Can this drive be layed down on its side instead of upright? I have destroyed two external drives in the past because they stood upright like a book and I accidentally knocked them over while they were being accessed. This resulted in the drive no longer working (got a clicking sound.) This vertical orientation is more prone to being knocked over.Is this WD drive able to be used in a horizontal position instead of standing up vertically like a book? Can this drive be layed down on its side instead of upright? I have destroyed two external drives in the past because they stood upright like a book and I accidentally knocked them over while they... » Read More Can this drive be layed down on its side instead of upright? I have destroyed two external drives in the past because they stood upright like a book and I accidentally knocked them over while they were being accessed. This resulted in the drive no longer working (got a clicking sound.) This vertical orientation is more prone to being knocked over.Is this WD drive able to be used in a horizontal position instead of standing up vertically like a book? « Show Less
969338
my longest lasting external is an iomega..i do keep it on its side dont use a stand usually its on the floor..it has had stuff spilled on it..cats vomit on it..dropped ..kicked..its still going..the main thing with an external in my experience is keep it on 24/7..my larger capacity WD external went out this year as and that one i dont keep running day and night..
407929
This has been answered (although evidently the designs keep changing slightly), but the next issue you will find is putting it back together. If you have a 12.5 mm drive, it's a challenge such that I gave up and just taped it together with electrical tape rather than trying to get the tiny screws back in place. tape works beautifully.
2130516
Donald, you are right, in the new Toshiba Satellite C55, the optical drive is located on the left side, I dont know the reason why Toshiba changed its location ? In my old Toshiba Satellite A-105 it is located on the right, and all ports and slots are on the left. If you are right handed it is more convenient and confortable to have the optical drive on the right, but if you are left handed probably you would prefer the actual way. The question now is if Toshiba have a different product configuration for right and left handed people. Is funny .
288685
MANUFACTURER RESPONSE: Thanks for asking!In a word, no- however as another respondent has noted this would require a little extra caution when handling the drives.Hope this helps! For fastest response, let us know of any other questions by emailing support@plugable.com or visiting support.plugable.com.Best wishes-Jeff EverettPlugable Technoloiges
484892
Not a silly question. The side with the writing is the "up" side of the disc. My desktop sits on its left edge, so there is no "up" and half the time I put a disc in backward. The writing should be on the same side as the "up" side of the front of your drive where it says "DVD" or whatever. Put the blank side toward the button that ejects your drive and you should be good.
1888296
Yes ...in 20+ years I have only purchased WD 5 year warranty drives and never had a problem. Back in February, my 4 year old 750GB started making noise but, did not crash. I sent it in under warranty and WD sent me a 1T unit to replace ....that's why I stick with WD. Make sure you purchase from an authorized seller
192712
the drive rails are designed to mount to the hard drive which allows the hd to slide vertically into the formed metal guides on the right side of the case. also, there is enough room underneath the dvd drive to slip in a second hd if needed. i hard mounted the second to the floor of the case, upside down, with double stick tape, and have not had a single problem or issue...huge storage potiential in a small form factor...
208365
I use an external cradle to mount the drive. Since the drive is completely sealed, it's not an issue. I have three cradles that hold five drives and have yet to have any problems.
1767934
Pretty sure it does not but you can just screw it in on one side if you want. No moving parts so wont hurt the drive.
701335
Not really. There's no door and hole for a drive to face out. I guess you could fit a small external drive inside it or sit it on top.
485181
It tells you to keep it flat, like in the pictures, when you start it up. I have seen them up on their sides like the Xbox 360, and they seemed to work, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's probably just putting in a disk that would hurt it on it's side. If you only download, it probably wouldn't really hurt it to have it on it's side.
1093691
Yes, the one I bought is running on it's side with no problems. In fact, the DVD/CDRW drive is sideways, for that reason it makes more sense to run it sitting on it's side than standing up. As some of the other answers point out, outside of the DVD player orientation, it looks like it was made to stand up.
874206
If you want to use it as an external drive, you can get an enclosure for it. Here's an example of what I mean: http://www.amazon.com/ORICO-2588US3-External-Enclosure-Support/dp/B00FYKRI9M/
1894889
I just checked www.wdc.com Typed in Serial Number from drive I received. Answer from WD: "The warranty for this product has expired. The product is not eligible for replacement. If you need technical assistance, please send us email." So either Seller is warranting this drive OR NO ONE IS!!! I, for one, would like to hear from the seller on this matter!
93126
I found that the drives are several years old. I bought a bunch of them (10+) it was a mistake. I tried to get warranty from WD and they did not honor the 5 year warranty and in fact when I returned the drive, they claimed it wasn't manufactured by them. I ended up returning the drive to the seller for a replacement. Don't count on the 5 year warranty, better yet buy it from another manufacturer. I've had too many failures of WD drives in the last year or two. I have switched to Seagate.
2132713
I would recommend removing the old one. Though it's never happened to me, I've heard stories of extra weight/thickness causing problems with the disc drive.
1650293
The drive I have in it is an SSD. But there is a small piece of foam you can add. The drive is not tight against any part of the case though.