(Old Model) WD My Passport Ultra 1 TB Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive with Auto Backup, Black

Im not going to rate the software that comes with this drive. Ive not used it. I use Acronis backup software for sending my hard drive images to this device. The device in my hand was strangely not nearly as heavy as I anticipated. It has a satin feel (I guess I was expecting a gloss finish) which was unexpected, but not bad at all. The cord is very short that comes with it, but I store it in a hard case, and when it is plugged in, it sits right next to the port, so that matters not. This drive is very fast and lives up the advertisement of Western Digital. I love their products and have used them (almost) exclusively over the years. The only exception is my OS drive which is a Samsung EVO Pro, which I also cannot say enough about. The drive is silent in operation (at least I cant hear it over my computer) and stays cool, even after transferring video back and forth between it and my pc. I expect quality from WD, and they did not fail to deliver here. Im not sure why they have poorly rated software, but as I mentioned, Ive not used it, so Im keeping the rating to the device itself. For my needs, this IS the best external drive on the market.

Im a big digital media junkie. I damn near have every show, movie, music, or piece of data on an extra hard drive. For the longest, I relied on 2 AC powered hard drives that I had gotten from NewEgg about 3 years ago. One was a 1TB the other a 500GB. These are nice options if you dont need to carry them around, which I did some times. It was a pain in the butt. Not to mention the added weight from a desktop sized hard drive, the case, cables, and the need to have a power outlet nearby. I began looking into USB 3.0 powered drives a few months back. I wanted it to be atleast 1TB, slim form, and of course, powered over USB. By chance, I found this hard drive while randomly searching around on Amazon. I purchased it instantly. Once it arrived, I hooked it up, wiped it clean and began transferring everything over to this bad boy. The transfer speeds were slow, I think that is my fault due to my USB 2.0 ports, but I didnt mind and I did this while I was asleep. This thing is awesome. I rarely remember that Im even carrying it, its really that light. The indicator light on this is located on the back(where you plug the cable in it) and isnt bothersome or insanely bright. During idle, it does a slow pulsating with more off then on. During load it blinks and flashes quickly. I havent heard any random clicks or sounds from the drive, which is really nice. The rubberized feet serve their purpose, but I can see them not having a sturdy grip. But, as long as youre stationary, I dont see that being a problem. The case itself has a nice texture that has some grip to it, feels sturdy and well put together. I got the black color, it matches my setups more than the other colors would have. The texturing gives it some depth and makes it pop, but not to much. All-in-all, Im very happy with this drive and will definitely look into another one in the future or a much larger one.

I own a few external hard drives that require electrical outlets for power. Cuts down on the mobility. My biggest concern in purchasing this particular drive was that there seemed to be a lot of ambiguity regarding whether or not it would work with Macs. In fact, I even asked the question...Will this work with my Macbook? and someone posted a simple No. That was helpful. Didnt give any personal anecdotes to back up that answer...just simply, no. After reading many more reviews and doing more research of my own, I decided that customer may have accidentally answered my question when they were actually thinking they were answering another customers question regarding whether or not Matrix Revolutions was a good movie. So I took a risk and purchased this little gem and strangely enough...it worked on my Macbook Pro right out of the box. I did format the drive so that I can export large files and use with Macs and PCs (if anyone would want to do that sort of thing.) And if you want to learn more about that, you can check this out:[...] But besides that...it was ready to use right away without any issues at all. I love it. Simple, easy to take anywhere...lightning fast...able to export ginormous files at once. The price is great. Oh...and did I mention that it WORKS GREAT with Macs?

Bought it back in May 2015 and its great. Works as expected on my Windows pc. I use it to keep my files on in case something happens to my computer. Still works fine. I think it was kind of hard to figure out how to manage on my computer at first and during installation but its actually very easy, on my computer I just plug it in drag and drop files like I would with a regular USB flash drive. I bought it for around 60 dollars so there are cheaper ones out there though. But not bad. One complaint I have is that Im not sure where to store it but I just keep it in a little cardboard box I have in my closet. Im forgetful though so I also have a tendency to just leave it out where ever haha, but it still is in good condition so its fine. Also I feel like it looks slightly different than in the picture but that may just be the lighting but to me the little circles on the front arent that bright or noticeable. Also in the pictures they have it might look a little bigger or smaller than it is, but its about 21 cm vertically, 9 1/2 cm horizontally, and 2 cm thick, and it comes with a USB cable thats around 48 cm long. So its kind of too big to put into a regular pocket but you could probably put it in a medium sized bag pocket. Though I do worry about the USB cable because theres not comfortable way to pack it with you without bending it all up unfortunately. That might end up being a problem in the future if the USB cable breaks but so far it is fine.

Update 2/23/14 - Okay fellow Amazon shoppers. Im caving in to some of the comments that have been posted on my review and upping my star rating to four stars. Reason being that the price of this storage drive keeps fluctuating so much that its often a better deal than other, lesser drives out there. Ive also edited my review a bit to accommodate that. The drive itself has been working like a champ for me so far and Ive got no complaints there. However, Im still holding off one star due to most of the reasons I stated in my original review. The WD Smartware included software is still garbage despite recent updates/patches, and I stick to my story that the packaging is misleading to the non-technical. I had been using a Seagate FreeAgent Go 640GB portable drive for about three years now, and wanted something with some more space and higher transfer speeds. I purchased this drive for its beefy 2 TB of storage space and speedier USB 3.0 interface. Out of the box, you get the drive, a 15 USB 3.0 cable, soft pouch, quick install guide, and a 3-year limited warranty. The drive looks nice, and appears to be of good construction. Doesnt look or feel cheaply made. I like how compact it is. Its about an inch shorter in length than my FreeAgent Go, and maybe a millimeter or two thicker. The included soft pouch is a nice addition and helps keep dust and dirt off of it. Not an ideal case solution if youre prone to dropping things or somewhat rough with your belongings, so you might want to invest in a more rugged case. It works fine for me though as I keep mine in a messenger bag when on the go, and its a nice addition considering most other drives dont come with anything. The included USB cable is long enough to plug into the USB port on the front of my PC and reach my desks surface. So, thumbs up there. Functionally, the My Passport Ultra 2TB works as advertised. Transfer rates are roughly 3x faster than that of a USB 2.0 drive. I noticed the difference in speed right away when transferring large files (1-5GB+), taking only 2-3 minutes instead of 5-10 minutes or longer depending on file size. I work with large media files all day long, so the bump up in transfer speeds is really nice. The drive is very quiet while running. You wouldnt even know that its on except for a tiny little LED indicator light to the right of the USB connector port. So, why only four stars? Hardware-wise, The Passport Ultra is no different from WDs regular Passport series of portable drives. Theyre the same exact drives, only slightly different in appearance. What the regular Passports lack from the Ultra is the soft pouch, the Ultra label, and WDs misleading labeling on the box that touts, Auto & Cloud Backup Plus Security. The Auto backup is merely referring to WDs abysmal backup software included on the drive, WD SmartWare (more on that later). The Cloud backup is basically instructions on the box for setting up a DropBox account. No kidding! Theyre advertising cloud storage on the front of their packaging like its a feature theyre offering. Flip the box over and youll see that its nothing more than an advertising gimmick for DropBox with instructions on how to set up an account. As for the included backup software, WD Smartware, they should consider renaming this to Dumbware or Stupidware, because it simply doesnt work. The software is supposed to keep your designated files and folders on your PC synced to your Passport, meaning, when a file is updated or a new file is added, Smartware is supposed to see those changes and update the files on your Passport the next time you sync. Unfortunately, the current version of Smartware has a bug where it doesnt notice any updated or newly added files and doesnt copy them to your drive when you sync, rendering the whole thing useless. People have been complaining about this on WDs support forum for a while now, and WD has yet to acknowledge its customers about the issue on the forums or address the issue with an update or fix. This is highly unacceptable! EDIT 2/23/14: Despite a new update for WD Smartware (v2.2.1, updated 11/25/13) which was supposed to, fix an issue where files are not backing up properly in some instances, it still does not function properly. After running the update, the software often hangs for too long or freezes up altogether. So, Ive given up on WD Smartware. I wish I could use Seagates Manager software with this drive, as I never had a problem with that software. In summary, the WD My Passport Ultra 2TB Portable External Drive is a really great drive. Its small, fast, quiet, and works as advertised. However, the drive retails for $30 more than the regular Passport model of the same storage capacity. All youre really getting for that extra $30 is a silly, soft pouch, Ultra labeling on the drive, and the feeling that youve been made a sucker for believing this product was anything more than it appeared to be. So save yourself a few dollars and get the regular Passport 2TB and put that $30 towards a better protective case. EDIT 2/23/14: Depending on when you purchase the drive, the price may be cheaper than other, lesser drives. In this situation my comment about the more expensive price would be irrelevant. If you find this drive on the cheap, by all means make the purchase. It is a great drive, especially at a bargain price! Pros: - Lots of storage in small, compact form factor. - USB 3.0 transfer speeds. Great for large media files! - Included pouch keeps away dirt and dust. - Included USB cable is long enough for some play. Cons: - Misleading labeling. - Same drive as the regular Passport, except for pouch and Ultra markings. - WD Smartware automatic backup software is garbage. Doesnt work as advertised! Use an alternate 3rd-party backup solution.

I wrote this glowing review below and only hours later I went to do an update of an existing backup and it is not working (or if it is, its going so slowly that it will take days to backup * FIVE GB * - which is ridiculous. It took less than 5 minutes to do the initial backup, and now that Ive connected the passport to my PC to update the files already backed up, its been going for over an hour. Same data (just a couple of edits on some excel files), same USB port, etc. For 5GB of data. You can copy / paste to the drive, but the whole reason I liked it is because I thought it would backup changes for me. Sigh. ******************************************************************** So easy to use! I was dreading picking out a new external hard because I was sure I would experience some awful technical issue and end up buying my brother a plane ticket to Atlanta just to help me backup some music and photos of my kids. But the WD Passort Ultra is really fast and easy to figure out. You plug it into the USB 3.0 port if you have one (it will say SS = Super Speed) or any other USB port if you dont. It does its installing new hardware thing and then the notification pops up that the device is ready to use (I use my Passport using Windows 7 and Windows 8). You go to My Computer, double click on WD Apps Setup, follow the prompts and after a minute the WD Smartware is installed on your PC. You then double click the WD Smartware icon and you can set your preferences. I chose continuous backup, but you can also set a certain day of the week and time to have your files backed up. I dont intend to keep the drive plugged into my PC while I work, this way it updates right away when I plug it in. For the backup scope, I chose the advanced setting. It says this is for experienced users, but all it asks you to do is select the folders you want to back up. I selected my Document, Pictures, Videos & Music folders. If you need your email backed up or anything that is not in a central location, you might want to use the default setting. You click enable backup and it begins backing up the folders youve specified onto the Passport. I use this drive to backup personal documents on my work PC and all doc/photos/videos/music from my personal PC. I can view them by viewing the folders on the drive and opening the WD SmartWare.swstor folder. There I see a folder for each of my PCs and if you drill through into those folders you will see your backed up data. You can do all kinds of other fancy things (versioning, etc.) but Im just trying to keep it simple. I bought the Amazon basics case for it, and its perfect, holds the device and the cords.

My 5 star rating is for the Western Digital hardware. It seems that previous reviewers had problems with USB 3.0 and with the WD Smartware Pro software. But there is no good reason to use either of these. I have my drive plugged into a USB 2.0 port and I dont have a performance problem. There are many free backup software applications. I am using Microsofts Sync Toy. Works great. Right now I am doing backups when I feel they are needed. But the Sync Toy directions tell you how to automate this using Windows timers. My OS is Windows 7. I just plugged the WD hard drive into an unused USB 2.0 port and it was recognized right away with no messing around. Then I started up Sync Toy and set it up to backup the contents of My Documents to the WD and then kicked off the first backup. (I have 45 GB worth of pictures in My Documents so this took about half an hour). I find it amazing that you can purchase 1 TB of storage for $65. My association with the computer industry goes back to the early 1960s when 25 MB cost my company several hundred thousand dollars. Hats off to all those smart American engineers who made this happen over the last 50 years!

I wanted an external drive for my Macbook Pro. I was looking for a good looking drive that was small, had USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt connectivity and one that didnt need an external power source. Of the drives that fit my criteria, I was drawn to the Western Digital drive because of the form factor, the price and the brand. This drive looks good. It is fairy small, about the size of an index card and a little large than .5 inch tall. The drive has a small white LED on the front that lets you know when the disk is being accessed. It comes in a variety of colors. I loved the both the red and blue versions because I was simply tired of the blacks and grays. I know it seems odd to be concerned with how the drive looks but I think you should get pleasure from the things you see and use all the time. When you see this drive you should not only see something that is technically competent but also something that is pleasing to the eye. I have experience with Western Digital drives in a number of internal applications over the year and have never been disappointed. This external drive has been in use since January and I am completely satisfied. It is very reasonably priced. It is quiet and stays cool to the touch. It has USB 3.0 connectivity so it is zippy. A thunderbolt 2 connection would have been great since my Macbook supported it, but those drives were hard to find at the time and I didnt think it was worth the extra money for just a thunderbolt connection. As far as throughput spend are concerned, USB 3.0 has max throughput is 5 Gbps, Thunderbolt is 10 Gbps and Thunderbolt 2 is 20 Gbps. USB 3.1 will be also 10 Gbps.

4.5/5 PROS: - Great Price - No plugs! - Small (Can fit in your pocket) - USB 3.0 support - 1.81TB of storage CONS: - Not really plug-and-play as the quick set-up guide suggests (Used on Windows 7) - Not easy to eject in Windows I really love how portable this device is, its very small and easy to carry around. I have a WD 1TB mybook, and its a lot less convenient in comparison. My Passport Ultra is just much more enjoyable to use as I dont have to plug it into another wall socket. The 1.81TB of storage is excellent and provides enough space for most people, however, many may question where the other 200GBs of storage went. In case you were wondering, the difference lies within how hard drive manufacturers calculate bytes vs how companies such as Windows calculate bytes. This isnt unique to this hard drive as every storage device is calculated this way. I really enjoy using this device, my only real gripe was that it wasnt really as easy to set up as the instruction manual suggested. According to the quick-set-up guide, the device is supposed to open with a setup window as soon as you plug it in, unfortunately this didnt happen for me (using Windows 7). Instead, the device requires you to assign it a letter before you can format it, luckily theres Google to help figure out this process, but I think you shouldnt have to search (beyond an instruction manual) to figure out how to properly set up a device. One other annoying thing is that this hard drive isnt read as an external storage device on Windows 7, so it cant be ejected simply. Im sure there is a way to eject it, Its just not as simple as right-clicking it and selecting eject. Those are minor issues that youll only have to figure out once, so after that the hard drive is excellent! Im constantly using this device to transfer storage from several computers and also as a second backup. Its very convenient, I dont regret this purchase at all~

Great Drive and Great Backup Software --- I couldnt be happier with this thing. Its small, light and durable. I bought red just because I wanted to see it better. I dont have great vision. I do a lot of video editing and I end up filling up my 500MB latptop drive fast. I wanted something that I could move all my finished media files to, and this does a great job of it. But what surprised me - and in a good way - is how nice the backup software is! Once you figure it out, its a piece of cake, and way better than the software my other backup drive uses. However, the instructions for the software stink. So do a YouTube search on how to backup with WD SmartWare. Theres an especially good video that walks you right through it. UPDATE: 9.28.15 I now have two of these drives for storing my video work. I have them hooked up to a Thinkpad W520 laptop/ workstation. I labeled the drives based on the colors (red and gray) to make it easy to know which is which. My whole system is backed up onto the red one, and Im using the gray one for storing my tons and tons of video files. Probably wont be long before I get another one. The key thing to know about these drives is they just work. Theyre like a Toyota truck (and thats as high a compliment as I can give anything!). I had problems with a couple Seagate drives in the past, so I dont trust them anymore (theyre like a Ford) :-) Anyway, if youre looking for a great drive that wont give you any problems, get these. And get different colors so you can tell them apart!