Western Digital WDG1U5000 My Book Essential Edition 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
Package Includes: WDG1U5000 MyBook, USB cable, AC adapter with power cord, Quick Install Guide The Western Digital WDG1U5000 MyBook is a small, simple, elegant and very easy to use portable memory tool. Just plug it in, and you've got plenty of room to back up and save your valuable data, music, photos, and movies. Plug it into your computer's USB 2.0 port and start saving -- it's all about simplicity. The 500GB hard drive will store either 142,000 digital photos, 38 hours of Digital Video (DV), 60 hours of HD or 200 hours of DVD quality video. It can also hold up to 125,000 songs in MP3 format, or 12,000 songs in uncompressed CD quality. Serial Transfer Rate(USB 2.0) - 480 Mbits/s (Max) Read Seek Time - 8.9 ms Track-To-Track Seek Time - 2.0 ms (average) Operating Systems - Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP or Mac OS X 10.2.8 (or higher) Requires available USB port Physical Dimensions(HxLxW) - 6.71 x 5.6 x 2.25 (170 x 141 x 57.2 mm) Weight - 2.90 lbs. (1.32 kg)
Is your computer loaded with photos, music, video, and all sorts of important files? If so, you should make extra room, back them up, and keep them safe on Western Digital's WDG1U5000 My Book Essential Edition 500 GB Hard Drive. This reliable, easy-to-use external hard drive is the perfect storage solution for all your precious digital assets. 
Save and back up all your digital assets with the My Book Essential Edition Hard Drive. View larger. |
Simple, easy-to-use design. | 
Connects to your computer via USB 2.0 interface. View larger. | 
The elegant case takes up very little space. |
Installation is a breeze because you don't really "install" anything -- just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is not even an installation CD because all the included software loads automatically from the hard drive the first time you plug it in. The My Book Essential is all about simplicity. Just plug it into your computer's USB 2.0 port and you're ready to start saving and backing up your files. But that's not all. Western Digital uses a smart design to make the My Book Essential look as good as it performs. The elegant case resembles a book and takes up very little space on your desk. Plus, it stacks horizontally and allows two or more drives to nestle neatly together like encyclopedias on a shelf. Inside the stylish exterior is an exceptionally fast, ultra-quiet, cool-running hard drive. Last but not least, the My Book Essential is equipped with free Google software that searches your drives, manages your photos, and simplifies Web searches. My Book Essential Edition Hard Drives are ideal for:
- Simple add-on storage for your files, music, photos and movies
- Adding virtually unlimited storage with multiple USB 2.0 external hard drives
- Archiving the music stored on your MP3 player
- Adding plenty of space for digital video capture and editing
- Saving and organizing your digital photo collection
Note: For higher performance and automatic backup software, consider the My Book Premium Edition 500 GB Hard Drive.
What's in the Box
My Book Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 external hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter with power cord, and quick install guide.
Western Digital WDG1U5000 My Book Essential Edition 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Accessories
 Western Digital 500 GB My Book Essential 2.0 - USB 2.0 External Hard Drive WDH1U5000N
Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 1 TB External Hard Drive
Belkin A3L791-S 7-Foot RJ45 CAT 5e Snagless Molded Patch Cable (Gray)
Linksys Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives NSLU2
Western Digital WDG1U2500 My Book Essential Edition 250 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
Western Digital WD5000KSRTL Caviar 500 GB SATA Hard Drive
Western Digital WDG1U3200 My Book Essential Edition 320 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
Western Digital WDG1U7500N My Book Essential Edition 750 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
Large External HD Case Black
Western Digital WDG2TP10000N My Book Pro Edition II 1 TB USB/Firewire Triple Interface External Hard Drive
Western Digital WDG1U5000 My Book Essential Edition 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Reviews
All these drives seem to eventually fail. For the money I saved no I have to pay for data recovery.
I will purchase several more for archive purposes. Although the drive access is loud, this drive is a solid performer. As such, I have made this the standard external hard drive in my house.
I have two of the 750 gB versions. Now my 2nd one is doing the same thing. In a panic I transfered my files off the first one and thought I was safe. All of the sudden accessing my files is extremely slow.
We've checked WD's website for new drivers or patches. Worse yet, Western Digital doesn't even reply when they were contacted.
Yeah. I suggest that you avoid buying this 500GB Ext. In a way, the failed WD Drive was a blessing. As of two weeks ago, the WD 500 is not recognized on any of the machines.
HD. But, that pain lead us to Carbonite.com where we do backups (no size limitations) for $50/year. We're read about work-arounds, but they don't work. far less than an external HD.
We've had it for about two years. Save your money. Western Digital's 500 GB external HD fails to function now. Nothing is available. It has been used on XP and Vista machines.
I know we won't buy any Western Digital product in the future. It was hurtful to know that they didn't care about their product and their customer's needs.
I would NEVER buy another WD drive after this bitter and sorrowful experience of possibly losing all my data. I don't think i can recommend this brand or drive to any of my tech savvy friends as well. WD should claim better responsibility for such mechanical hazards than just giving their customers $15 off for the next purchase of $150. I didn't hope this would have lasted even 5 years, but it quit working just after 1 year is unacceptable. Its not even a year old in use and it seems to have failed on me.
I wish we never depended on machines so much. I'm highly disappointed with the performance of this drive. WD needs to also consider compensating for data recovery which is a roaring business these days, thanks to WD drives that quit on people. Please do check out reviews on other online site (which i verified) before making a final decision to go with WD. I did hear about excellent reviews when i bought this drive, but this practically fails to live up to its reputation.
|
