Rating: - Uses more power than the USB spec requires--so it doesn't work
I'd been eyeing this and some other portable drives here on Amazon for awhile and bought it from a brick-and-mortar store on a lark yesterday when I was in desperate need of some extra space.
I plugged it in and waited for the drive to appear on my PowerBook's desktop. Nothing. I checked Disk Utility and it didn't show as even an unmounted drive there, so I checked System Profiler and it didn't even register as anything connected by USB, which was strange, I thought, because the light on the device was pulsating.
A bit of Internet research and I've figured out the problem: the USB specifications only require each USB controller to put out 500mA, and this WD drive requires more than that (1000mA at spinup and 650mA continuous). Unfortunately, my PowerBook G4's (17") ports only put out the required 500mA, but you can't really fault Apple, since they're just following the standard.
This is a known issue, too. A Google search for "western digital passport not enough power" returns a half a million pages, and the top few dozen are all reviews from here and other stores as well as from professional reviewers that all mention the same problem. It would be nice if the USB standard were upgraded to support higher-power devices, but until that happens, WD should post a disclaimer on their product descriptions or at least, as one Web site poster said, should not put the USB logo on their products since they're out of compliance.
WD seems to say this is a "rare problem." Unfortunately, it appears that it is not as rare was WD might claim. It would be nice if they would include the USB Y cable they sell online (it allows you to draw power from two USB ports), although this is far from a perfect solution (tying up both of my USB ports is not nice, especially since I need one for the Logic Pro USB key fob).
Fortunately, that brick-and-mortar store's very liberal return policy will be working in my favor this afternoon.
One star for false advertising. If WD were clearer about their requirements (or better, included the Y cable), I'd consider upping the rating.
Rating: - WD Sync software corrupted
Well, bought this drive as a no-brainer backup because i have no time to mess with details. Plugged it in, tried WD sync, file corrupt (the WDSync_v6_3_130 app). And on the drive I'm supposed to trust to backup my data!
I'm running Vista on a Centrino Duo laptop, USB 2.0.
I'm sure this is rare, but now I have to either contact WD tech support or use some other imaging/backup software. Not giving 1 star because these drives are typically very good. I'll probably just reformat and use some other backup software.
Rating: - Good Drive
I have an Inspiron 8600 that I bought back in '04. Rarely do I have the small problem of the Power Surge, which only happens when I do not plug it in smoothly into the USB port. To fix it I just plug it in again. Small inconvenience with the drive, but other than that it serves its purpose well.
Rating: - Problem with USB Cable
The drive works OK with the supplied short USB cable. It may not work with longer cables. My IOMega drive is more tolerative.
Western Digital 160GB 2.5-inch Passport USB Portable Hard Drive Reviews
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