Version: 2008
  • On BNET: Online porn struggles for profits
advertisement

Western Digital MyBook Premium Edition 500GB External Hard Drive

3 of 84

Full user review

  • 16 out of 18 people found this review helpful

    4.5 stars

    "Sleek, Slim, and Sexy for an External Hard Drive"

    by bigb177 on June 14, 2006

    Pros: iPodesque Design, Capaity and Usage Lights, Easy "Plug and Play" Use, Firewire and USB Connectivity

    Cons: Expensive for an ExHDD, First Uses are Choppy, Power Down Problems

    Summary: I have been on the market for an external hard drive for the past year or so, and after hearing that Western Digital was releasing this external hard drive, I quickly pre-ordered one for myself. While I was a little frustrated at the beginning with the drive due to minor issues with the system (would not power on, would not be recognized by my CPU, and WMP 10 functionallity issues), I am extremely pleased with how well it has worked since then.
    First of all, let me say that this is an amazing looking device. The entire device is lined with morse code holes. This gives the external drive its "book" like feature. It is undoubtedly the most best looking external hard drive on the market today, and it is really nice to have on any desk in your home or office. It also is very small, and fits in even the smallest of spaces, which is also a very well thought out feature for this drive. Of course it is not pocket sized, but for such a large capacity drive, it is very small.

    Another feature I really liked with this drive is its two-ringed capacity and use lights. This helps you know how much memory, first of all, is left on the drive, which can be very useful, and also lets you know if you have power and/or connectivity with your computer. While they may seem very useless, there are actually a very nice feature to have.

    The drive also funcitions very nicely, for the most part. For those of you listening and planning to buy this drive, listen to this very important advice. The two rings also double as a power button for the device, so BEFORE YOU PLUG YOUR HARD DRIVE INTO YOUR CPU, WHETHER BY USB OR FIREWIRE, TURN ON THE HARD DRIVE BY PRESSING THIS BUTTON!!!! Otherwise, functionallity is very lack-luster, and can be very slow and unbearable. The drive has a hard time to spin-up with computer start-up, so this is very important. If you do this, however, you will find this hard drive to work perfectly. This drive is also formatted at FAT32, which is a great file format, but personally, I recommend changing the file system to a NTFS format. It, at least for me, seems to run faster and function better with this type of format.

    This drive is also extremely fast when it comes to the "import and export" of information and files. As a person who loves music, photos, and video editing, I can tell you how fast this drive really is.

    This is really my perspective of this drive. As I stated, it is a bit pricey, but is very much worth it. While first uses, as I stated, can be a bit choppy until your computer really starts to recognize this drive as another hard drive, it really funtions very nicely. I am very pleased with Western Digital's MyBook, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new external hard drive for their laptop or desktop computer system.

    Was this review helpful? YES | NO

    Reply to this review

  • 1 reply to this review
  • reply by: bvjagan on October 17, 2006

    Hi Bigb177,

    Just want to know, is this hard drive which you bought it some time back, still working in good condition? Need your suggestion before I buy this hard-drive?? In some web forums, people are experiencing the crash problems with this hard drive and also seagate hard drive!!

    Thank you.
    Jagan

Write review Back to product review See all 84 reviews

Where to buy

Western Digital MyBook Premium Edition 500GB External Hard Drive: $279.99
storepricein stock?rating
Amazon.com Marketplace
$279.99 Yes 5.0 star rating

see prices from 1 store

Submit your review

Log in or create an account to submit your review for:

Western Digital MyBook Premium Edition 500GB External Hard Drive

ORLog in with your Facebook account
1. Rate this product:
(Mouse over the stars to rate this product and click to set your rating.)
2. One-line summary:(Summarize your review in one line. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 55 characters
3. Pros:(Tell us what you like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
4. Cons:(Tell us what you don't like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
Bottom-line summary:(Explain to us in detail why you like or dislike the product, focusing your comments on the product's features and functionality, and your experience using the product. This field is optional.)
0 of 5000 characters

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks are prohibited.
Click here to review our site terms of use.

Submit

Compare prices for Western Digital MyBook Premium Edition 500GB External Hard Drive

Price: $279.99
Amazon.com Marketplace $279.99
advertisement

Special sponsor stores

advertisement
advertisement

Compare this external hard drive to:

Explore more on cnet

Before you buy
Editors' top storage
See all hard-drive reviews
See all burner reviews
More on hard drives & burners
Storage forum