makes this one great buy! I'd recommend this product to anyone who has large amounts of precious data sitting on one harddrive! With this you can just plug it in, back it up, unplug and "go!" feeling safe now that your data is ok even IF your HD crashes and burns! The only thing is, is that this "Essential" line of My Book seems to be the "utilitarian" version too with only USB to connect with. It does write a little bit slow, you do want to format it to NTFS from the FAT32 it comes with (this is for compatability reasons, not because they are dumb but because all peripheral drive are FAT! 3.5 floppy - FAT12, jump drive is FAT, ZIP is FAT16 and so on) And if you know that you are gonna need to load a 4 gig file, just format to NTFS before you do. I'd really appreciate Western Digital putting some serial, Firewire 400/600/800 or some networking ports on it because USB (and it theoritical speed) combined with the slow write speed make backups a day (or more) process!
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by Hekkenschutze (see profile) -
November 13, 2006
20 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect Best solution for backing up precious data
For about the past month, I have not been able to figure out which external hdd would be the best ...
For about the past month, I have not been able to figure out which external hdd would be the best for me. I saw that Best Buy was having a sale on this particular hdd, so I went down to Best Buy and decided to buy it.
I am so impressed by this product, it absolutely works wonders. After taking it out of the box, I was backing up my precious photos within minutes. It works flawlessly, and looks beautiful on my desk. :]
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by jmeeter (see profile) -
November 5, 2006
20 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 out of 10 - Very good This is an easy way to make sure your music and photos are always backed up.
My wife was not happy when the hard drive in her one year old iMac crashed. Apple took care of ...
My wife was not happy when the hard drive in her one year old iMac crashed. Apple took care of the hardware problem, but all her music and photos were gone. The photos are gone forever! I had not taken the time to teach her the best practices concerning backing up important data. I found the 250GB Western Digital My Book on sale and decided to make the investment to solve this issue. The hook up and set up was simple. I did install the included software, but soon wished I had not. Scheduled automatic backups were unreliable and very slow. I have now uninstalled the WD software and have set up Apple's Backup program to do the backup of personal data to iDisk and the entire Home Folder to the My Book external drive. The Apple software appears to be more reliable and easier to manage. The My Book is perfect for what we need. I just wish I had done it sooner.
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by harpnet (see profile) -
September 2, 2006
20 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal Very disappointed
I received a My Book Essential Edition 160GB as a Christmas gift. Eager as I was when I unpacked the ...
I received a My Book Essential Edition 160GB as a Christmas gift. Eager as I was when I unpacked the unit and connected it to my PC, I am still waiting for it to power up. I've seen good reviews and bad reviews and can not figure if it is a good or bad product. If it was working, maybe I would be able to form an opinion. For now I am waiting on a reply from WD. The support FAQ does not provide much in terms of recommended solutions. I believe this unit was purchased at Target. Regardless of it's origin, it was dead on arival when I hooked it up.
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by barnardb01 (see profile) -
December 31, 2006
5 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
1 out of 10 - Abysmal It's A Dog & It's BIG
Compared to my other USB externals, this thing is terrible. It is often as slow as an old fashioned ZIP ...
Compared to my other USB externals, this thing is terrible. It is often as slow as an old fashioned ZIP drive, and at least 50% of the time, the system will not boot if it is turned on. I am extremely sorry I bought this, as opposed to the other Hitachi externals I use!
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by Andy Planas (see profile) -
November 12, 2006
5 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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