Need New Backup HD, opinions please

[rgh43]

I need to replace an Ext HD as mine failed. I'm looking at 2 "WD" drives and both are the same price. I really only need a 2TB but the price on both of these comes in at $99 + tax. I could go with the My Passport 2TB SSD but that one is $369. Now I also have an internal 2TB backup to go with the Ext, the internal I only use for Pict's, Video, other info & MS Office doc's backup. The Ext also backs up Windows + everything else. So in the case of one failure I still have all my Pictures & Doc's.

So in anyone's opinion what would be the better of the two listed or any other opinions. .

WD My Passport Ultra 4TB
USB-C™ cable with USB 3.0 adapter
WD Discovery software, for WD Backup, and WD Drive Utilities
Quick install guide
USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible
Additional Details
Included WD Discovery™ software for social media and cloud storage import, backup and password protection
3-year limited warranty

WD My Book 4TB USB 3.0
USB 3.0 cable
AC adapter
WD Discovery™ software with WD Backup™, WD Security™ and WD Drives Utilities™
Quick install guide
Additional Details
Auto backup with included WD Backup software and Time Machine-compatible
Password protection with hardware encryption
3-year limited warranty

 

[Grizzly]

From my experience you cannot go wrong with WD at all. All my drives are WD, though they do not last forever, they last longer than anything else I had.
I personally have two methods of backup:
1. 3 3.5" drive in a Startech casing which is stationary for backup (ranging from 2TB to 4TB) and
2. a WD My passport ultra 2TB as mobile backup (I have 3 of those)

I stayed away from their software though as I did not like the way they did the backup...

I have a My Book too but it did not last. The drive failed first, although I have replaced it with a larger one but it had USB AND Firewire though the USB port already failed (won't be recognized anymore), I still have the firewire port to work with.

 

[Tim Locke]

I Have two external USB 3 WD 1.5Tb that I use for backup for the desktops and a 500Gb spinner that was the oem drive in the laptop, in a Nextstar enclosure that I use for the laptop.

Macrium reflect used on all three machines, don't use the WD software.

 

[Bighorn]

The last 2 External USB drives I got are WDC 4TB and came formatted as exFAT, box is marked as usable with PC and MAC. Linux can also work with exFAT.

An interesting read on what brands are available:
http://www.southjerseydata.com/hard-drive-manufacturers.html

 

[StevenG]

My only suggestion is "DO NOT BUY TOSHIBA" portable drives, they are useless and very unreliable!!! I lost all my 2TB data without any possibility of recovery due to their faulty spinner plate that got completely ruined and could not be recovered after only 12 months, this is a common fault with these drives and some poorer quality spinner HDD's.. I would suggest that you purchase a well known and reputable brand of storage drives like WD that I've had (I can only speak for spinners type HDD only) for many years like 30 years, that are very reliable storage drives without any losses and/or faults, Seagate and Samsung are other very reputable and reliable companies that are also and highly recommended.

As a matter of a fact I've been using a Samsung SSD's for both my laptops, computers and portables for the last 2 years like the EVO and EVO Plus for my laptop and desktop computer, while the Samsung portables like the X5 Thunderbolt (Sequential Read : Up to 2,800 MB/sec, Sequential Write Up to 2,300 MB/sec) and the T5 (Up to 540 MB/sec. (* Performance may vary depending on host configuration and test software) for the last 2 years without any faults, dropouts and/or loss of data, they are excellent with my storage needs, very portable, lighting speeds and perfectly suited for the work that I do and for my home use also.

I would also suggest going with an SSD drive as that could be a quicker functioning drive and a safer alternative but 'KEEP TO A WELL KOWN BRAND" don't buy rubbish because you will pay for it in the long run!!!

I use Macrium Reflect v7 for backup, this software is easy to use and very efficient in all backup and partial backup applications and also if you ever need to reinstall your OP system if any blue screens or faults happen with your system.

 

[Lawrence Stewart Talbot]

Steve, you must have been into some kind of black rage after that Toshiba drive went pads up! Ha!

 

[Lawrence Stewart Talbot]

Sorry Steve, I just noticed I hadn't finished my response. I was attempting to say in a light hearted way, it's got to be something that throws ya right over the edge to lose that much information. I know, for I had the same joy but I brought it on myself. Anyway man, I'm glad things worked out for you!

 

[Walldoo99]

I got lucky and was able to get 6-used 1tb 2.5 usb3. drives for $120 and was giving them to my best customer. I suggest looking on craigslist and testing before you buy using crystal disk info. I have seen WD drives last as much at 20,000 in sizes below 350Gb and as little as 2500 hours on anything over, but that was years ago. There could well be units lasting much longer, but they wouldn't come to me.
you might consider buying 2 drives and backing up to both. Use one for regular backup and the other for monthly or weekly if your really doing a lot. Disconnect the 2nd one when not in use. I back up my external 2 times a month and my boot drive gets cloned every 2 months which is major over kill for a SSD. I have only had 1 bad SSD come through and it was dead, not just bad.

 

[StevenG]

Steve, you must have been into some kind of black rage after that Toshiba drive went pads up! Ha!

Lawrence Stewart Talbot, I understand what you are saying mate and my reaction was OhhHHhhshh........ it was absolutely unbelievable and I still can't believe it today!!! That is for being so stupid not to have all this valuable data on another drive, unfortunately, I put all my trust onto a new (thought a reputable) 2TB HDD (hence the big size, that I didn't use that often, only for backups of valuable data and photos) and it failed! So please be "CAUTIOUS" and only use reputable manufacturers and don't try to save on money as money will never ever replace your valuable data and especially memories of photos of your kids and family!!! And do as Walldoo99 does as that is the safest and best way to save your data and backup your system!!!

 

[Clintlgm]

I need to replace an Ext HD as mine failed. I'm looking at 2 "WD" drives and both are the same price. I really only need a 2TB but the price on both of these comes in at $99 + tax. I could go with the My Passport 2TB SSD but that one is $369. Now I also have an internal 2TB backup to go with the Ext, the internal I only use for Pict's, Video, other info & MS Office doc's backup. The Ext also backs up Windows + everything else. So in the case of one failure I still have all my Pictures & Doc's.

So in anyone's opinion what would be the better of the two listed or any other opinions. .

WD My Passport Ultra 4TB
USB-C™ cable with USB 3.0 adapter
WD Discovery software, for WD Backup, and WD Drive Utilities
Quick install guide
USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible
Additional Details
Included WD Discovery™ software for social media and cloud storage import, backup and password protection
3-year limited warranty

WD My Book 4TB USB 3.0
USB 3.0 cable
AC adapter
WD Discovery™ software with WD Backup™, WD Security™ and WD Drives Utilities™
Quick install guide
Additional Details
Auto backup with included WD Backup software and Time Machine-compatible
Password protection with hardware encryption
3-year limited warranty

e
I Agree pretty much with this others that WD drive are very good, I also use WD Passports for my notebook, for my Desktops I use eSATA external drives, I have had really good luck with the Fantom line the higher end line all use WD Blacks 7200 rpm. I use the Gforce with eSATA and USB 3.0, USB 3.0 is now almost as reliable as eSATA. My other comment would be to Download Macrium Reflect Free to do your backups and Disk Images How to use Macrium Reflect to back up and restore this program is free and is very reliable and fairly easy to use the paid version gives you incremental and Scheduled backups

 

[gjc100]

Just a tidbit...for what it is worth. If your external HD can stand up or lay flat then ALWAYS stick with whichever you choose and don't change. Many years ago I read a detailed study by company using hundreds of external HD's at the same time. There were lots of questions about why some failed and others didn't (spinning issues). They completed a study tracking which failed and how the HD was handled during its life. They found an unusually high percentage of failures were those that the orientation (verticle vs horizontal) was changed during the life of the HD. Obviously not SSD. As I said for what it's worth. I've had two ext HD failures over the decades but none since I keep the same orientation.

 

[Bighorn]

The last post on this was exactly a month ago, kinda think it has been resolved.

 

[gjc100]

The last post on this was exactly a month ago, kinda think it has been resolved.

How true but others may read this in the future with the same issue and anyway my comment was really about general care of external hard drives not specific to original issue. Well good luck to all anyway didn't mean to spin the wheels of others.

 

[Bighorn]

If your external HD can stand up or lay flat then ALWAYS stick with whichever you choose and don't change. Many years ago I read a detailed study by company using hundreds of external HD's at the same time.

Now for a reply to your post, we did see an issue back in the '90s about the orientation but that seemed to be overcome in later years with better manufacturing techniques and closer tolerances in the moving parts. I personally have never had an external/portable drive fail in that manner, it was always the additional interface in the case that failed, either USB or eSATA. If a drive exhibits a clicking noise it most likely is the Voice Coil Relay that does the movement of the arms holding the read/write heads or failure of the printed-circuit card on the drive causing it. Some of the SCSI and RLL/MFM drives back then were sensitive to their orientation. Part of the improvement in drives came with Desktop tower-type computers that could be stood on end or laid down and the monitor placed on top and with portable computers [which evolved into Laptops which evolved into Notebooks, now interchangeable terms].

I remember my first computer in '92 that required running a small batch file used to park the heads before shutting down to avoid damage to the disk/platter/s in the drive before moving the computer around.