Product Description

High-performance portable storage for your Mac® and PC. Light and rugged, it?s easy to carry and no external power adapter is needed. Comes with WD Sync? software that turns any PC into your own protected workspace. Instantly add portable storage for all your business files, music, video, and games. Offered in capacities from 40 to 120 GB, this high-performance, 5400 RPM drive is simple to set up, light and easy to carry, and requires no power adapter--it?s powered directly through the USB cable. The included WD Sync software lets you turn any PC into your own protected workspace. Easy - Installation is a snap because you don't really "install" this drive, you just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is no CD to install; the included software loads from the drive the first time you plug it in. Smart - Powered by the USB bus, so no separate power supply is needed Synchronized and Secure - WD Sync synchronization and encryption software lets you save your critical data, and take it with you. Plug your drive into any PC, edit files, read e-mail, and view photos. Then sync all of your changes back to your home or office computer. (Windows only) Tough - Maximum protection from data loss with a rugged, protective case and shock-tolerant 2.5-inch hard drive. Power Stingy - Design prolongs laptop battery life. Cool and Quiet - Ultra quiet. Cool running. Smooth - Elegant, soft-touch case. Safety Tested - One of the few external drives with certification to meet all applicable safety requirements Compatible - Use with Windows® and Macintosh® PCs In the Box: WD Passport portable USB 2.0 hard drive USB 2.0 cable Quick Install Guide

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15149 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Western Digital
• Model: WDXMS1200TE
• Released on: 2006-06-09
• Dimensions: .59" h x 3.14" w x 5.11" l, .23 pounds
• Hard Disk: 120GB

Features

• Western Digital Passport Hard DriveEasy to use - simply plug and playPowered by USB busFast, 5400rpm performanceProtected by Data LifeguardTMSafety tested - certified to meet all applicable safety requirementsWindows® requirements: 98SE, ME, 20

Manufacturer's Description
Pack up your office files and take them home. Carry thousands of songs or pictures. These drives are simple to use, light and easy to carry, and require no power adapter - they are powered directly through the USB cable.

Installation is a snap because you don't really "install" this drive; you just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is no CD to install; the included software loads from the drive the first time you plug it in. Powered by the USB bus, so no separate power supply needed.

This ultra-portable drive fits easily in your pocket or purse, weighs only a few ounces and holds tons of valuable data.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

The best portable HDD on the market
I have been a fan of Western Digital Hard Drives for a long time, and this portable offering certainly helps to reinforce my trust in this manufacturer. As a consultant I am regularly travelling between client sites and need a portable storage device that can hold large amounts of data; for virtual PC images, source code and ISO images of CD's and DVD's. The WD passport drive is bus powered so I don't need to lug a power supply with it; and it will fit comfortably in a shirt pocket.

The drive speed is not as fast as an internal drive so running applications from it would not be advisable, but as a storage device it is perfect. Because it relies on bus power the length of USB cable is critical, the shorter the better, so don't lose the provided cable.

Research carefully before you buy this.
First impressions are good. The drive is light, small and runs quietly.

Then the bad impressions:

- The drive is supplied with a very short USB cable. You'll need to invest in a longer one if the USB socket you are plugging it into is more than a few cm above a surface to rest the drive upon.
- The drive requires more than 500mA of power to run. Many laptop USB sockets are limited to providing 500mA of power maximum. So you may get errors where the disk refuses to spin for lack of power. The only solution is to buy the Western Digital USB 2.0 Power Booster Cable from Western Digital's website (Model. WDCA029RNN). Trouble is, they seem to be permanently out of stock.
- The drive comes with no protective case. The drive is encased in light plastic which feels delicate. So you'll have to either invest in a protective case, or be very careful where in your bag you place the drive if you plan to move it around a lot.

Conclusions:
- Great for desktop users.
- Not so great for laptop users due to possible incompatibility with some laptop USB sockets (unless you manage to find the scarce USB 2.0 booster cable).

Handy little portable drive
I bought this the other week after carrying out some extensive research and comparing Western Digital with other major branded drives on various UK online stores. Not being a technical expert in this area I felt that they were all quite similar and the WD drives were priced quite well. The free delivery tipped the balance in Amazon's favour!

The WD passport is a plug and play drive that comes with a USB 2.0 cable (as you would expect). I wanted to initially use it to securely back up data and the pre-loaded encryption software is very easy to use to do this. It allows you to have your own "log in" name and "password" before allowing any access to your data. Or you just drag and drop files into the drive without encrypting them. There is also a Lost and Found message that can be accessed on the drive which allows another person to view a message that you write for a time if you ever have the misfortune to lose the drive.

Aesthetically it looks nice and is whisper quiet (runs with no problems via power through the USB cable). Only a discrete blue light lets anyone know that it is on. I registered my drive on the WD website and was pleased to find out that there is a 2 year warranty for it.

Minor downside is the shiny black plastic casing which does mean that it will be prone to getting scratched easily. WD sell a Carry Case on their web site but personally the potential of scratching does not bother me. A 5 Star product so far...!!