Western Digital WDH1U1600N 160 GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive
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- Capacity: 160 GB
- Interface: USB
- Enclosure: External
- Spindle Speed: 7200 RPM
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Western Digital 160GB MyBook USB 2.0 Hard Drive: Great External Hard Drive
Pros
Good value, good capacity, does not power from USB ports
Cons
Not the most portable drive, a separate partition for administrative files would be nice
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
I highly recommend this drive for anyone looking for a way to back up their files, but without the need for major portability.
While today's computers have advanced enough to support storage for entire music collections, thousands of digital pictures, and more, these features have presented new problems. Hard drives fail. Computers won't function indefinitely. Years ago, people worried that the rare house fire could destroy all their photos. Presently, a simple hard drive crash could destroy your memories if you do not back-up (and double back-up) your memories. I've had multiple external hard drives fail. Luckily, due to redundant back-ups, I still have all my files.
My BUSlink 160 GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive has finally given out on me. This was my first external hard drive. In between, I purchased a second, more portable external hard drive; the Seagate 100 GB USB Hard Drive. It failed in less than three years. It was outlasted by my earlier drive, but the latest failure left me with only hard-copy back-ups. I chose the Western Digital 160 GB MyBook USB 2.0 Hard Drive.
Design
The Western Digital 160 GB MyBook USB 2.0 Hard Drive is an average size external hard drive, measuring 6.5" H x 5.4" D x 2.1" W. The casing consists of black plastic with a blue light in the center of the edge of the drive to indicate when it is powered. The drive fits into my large tote that I carry, but isn't small enough to really be considered "portable." It isn't the lightest drive, but it is light enough to bring it from place to place without a problem.
Power for this drive is provided by an AC adapter which was one of my reasons for buying it. I've had problems on various systems with hard drives that power from the USB ports. I found a separate power source to be more reliable, though this does decrease the drive's portability. The AC adapter makes the drive more cumbersome.
Usage
This drive connects via USB 2.0 and it is easy enough for anyone to use; simply plug n' play. My one frustration with the drive is that its software and other files are not on a separate partition, causing my files appear in the same folder, getting lost in the mix. I find it irritating, but not enough to cause me to create my own partition. I know... Lazy. This was the first drive with which I encountered this problem. For most people, the software will prevent you from having to navigate the drive through Windows Explorer and therefore avoiding the aforementioned folders.
The drive operates at 5400 RPM. It holds 160 gigabytes (GB) of information (minus a little for formatting). This is sufficient for backing up my entire collection of music, digital pictures, and videos, in addition to documents from four computers. I would venture to say it would also be sufficient for most users. 160 GBs translates to about 40,000 songs, 35,000 digital pictures, or 120 full-length movies worth of space. I still have yet to fill it, but it's always best to have room for growth.
Durability
I'm clumsy, and while I certainly don't suggest dropping it, I can attest to the fact that this drive is quite durable. It has been dropped 3 or 4 times from a bed to a carpeted floor and still works as well as it did out of box.
Price
I purchased this drive for $89.99 on Dell.com. I think it was a great value for the money.
My BUSlink 160 GB USB 2.0 Hard Drive has finally given out on me. This was my first external hard drive. In between, I purchased a second, more portable external hard drive; the Seagate 100 GB USB Hard Drive. It failed in less than three years. It was outlasted by my earlier drive, but the latest failure left me with only hard-copy back-ups. I chose the Western Digital 160 GB MyBook USB 2.0 Hard Drive.
Design
The Western Digital 160 GB MyBook USB 2.0 Hard Drive is an average size external hard drive, measuring 6.5" H x 5.4" D x 2.1" W. The casing consists of black plastic with a blue light in the center of the edge of the drive to indicate when it is powered. The drive fits into my large tote that I carry, but isn't small enough to really be considered "portable." It isn't the lightest drive, but it is light enough to bring it from place to place without a problem.
Power for this drive is provided by an AC adapter which was one of my reasons for buying it. I've had problems on various systems with hard drives that power from the USB ports. I found a separate power source to be more reliable, though this does decrease the drive's portability. The AC adapter makes the drive more cumbersome.
Usage
This drive connects via USB 2.0 and it is easy enough for anyone to use; simply plug n' play. My one frustration with the drive is that its software and other files are not on a separate partition, causing my files appear in the same folder, getting lost in the mix. I find it irritating, but not enough to cause me to create my own partition. I know... Lazy. This was the first drive with which I encountered this problem. For most people, the software will prevent you from having to navigate the drive through Windows Explorer and therefore avoiding the aforementioned folders.
The drive operates at 5400 RPM. It holds 160 gigabytes (GB) of information (minus a little for formatting). This is sufficient for backing up my entire collection of music, digital pictures, and videos, in addition to documents from four computers. I would venture to say it would also be sufficient for most users. 160 GBs translates to about 40,000 songs, 35,000 digital pictures, or 120 full-length movies worth of space. I still have yet to fill it, but it's always best to have room for growth.
Durability
I'm clumsy, and while I certainly don't suggest dropping it, I can attest to the fact that this drive is quite durable. It has been dropped 3 or 4 times from a bed to a carpeted floor and still works as well as it did out of box.
Price
I purchased this drive for $89.99 on Dell.com. I think it was a great value for the money.
