Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition (1TB)
Manufacturer: Western Digital Corp. Part number: WDH2U10000TN
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition is a compelling choice for an external drive, delivering excellent value, good performance, and two hard drives for added data security. For anyone looking for an external USB 2.0 drive, the My Book Mirror belongs on your shortlist.
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CNET editors' review
Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition (1TB) price range: $134.95 - $296.48
- Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
- Edited by: Matthew Elliott
- Reviewed on: 08/14/2008
The good: Decent performance; low cost per gigabyte; supports RAID 0 and 1; user-replaceable hard drives; cool and quiet operation, three-year warranty; useful bundled backup software.
The bad: No FireWire or eSATA; bulky power adaptor; supports only Western Digital hard drives; hard drives can't be set up as separate volumes.
The bottom line: The Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition is a compelling choice for an external drive, delivering excellent value, good performance, and two hard drives for added data security. For anyone looking for an external USB 2.0 drive, the My Book Mirror belongs on your shortlist.
The Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition is a USB 2.0, two-drive external storage device that can be used in either RAID 1 for data security or as a single volume in RAID 0 to take advantage of the full capacity of its two drives. Preconfigured in RAID 1, the My Book Mirror is not intended for high throughput performance, but we found its read and writes speeds to be on par with other external hard drives--including non-RAID and single-volume hard drives. The are two versions of the My Book Mirror Edition: a $289 1TB model and a $499 2TB model. In its default RAID 1 configuration, however, you will get roughly half the storage capacity since your data is written to each drive. We reviewed the 2TB version, which can be found for as little as $399 online at the time of this writing. We recommend either My Book Mirror Edition drive if you are looking for a simple and secure direct-attached storage solution.
| Drive type | External hard drive |
| Connector options | USB 2.0 |
| Available capacities | 1TB, 2TB |
| Capacity of test unit | 2TB (roughly 1TB in its default RAID 1 configuration) |
| Drive speed | 7,200rpm |
| Cache | 16MB |
| Dimensions (LWH) | 6.1x3.9x6.5 inches |
| Notable design features | User-replaceable hard drives |
| OSes supported | Windows 2K, XP, Vista, Mac OS X |
| Software included | WD Backup Anywhere and 30-day trial of Mionet |
| Service and Support | 3-year warranty |
Design and features
The WD My Book Mirror Edition looks good, with its sleek black casing and curved corners. If the single-drive My Book Essential or Home Editions look like a hard cover book, the My Book Mirror resembles War and Peace at nearly 4 inches thick. Though it's relatively compact for a two-bay enclosure, its power adapter is bulky, which makes the whole package a little less portable than it could be.
The drive has an LED on the front that changes color with the drive's status: powered on, in use, idle, and error. On the back, you will find a power connector, a low profile USB 2.0 port (similar to one found in pocket-size external hard drives), and a power switch button. There're no FireWire or eSATA connections, which is disappointing but understandable as the drive is preconfigured with RAID 1--which is optimized not for speed but data protection. (The company's pricier My Book Studio drives add FireWire 800 and eSATA interfaces.) In RAID 1, the 2TB My Book Mirror Edition provides roughly one terabyte of capacity. The benefit is if one of the hard drives dies, you just need to replace it, and there's no data loss or usage interruption during the process.
You can change the hard drives into a RAID 0 configuration and get the most storage space out of it, but then the data will be more vulnerable to corruption (if just one of the two drives fail, you'll lose all your data). However, you can't set up the two drives as two separate volumes, where the status and data integrity of one drive has nothing to do with that of the other.
We really like the fact that the internal hard drives are user-replaceable. You don't even need tools replace them. Though it's not obvious, you simply press on a spot in the middle of the My Book Mirror's top front edge and the cover will pop open giving you access to the drives. The My Book Mirror uses standard 3.5-inch SATA hard drives, but there's a catch--you can only use Western Digital hard drives. While this limits the device's flexibility, it's not really a problem as WD hard drives are popular and sold for relatively competitive prices.
The My Book Mirror Edition comes with two USB 2.0 cables of different lengths--5 inches and 2 inches--to accommodate where you want to put it. This is a nice gesture as we have run into drives that don't come with enough cables.
The drive also ships with a full version of WD Backup Anywhere and a 30-day trial of Mionet for remote access. WD Backup Anywhere is a wizard-driven backup solution that allows for backing up your selected data to any other media, even onto your iPod. We tried it out, and it worked as intended. It's important to note that the serial key (required to make the software work in nontrial mode) is printed at a corner on the back of the setup instructions poster--a very obscure place.
We also tried out the Mionet service and that worked well too. We were able to access the hard drive's content over the Internet and drag its folders and files onto a local computer. As the drive is not a NAS device, the host computer has to be on and is connected to the Internet for this to happen. After 30 days, Mionet will cost you $8 a month or $80 a year.
The My Book Mirror Edition is preformatted in NTFS and works right way when hooked to a Windows computer. It also works with Macs, but you will need to reformat it into OS X's file system, HFS+, which is a simple process.
Cost per gigabyte
Most direct-attached external drives are single-drive models, so the cost-per-gigabyte comparisons here aren't exactly apples-to-apples. When viewed against single-drive units from Maxtor, SimpleTech, and Vox, however, plus a 2-drive and a huge 4-drive 2TB enclosure from LaCie, you can see that the 2TB My Book Mirror Edition offers a very compelling value at 21 cents per gigabyte. We have not reviewed the LaCie 2big Dual drive, but it should be noted that if offers eSATA in addtion to USB 2.0. Even when you factor in that you get roughly half that capacity when using the default RAID 1 configuration, the My Book Mirror's cost-per-gigabyte figure doubles to 42 cents, which is still very competitive.
| Model | Capacity | Est. street price | Cost per GB |
| WD My Book Mirror Edition | 2TB | $420 | $0.21 |
| LaCie 2big Dual | 2TB | $510 | $0.26 |
| SimpleTech (re)drive | 500GB | $140 | $0.28 |
| Vox V1 | 750GB | $235 | $0.31 |
| Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus | 250GB | $90 | $0.36 |
| LaCie Biggest | 2TB | $1,300 | $0.65 |
Performance
Considering that we ran our tests using the My Book Mirror's default RAID 1 configuration, which detracts from performance as data is written to two hard drives simultaneously, the My Book Mirror Edition performed well in CNET Labs' testing. It registered 138.4Mbps on our write test and 156.8Mbps on our read test.
It's a little hard to put its performance in proper perspective since the My Book Mirror is the first multibay external hard drive we've tested that has features only a USB 2.0 connection. The LaCie Biggest, for example, also comes with FireWire 800. The My Book Mirror Edition was significantly faster than the LaCie when operating via USB 2.0, but it trailed behind most single-drive USB 2.0 external hard drives--but only by a small margin.
Throughout testing, during heavy and lengthy workloads, the My Book Mirror Edition remained very cool and quiet. This is a double blessing, not only reducing the noise in your home or office but also giving you some peace of mind that the drives aren't running hot to where they could overheat.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 |
Write | |
Read |
Service and support
Western Digital backs the My Book Mirror Edition with a generous three-year warranty. Though this is not as good as the five-year warranty provided with the My Passport Studio, it's a lot better than the stingy one-year warranty found in many other storage devices such as the SimpleTech (re)drive. You won't need much support for the drive, but Western Digital's technical toll-free phone support is available from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Thursday and from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday. On its Web site, you will find a comprehensive set of Web-based support including downloads, product RMA, a sizable knowledge base, and online installation guide.
User reviews
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WARNING-All WD my books have been having power up probs
by jim2046 on November 13, 2008
Pros: Small and easy to operate (when it was working)
Cons: Simply dont buy any WD external hardrive.. They have known problems and a very high failure rate. Maybe cnet can run a poll?
Summary: Have just called WD as my 1 t mybook has suddenly stopped working. no power at all. They said to return to my place of purchase and see what can ...
Summary: Have just called WD as my 1 t mybook has suddenly stopped working. no power at all. They said to return to my place of purchase and see what can be done. I asked about the data and they told me to call a data recovery place here in Sydney. Having just spoken to them they said this is a very common problem. They have had up to 30 wd mybooks in one month! In good faith I purchased this product... I have all my tax info stored on this, agreements, company logo's, spreadsheets and much more. Now I have only one option... pay up to $1000.00AUD to have my data recovered. Just avoid this product at all cost or like me... live to regret it.
4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Pretty dependable. I have it for 1 year and no problem.
by alicepuy on March 26, 2009
Pros: Pretty decent for its price, i have not encounter any start up problem. It always is connected to my computer and works the way I want it.
Cons: a little bulky,
Summary: Nice hard drive for backing up all your files, but if you have a lot of music and pictures, i would suggest might as well go for a bigger storage. ...
Summary: Nice hard drive for backing up all your files, but if you have a lot of music and pictures, i would suggest might as well go for a bigger storage. But if you just have files and data, it is pretty good.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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WD My Book = My Agony
by Gasmeister on March 1, 2009
Pros: While it worked, it was quiet
Cons: Failure, unpredictable and total, but consistent with my previous two WD My Book HDs
Summary: Please be warned! I just chucked my second Western Digital 500 GB My Book drive within 15 months after it failed, conveniently for WD, three months after the warranty expiration. ...
Summary: Please be warned! I just chucked my second Western Digital 500 GB My Book drive within 15 months after it failed, conveniently for WD, three months after the warranty expiration. THIS drive was a replacement for a previous WD My Book 500 GB drive which failed, miraculously that time, while within the warranty period. Because of their unreliability, I would NEVER, EVER purchase another WD drive, even if they were the last remaining manufacturers of HDs and my only alternative were to backup onto 3.5" floppies! Get the point? Save yourself unmitigated computer agony and certain data loss- avoid WD like the plague!"
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Works as intended. Dependable.
by JustMe2a on October 24, 2009
Pros: 1) Realatively inexpensive for an external mirrored drive 2) Easy to use 3) Dependable 4) Relatively quiet
Cons: 1) Bulky 2) Not the fastest drive but on par with other external drives 3) Shinny Plastic 4) Huge blue activity light can be annoying if left operating in a dark room, but it's not as bad as past models with the round ring.
Summary: I've owned several MyBook drives over the years and have never had a problem with a single one. In fact, I keep all my data on an external drive ...
Summary: I've owned several MyBook drives over the years and have never had a problem with a single one. In fact, I keep all my data on an external drive now rather than on my local system. So when the mirrored version became available, I picked one up for home figuring it would be ideal to have the data stored on two drives.. And I liked it so much, I picked up a couple for work.
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DO NOT BUY WESTERN DIGITAL HARD DRIVES
by dacruz104 on October 8, 2009
Pros: It's heavy enough that the papers under it don't blow away even with an industrial fan.
Cons: Ugly paperweight.
Unreliable piece of garbage.
Not even worth the half star that cnet made me give it.Summary: It has problems connecting with any of my three computers. It will connect sometimes, but even then it will not stay connected. Sometimes my computers say it cannot identify the ...
Summary: It has problems connecting with any of my three computers. It will connect sometimes, but even then it will not stay connected. Sometimes my computers say it cannot identify the usb device. If by chance it does connect it loses the connection intermittently. It was truthfully the most worthless thing I've bought that wasn't in a quarter machine.
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Do Not BUY!!!
by torres1856 on September 26, 2009
Pros: While it worked for 3 months, not a problem
Cons: Uploaded 365 GB of files, folders, and photos. Opened it up one day and found one folder with absolutely nothing in it. Called support and they just said it was corrupted and I needed to reformat it. Upsetting to say the least.
Summary: For the amount of drive space, the price can't be beat. The reason you purchase a hard drive like this is specifically to back up your information. This hard ...
Summary: For the amount of drive space, the price can't be beat. The reason you purchase a hard drive like this is specifically to back up your information. This hard drive has one job to do and it fails miserably at it. Do not purchase this product.
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My 1 TB MyBook Just Died !!!!
by anthonymaw on August 9, 2009
Pros: great storage and network access including from the Internet
Cons: The CPU circuit board suffered unexpected power problems and does not boot up anymore!!!!!! Drives OK - I pulled them out, reformatted and reused the pair of 500 GB SATA drives but the main circuit board is now just e-waste!!!
Summary: Great product while it works but be prepared for the agony of power problems - I can confirm the other user's report that the WD MyBook 1 TB suffers ...
Summary: Great product while it works but be prepared for the agony of power problems - I can confirm the other user's report that the WD MyBook 1 TB suffers power failures and took a bunch of my digital photos and music down with it!!!!. Anthony Maw, Vancouver, Canada, www.anthonymaw.com
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Worst product I have ever bought
by wernerwirth on July 31, 2009
Pros: Absolutely nothing
Cons: Crashing is it's best trait not to mention loosing all of your most valuable informatin. WARNING, Do not buy this junk. No feedback, no support, no information.
Summary: Craps out, won't power back on. VERY POOR power source. Will NEVER buy another western digital product of ANY kind. Also cannot access any way of product support to ...
Summary: Craps out, won't power back on. VERY POOR power source. Will NEVER buy another western digital product of ANY kind. Also cannot access any way of product support to resolve this problem, (all about profit for WD)
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Great backup drive, easy to use
by rollednomore on July 28, 2009
Pros: RAID 1 redundancy
Cons: USB connection only
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I would never buy another one already replaced it twice
Pros: really easy to set up
Cons: I will never purchase another one tired of replaceing every few months, an then trying to recover all the photos i had on it
Summary: I had to replace it twice now an since i use it to store all the family photos an for my backup of my pc, is it really worth it
Summary: I had to replace it twice now an since i use it to store all the family photos an for my backup of my pc, is it really worth it
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Western Digital Corp.
- Part number: WDH2U10000TN
- Description: WD's My Book Mirror Edition dual-drive storage system automatically mirrors your valuable data for extra protection. The USB 2.0 interface and a powerful combination of features make this system the storage solution of choice for photographers, home users, small offices, and anyone looking for extra assurance that their data is safe.
General
- Device Type Hard drive array
- Width 3.9 in
- Depth 6.1 in
- Height 6.5 in
- Weight 5.8 lbs
Hard Drive
- Capacity 1 TB
Storage Controller
- Type RAID
Storage Controller (2nd)
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Interfaces 1 x Hi-Speed USB - Mini-USB Type B
Power
- Power device type Power adapter
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V
Miscellaneous
- Compliant Standards RoHS
Software / System Requirements
- Software type Drivers & Utilities
- Min Operating system Apple MacOS X 10.5.2 or later, Apple MacOS X 10.4.11 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista / 2000 / XP
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & support type 3 years warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 3 years
Environmental Parameters
- Min operating temperature 41 ?F
- Max operating temperature 95 ?F
Product series
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Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition (2TB)
Manufacturer: Western Digital Corp.
Specs: 2 TB, Internal
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Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition (1TB)
Manufacturer: Western Digital Corp.
Specs: 1 TB, Internal
Manufacturer info
- Western Digital Corp.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Western Digital Corp. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.wdc.com/
- Address:
20511 Lake Forest Drive, Lake Forest, CA 92630-7741
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