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Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red)

  • No Longer Available
  • B&H # WEPED500R
  • Mfr# WDMER5000TN

Product Highlights

  • 5400rpm
  • USB 2.0
  • Bus-Powered

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The 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB Hard Drive from Western Digital is a portable hard drive in a durable housing, great for use with laptop computers. The drive features an interface that allows it to be connected and powered by USB 2.0, a rotation speed of 5400rpm, a 2MB data buffer and bus transfer rates of up to 60MB/sec. The drive is an excellent storage solution for users who are on the move.

Passport drives are available in many eye-catching colors, allowing you to easily distinguish between your drives on sight
Includes software for Windows to sync data between multiple computers, as well as 128-bit encryption software to protect your data
Bus-powered USB 2.0 interface
Compatible with Windows and Mac systems
500GB holds 37.5 hours of DV video, 125,000 MP3 songs, or 106 DVD movies
Performance
Capacity 500GB
Interface 1x USB 2.0 (Mini-B)
Drive Speed 5400rpm
Buffer 2MB
Average Seek Time 12ms
Sustained Data Transfer Rate Not Specified by Manufacturer
System Requirements Windows XP, Vista, 7; Mac OS X Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard
USB port
General
Mounting Portable
Power Requirements Bus-powered
Environmental Requirements Operating
Temperature: 41-104°F (5-40°C)

Storage
Temperature: -4-149°F (-20-65°C)
Dimensions (WxHxD) 3.1 x 0.6 x 5" (8 x 1.5 x 13cm)
Weight 0.23 lb (0.1kg)

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews
Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red)
 
4.7

(based on 13 reviews)

Ratings Distribution

  • 5 Stars

     

    (9)

  • 4 Stars

     

    (4)

  • 3 Stars

     

    (0)

  • 2 Stars

     

    (0)

  • 1 Stars

     

    (0)

100%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

  • Quiet (10)
  • Easy to use (8)
  • Large capacity / good size (7)
  • Easy to setup (6)
  • Attractive (5)

Cons

    Best Uses

    • Additional storage (6)
    • Back-up (6)
    • Photo storage (4)
      • Reviewer Profile:
      • Casual user (7)
      • Primary use:
      • Personal (12)

    REVIEWS

    Reviewed by 13 customers

    Sort by

    Displaying reviews 1-13

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    4.0

    Awesome little drive.

    By Place_Creations

    from Agawam, MA

    About Me Casual user

    Verified Buyer

    Pros

    • Attractive Design
    • Compact
    • Easy To Setup
    • Easy to use
    • High Capacity
    • Quiet

    Cons

      Best Uses

      • Additional Storage
      • Backup
      • File Transfer
      • Photo Storage

      Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

      I love this little drive. If you aren't looking for something with firewire and just a plain ol' USB port, this drive its awesome. It's small, portable & so far, works like a charm. Love the passports.

      • Primary use:
      • Personal

      Comment on this review

       
      5.0

      Awesome

      By Benito

      from San Diego CA

      About Me Casual user

      Verified Buyer

      Pros

      • Attractive Design
      • Easy To Setup
      • Easy to use
      • High Capacity
      • Portable
      • Quiet

      Cons

        Best Uses

        • Additional Storage
        • Video

        Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

        the product works great. looks great. very easy to transfer files or music and movies. very compact size also.

        • Primary use:
        • Personal

        Comment on this review

         
        5.0

        Straight forward and simple.

        By Jeff

        from Okinawa, Japan

        About Me Casual user

        Verified Buyer

        Pros

        • Easy to use
        • High Capacity
        • Portable
        • Quiet

        Cons

          Best Uses

          • Additional Storage
          • Backup
          • Photo Storage
          • Video

          Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

          Using to back up and image my laptop hard drive. Simple plug and play, compact and convenient. Product does exactly what it is supposed to do.

          • Primary use:
          • Personal

          Comment on this review

           
          5.0

          Awesome!

          By Lubi

          from Long Beach, CA

          About Me Power user

          Verified Buyer

          Pros

          • Attractive Design
          • Compact
          • Easy to use

          Cons

            Best Uses

            • Backup

            Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

            Small, compact and fast. I love this hard-drive. Its cute and small. easy to carry around and can fit even in my pocket. so good. really good for the price.

            • Primary use:
            • Personal

            Comment on this review

             
            4.0

            I like this portable stuff

            By Anil

            from San Jose, CA

            About Me Casual user

            Verified Buyer

            Pros

            • Attractive Design
            • Compact
            • Easy To Setup
            • Easy to use
            • High Capacity
            • Quiet

            Cons

            • Slow

            Best Uses

            • Additional Storage
            • Backup

            Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

            I like WD products. This one is portable and easy to use and can be used with out any additional power source. I have to try whether this will work with my sony audio player in the car which has usb card reader. If it is done i can store 500 Gb of songs. I think i can roam from south to north in US to finish all the songs.

            • Primary use:
            • Personal

            Comment on this review

             
            4.0

            No instructions on how to use.

            By Jojo

            from Harpswell, Me

            About Me Casual user

            Verified Buyer

            Pros

            • Portable

            Cons

            • Lack of instructions

            Best Uses

            • Backup
            • Photo Storage

            Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

            I could not find any instructions on how to use this product. Being 73 years old,I am not computer literate enough to figure it out on my own. But after quick lesson from my daughter I am able to download all my photos.

            • Primary use:
            • Personal

            Comment on this review

             
            5.0

            tiny

            By wfr2

            from Bonita Springs FL

            About Me Casual user

            Verified Reviewer

            Pros

            • Attractive Design
            • Easy To Setup
            • Easy to use
            • High Capacity
            • Portable
            • Quiet

            Cons

              Best Uses

              • File Transfer

              Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

              Wow, is this thing small! I needed a HD to transport photos from one PC to another. I bought the My Book and liked it but it was a bit big so I made that my permanent external backup HD and bought a Passport for my portable unit. I just got it and it and am impressed. I did not install the backup software because I intend to drag and drop only my photos but the drag and drop worked fine and fast. I got it in red to help me keep track of it and I bought the recommended hard shell case which is a nice accessory even though it is oversized for theis HD. The case has a strap inside to secure the HD and a web pocket for the USB cord which are both handy. Obviously I cannot comment on its long term use since I just received it. I would not recommend this unit for a main backup but would recommend the MyBook for that which unit is clearly much more heavy duty with an external power cord and ventilation ports.

              • Primary use:
              • Personal

              Comment on this review

               
              5.0

              500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB

              By Carin

              from Roselle, NJ

              About Me Frequent User

              Verified Buyer

              Pros

              • Easy To Install
              • Fast
              • Highly Compatible
              • Quiet
              • Reliable

              Cons

                Best Uses

                  Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

                  I just love this little hard drive. It hold so much data, pics, movies etc. I don't know how I ever lived without one.
                  Red is my fave color so this worked out really well. I would recommend this to others.

                  • Primary use:
                  • Personal

                  Comment on this review

                   
                  5.0

                  Exemplory

                  By Nick J

                  from San Luis Obispo, CA

                  About Me Heavy Duty User

                  Verified Buyer

                  Pros

                  • Easy To Install
                  • Fast
                  • Highly Compatible
                  • Quiet
                  • Reliable

                  Cons

                    Best Uses

                    • High-End Multimedia

                    Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

                    This hard Drive couldn't be any better. Well except the fact that the Red version has pink sides. But hey it is a great product. Works well and is very easy to use. As for being 500 GB it is extremely small and compact. It is great!

                    • Primary use:
                    • Personal

                    Comment on this review

                     
                    5.0

                    Best system backup available

                    By Slot Canyon

                    from Tucson AZ

                    About Me Heavy Duty User

                    Verified Buyer

                    Pros

                    • Easy To Install
                    • Fast
                    • Highly Compatible
                    • Quiet
                    • Reliable

                    Cons

                      Best Uses

                        Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

                        This is the optimal product available today for computer backups. A wonderful time-saving feature is that it is powered by the USB port, so extra cords and an AC outlet are NOT needed (especially nice when traveling). You can carry all your files around in your pocket, backpack etc; this unit is very lightweight. The 500 GB capacity is enough to hold my photograph collection, CD backups, and all my document files for work and personal use. (Only for video backups would I need a second one - I can't wait until they come out with the 1 TB version.) I have owned similar units for several years and all have functioned smoothly.

                        • Primary use:
                        • Personal

                        Comment on this review

                         
                        4.0

                        500GB Passport Essential Portable USB 2.

                        By BR

                        from Boca Raton

                        About Me Frequent User

                        Verified Buyer

                        Pros

                        • Easy To Install

                        Cons

                          Best Uses

                          • Storgage for notebook

                          Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

                          Good, just a little slow. I needed to reformat from fat32 to get larger files transfered.

                          • Primary use:
                          • Business

                          Comment on this review

                           
                          5.0

                          Works great

                          By Tom

                          from New York, NY

                          About Me Casual user

                          Verified Buyer

                          Pros

                          • Easy To Setup
                          • Easy to use
                          • Fast
                          • High Capacity
                          • Quiet

                          Cons

                            Best Uses

                            • Additional Storage

                            Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

                            I purchased this as an additional drive for my laptop and needed it to be portable. I was using a much larger external drive but it was not portable. This has worked out very well, it is easy to use and works like it is suppose to.

                            • Primary use:
                            • Personal

                            Comment on this review

                             
                            5.0

                            The answer to my backup needs

                            By ElizBBW

                            from Baton Rouge, LA

                            About Me Power user

                            Verified Buyer

                            Pros

                            • Compact
                            • Easy To Setup
                            • Easy to use
                            • Fast
                            • High Capacity
                            • Quiet

                            Cons

                              Best Uses

                              • Additional Storage
                              • Backup
                              • Music
                              • Photo Storage

                              Comments about Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red):

                              I have my Passport plugged into a USB port on the side of my monitor. When I use my KVM switch to switch from one computer to another, the Passport switches too. It makes it so easy to back up files on both my computers using the same device. This is a good investment in computer technology, and the next time a hard drive goes out on me, I won't be grieving the loss of my files.

                              • Primary use:
                              • Personal

                              Comment on this review

                              Displaying reviews 1-13

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                              Hard Drive Sleeves & Cases

                              GGI -  Hard Shell Case for Portable Hard Drive
                              • Price: $9.95
                              • GBP 6.34
                               

                              What's in the Box

                              Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Red)
                              • USB 2.0 Cable
                              • Quick Install Guide
                              • 3-Year Limited Warranty
                               
                               
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