okay to leave connected all the time? One reviewer mentioned that the drive will last longer if you don't leave it connected all the time... I was planning to leave it connected so it could automatically back up my new and changed files as I create them... does anyone have an opinion about that? okay to leave connected all the time? One reviewer mentioned that the drive will last longer if you don't leave it connected all the time... I was planning to leave it connected so it could... » Read More okay to leave connected all the time? One reviewer mentioned that the drive will last longer if you don't leave it connected all the time... I was planning to leave it connected so it could automatically back up my new and changed files as I create them... does anyone have an opinion about that? « Show Less
832065
If you want to use the drive for automated back-up is has to be plugged in, of course. Any wear items wear faster with constant use, but if the point of the drive is to easily and conveniently back-up your data, so what? I have drives in servers that have been running practically non-stop for years. I've also had brand new drives that lasted only a few months with intermittent use. The bottom line is that drives are commodities and storage is getting cheaper every day. Your data and your time are what is valuable. Connect the drive, configure the automated back-up and forget about it. If the drive fails, pitch it and get another one. If you want to use the drive for automated back-up is has to be plugged in, of course. Any wear items wear faster with constant use, but if the point of the drive is to easily and conveniently back-up your data, so what? I have drives in servers that have been running practically non-stop for years. I've also had brand new drives that lasted only a few months with intermittent use. The bottom line is that drives are commodities and storage is getting cheaper every day. Your data and your time are what is valuable. Connect the drive, configure the automated back-up and forget about it. If... » Read More If you want to use the drive for automated back-up is has to be plugged in, of course. Any wear items wear faster with constant use, but if the point of the drive is to easily and conveniently back-up your data, so what? I have drives in servers that have been running practically non-stop for years. I've also had brand new drives that lasted only a few months with intermittent use. The bottom line is that drives are commodities and storage is getting cheaper every day. Your data and your time are what is valuable. Connect the drive, configure the automated back-up and forget about it. If the drive fails, pitch it and get another one. « Show Less
832066
All hard disk drives have spinning platters, bearings, and other moving parts, all subject to mechanical wear. Your external drive will last longer if you un-plug it while not in use.Windows 7 will eventually shut down ALL HDD's attached to the computer that are not being used; both internal and external, however, this could take about 20 minutes or so. It is best to unplug your external HDD.Steve (Electrical Engineer)
832067
Yes, that's pretty much how I was seeing it... the only problem is that one day the SmartWare backup software screwed up when I logged in, and everything I had been backing up had vanished. I reformatted the drive, deleted SmartWare from my computer, and am now manually backing up at the end of the day, as I was before. I loved the instant backup function of the software, but I can't trust it now.
704264
Candidly, I think it really doesn't matter what the ratings are. I know it is somewhat the same as the WD Red drives. The key is whether they continue working and last a while. I have had drives by other makers that had 3 year warranties and lasted over 5 years before I retired them (all were still working). Lots of the numbers thrown to the consumer by drive companies have little meaning when it comes to mean fail times as everyone uses drives differently and it also depends on what drives you get and what shape they were in.
915379
No, this is a pretty terrible product in my experience. The only way to use it at all is with the network mode. Save yourself the trouble and just buy a stand alone hard drive.
1162992
Works great for me. Have 6. We are photography studio. Use them for storing images and templates used in daily tuning of studio. So they are plugged in/out often. We keep all our photoshop stuff on one drive, to keep off workstation. It is used with both workstations & laptop. Switching between the three often. Never issue. I do, however, replace those drives as well. If it's a drive that gets a lot of use, I replace it every 18 months. Just to be safe.
2080494
The best answer is that my WD unit liked it. If you have a newer model/version - then I can not answer but I know they would not want to mess with something that is working for now. Besides, it is cheep and if it doesn't work your only out a few bucks.
482506
I have been loking around for an external drive, and I've noticed they all fail! IMO the best way to gois to have 2 of the drives and do a periodic copy of each to each. I have a free agent on my mac and it has been working perfectly, but I am looking for a drive to back up between a PC and a mac. Two cheap drives may be more reliable than a single more expensive, since they all fail and you cant "pay out" of the uncertainty. Change that: Buy two expensive hard drives and dont even fool with the Seagates..
510902
Don't know, since I am using it as Time Machine on my Mac... I never turn the drive off.
583316
Good points. It's still relatively new, and I wonder especially how the hard drive model has held up. My new one arrived DOA, and now I'm really struggling over whether to ask Amazon for a refund or an exchange. This baby may be intended to be Solid State all the way, which means the hard drive models will be unwanted period pieces in another year or two.
513138
I would use nothing BUT these drives in anything I built or upgraded. They're a bit pricier, and no one ever thinks about it, but the warranty on THESE hard drives, the WD Black series, is a full 5Y. VERY few other mfrs even offer a 5y warranty. And WD drives earn that warranty reputation, I haven't had a WD drive fail, EVER. In each case -- over a dozen -- they've become useless through increasing capacity, never mechanical/electronic failure. That is, I probably have an 80gig WD drive that's still functioning. It's just not worth plugging in and taking up a SATA channel when I can get that capacity on a freaking flash drive nowadays... Yes, they're that good. You can "save money" by buying something cheaper. But you'll pay in the long run with headaches from lost data, or time spent rebuilding your windows/software/os and tweaking it back to the way you had it. The HD is the soul of your machine. Everything else fails, you can practically swap a part back in and you're up and running. But the HD fails and you've got a multiday to longer term headache to get things back to "normal". And, for general purposes, they're among the best drives in performance terms, too. Tom's Hardware may rate something else marginally faster, but not by much. And not by enough to drag you away from WD Black. As the old saw goes, once you go Black, you'll never go back. :-D
1120023
So is better having DVDs for back up?I have a SimpleTech external HD I use to back up my data maybe once a month, I don't use it that often. I have one year with it, it's never failed. But I wonder if I'm only using the external HD for from time to time back up it will last longer or not.
308964
Me too! I'm not going to seriously consider purchasing anything computer related unless I see the manual that goes with it. Is it (i.e., Canvio) truly plug and play? Can you selectively choose individual files to back up? I'm not at all interested in wasting time and space backing up files that I really don't wish to back up. (I only wish to back up photographs.) Filtering through all the comments, while helpful writ large, takes a lot of time when looking for particular information. A manual please.
1819658
I have two, one for the laptop and one for the desktop. I've had both for about 8 months, and not a single problem. These things can take more of a beating than regular HDDs (not like you should be beating them:( )but alas, as with all technology, some do fail. I'm good so far though! Not packing them full of files helps.
1800854
The golden rules for any backup are the data relocation (save the data to another device). That means that backing up to an additional internal HD of your same device (e.g. a RAID storage technology) it's not the best choose for me though it's automatic. If you need a quick, simple and portable backup an external HD is the good choose. Otherwise if you want spend a little more time in configurations, you can try to buy a NAS device where you can remotely save ever you want, maybe configuring also some automatic jobs for synchronization.
951200
Personally I am not a power user & never purchase service plans. Typically I just use my purchases normally until their usefulness disappears. At that time, I pass it along to a family member or friend that can use it. This drive is so well made, unless I drop it off a building or run it over with farm equipment, it should more than cover my needs. Regards.
1386245
I log off and then I log in ,it's safe to eject...... other hard drives ,Seagate , WD, give message "Try again later" very rarely.
1530184
depending on the wear level a 64 GB drive should last a basic install a decently long time. as long as you limit the write-wear that you stress on it, it will survive.
1210305
I have not had any trouble at all with mine. However, I will admit that I only use it as a backup drive and it is only on about once a month for the length of time it takes to back up the drive it is linked to.