Another Movie FAN—November 25, 2014
I purchased the 2 TB model, and it's working perfectly in both Windows and Linux. The drive came preformated for NTFS but can easily be reformatted for specialized Mac or Linux file systems using standard operating system utilities. It didn't come with much in the way of a user guide, but it doesn't really need one, it just plugs in and pops right up as a standard storage device like a thumb drive. Physically, this drive is a bit heavier and just a little thicker than some of the lower capacity USB powered drives I have used, but is still incredibly compact at only a little over 3 by 4 inches by just over a half inch thick (about the size of a pack of those larger sized bicycle playing cards). The plastic drive case isn't fancy, and probably won't fend off an attack from an angry bear, but it's adequate given the fact that, like any portable drive, you will want to be careful about severe shocks and drops anyway. Despite the compact size, and lightweight plastic case, the drive weighs in at close to half a pound and feels pretty hefty and substantial. Power consumption, even for the largest 2 TB model, is still low enough to work on a single 500ma USB port (no 2 port Y-Cable or external power needed). Not only that, but even after extended operation, transferring hundreds of gigabytes of data for example, the drives case barely even starts to get warm. Mechanically, my drive is so quite and smooth in operation that you have to really feel carefully to even tell if it is spinning. You can feel very slight jogs internally when the drive is seeking, but it's barely noticeable, and if anything, smoother and quieter than most of my other portable hard drives. I wasn't able to read the RPM with my hard drive utils, but if it is 5400 as some have reported, that doesn't concern me too much, because data transfer rates are still quite reasonable. For example, I can stream 1080 or even 4K HD video direct from the drive to my PC with no hiccups or buffering issues. These days, with the super high data density platers on these compact drives you can get reasonably fast data transfers without spinning at 7200, and if you don't absolutely need the faster RPM, then it's actually better to design the drive to run at a lower RPM, because it allows the drive to run cooler, use less power, and reduces wear, giving higher reliability and longer life. I read a comment here about some kind of pouch being included, but my drive did not come with any accessories other than the required USB cable (but luckily I already had a small neoprene zippered pouch on hand to transport the drive when on-the-road). Because the drive is powered by the USB, I'm extra careful to properly 'remove' the drive in the operating system before pulling the plug, because hard drives don't like to loose DC power while they are still writing, which could happen if you pull the USB plug out before properly removing the device in your O.S. This isn't too difficult, but could be a little confusing given the way the indicator LED works on this drive. The 'Elements' drive has a simple single color white LED which does double duty to indicate both read/write access AND spindown/standby with a potentially confusing flashy-flashy code. Rapid flashing indicates the drive is busy reading or writing, where SLOWER flashing indicates that the drive has spun down and gone into a standby state. So you NEVER want to remove the drive while it's QUICKLY FLASHING (and could be writing), but it's generally OK to remove the drive after it has spun-down and is SLOWLY FLASHING. Expecting the user to be able to make this distinction based only on the flashing rate seems like a dumb idea. It would be better if the LED would change color in spin-down standby, and go out completely after you remove the drive in your O.S. like some other drives, but this is a pretty minor issue once you figure it out, so overall I still rate this drive a solid 5. Read more
Robert—July 31, 2015
Recently purchased this along with a 2-tuner Tablo unit (see my separate review) to help us in our cord cutting project. It has performed flawlessly since installation in June. Considered this as the unit to buy as it was listed as a reliable and compatible HDD companion to the Tablo. This truly was a "plug and play" experience, so why mess with success? Because we delete programs right after we watch them, there should be no problem of gradually filling up the drive's capacity. It continues to give us a way to "preserve" the ability to record and time shift some of our TV watching...at least for all our OTA channels. This unit and the Tablo are networked to the Roku devices around our home, so we still can watch programs wherever we wish. Now, if we could find a way to record/time shift some of our favorite programs on TNT (now viewed on the SlingTV app on our Roku's), then all our bases would be covered. With cord cutting, you can't have everything, but one can wish just the same. With our developing alternative TV system, we will be able to watch just about everything we have been viewing on our satellite-based TV service, but at much less than half the monthly cost. This is combined with changes made to our cable internet and telephone package too (we now have an Ooma telo unit [also reviewed separately] and have returned the rented cable modem). Now we're talking about even more money that stays at home each month. The WD Elements 2TB Portable Hard Drive definitely is a valued part of our complete new system. Read more
Apparition—March 3, 2017
**XBOX ONE OWNERS** This is a nice, compact drive that is lightweight, and can safely be "stacked" on top of a console or PC with no threat of crushing or leaving indents after long periods of sitting. It can easily become inconspicuous, and even in view it is not much of an eye sore. As a matter of fact, it's black coloring goes just fine - sitting on top of my XBox One(top left - DO NOT PLACE THE DRIVE ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE CONSOLE WHERE THE VENTILATION IS). XBox One owners who have reached their storage limits would appreciate this. It IS practically "PLUG & PLAY". Practically, because you must not plug the drive usb into the console until you have FIRST powered up your console. I plugged - then powered up the first attempt, and the XBox didn't even sense it. Power up the console(give it time to load your home screen), plug in the HD's usb(I plugged it in the "rear" of the console), go to "Settings", then "Storage". **NOTE: It slipped my memory, but either right after plug in, or immediately after choosing the WD drive for future memory(next step), it will ask if the drive's primary use is for "photos and media", whether you have current photos on the drive, and/or is it for your "game saves and downloads". Know that it is about to format the drive, so if you have photos saved prior to moving it to the XBox - keep this in mind...you could lose them.** I provided pictures, but you will notice your consoles built in memory option at first, and the WD Hard Drive option should be showing to it's right. You may immediately notice something seemingly off... "1.8 TB???" You haven't been ripped off. Think of that unprovided(to you) ".2 TB" as the HDrive's functioning brain. The drive needs memory space of its own to be the think tank for services provided to you. A brainless drive is a dead drive. Just click or choose to switch your memory(and future downloads) to the WD drive. Somewhere either right before or right after, it will ask your preferences on what kind of content you want saved. After formatting, IT'S SET. It showed "27.1%" memory used(for me), leaving that 1.8 TB. My explanation will take much longer to read than setting this up yourself. It's quite easy. I have since successfully re-downloaded games that I had to delete to make room for others, and I have also successfully downloaded new ones. We even had a recent power outage flicker - no harm to the drive. So far, so good, and at one of the most reasonable prices on Amazon in it's class. Read more
