Customer Reviews for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
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Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Model: WDH1CS5000N
SKU: 8475679
UPC: 718037121208
Elegant, reliable storage and continuous automatic backup make this 500GB external hard drive an ideal place to house your movies, music, digital photos and more. This model meets our Professional Series criteria Shop all products in our Small Business Center Take a product tour.
Average Customer Rating:
3.4
out of 5
(48 Reviews) 48
Rating Snapshot 48 reviews
5 stars
14
4 stars
18
3 stars
2
2 stars
3
1 star
11
73% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
35 out of
48)
Customer Reviews for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Review 1 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Don't even spend a dime on this product
Customer Rating
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Second time I purchase this same product. Yes I was fooled twice. The first one lasted 3 months before it broke and would not back up my system. The second one was right out of the box. I returned it and bought a time capsule for my Mac. I tried a less expensive route by buying this product and I paid more in the long run.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 2 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Two strikes is all you get
Customer Rating
2.0
Value for Price
3.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
4.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
This was my second WD my book and my second one to fail after 13 months. The drive gave me no sign of failure until the blue lights did not come on. When I called Wd tech support they stated that the drive was out of warranty and they really could not do anything for me.
I ended up googling how to take apart the enclosure and managed to recover my files. Beware of this product.
What's great about it: easy to setup
What's not so great: only last a 13 months
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 3 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Slightly expensive, but great connection options.
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: n00bandnewbie
from Chico, CA
on 05/30/2009
Value for Price
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Performance
5.0
Ease of Installation
4.0
I decided to buy this because our macintosh OS X computer from 5 years ago recently ran out of space (has a 70gig hard drive). I bought the WD 1 tb drive, then realized that the mac doesn't have a USB 2.0 slot (has USB 1.1, it's so old!). SO I had to go back and get this one. I took it out of the box and plugged it in, and it was recognized in about 10 seconds. I will say, however, that there are no real instructions, so if you want to do anything more than plug it in you will need some prior knowledge. Anyhow, I plugged it in using the included firewire 400 port and it worked fine.
I didn't run the installed software as I didn't need it for automatic backup, so no comments there. I was very pleased, however, because I had to move a music library of 33 gigabytes, and it took only 24 minutes, which is good considering the only 400 mbps transfer rate. Plus, I made iTunes' default folder the external HD so all my future music would go there, and it worked fine! Access speeds are great, highly recommended!
What's great about it: Plenty of space, tons of connection options, fast access times
What's not so great: Slightly more expensive for connectivity, no real instructions
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 4 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
My Book works great!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Bounder
from Eugene, OR
on 02/28/2009
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
This is my second My Book. I use it with a Vista laptop with USB and haven't had any problems.
What's great about it: Capacity
What's not so great: Big "plug" doesn't fit well in power strip
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 5 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
eSata Issues when Editing Video
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Jopa9
from St. Louis, MO
on 12/27/2008
Value for Price
3.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Performance
3.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
Drive works great on USB. I have a Mac Book Pro and a PC and both do great with it. My issue came when I was editing and doing motiong graphics work and was using the eSata. It froze up every time (5) that I tried to render out video. Switched to USB and no problems. Wish I would have spent less and got the drive without esata since it is 100% useless for what I need it to do. O well.
What's great about it: Easy to use, backup software is awesome, workhorse
What's not so great: eSata froze up system when rendering from After Effects CS3
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 6 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Best Computer Decision in a While
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: burgergamer
from Arlington Heights, IL
on 12/14/2008
Value for Price
5.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Performance
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
This is one of the best buys I have made for my computer in a long time. This device gives me so much more free space on my computer, and it works perfectly, allowing me to quickly get to all the files I have stored on it. Certinaly it not being portable and running off of the computer itself is a draw back, but for someone with a desktop or a laptop that never leaves the desk, this is a great buy for a great price. HIGHLY reccomended.
What's great about it: More than enough memory, quick and easy installation, works perfectly
What's not so great: Having to have to plug it into the wall does limit mobility
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Review 7 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Overall Pleased
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: ugarugger
from Macon, GA
on 10/21/2008
Value for Price
4.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Performance
3.0
Ease of Installation
4.0
I have purchased 5 WD Hard Drives. I recently had one crash and all the data was unrecoverable (the crash was mechanical in nature - the drive started clicking and everything stopped working). However, I will continue using them despite the crash. They are easy to install, can be daisy chained using Firewire, do not make much noise, and don't require much space. I use 3 with my iMac and 1 with my PC (the 5th is the one that crashed). It works well on both operating systems. You have to format the drives to work properly with Mac.
I would recommend them to a friend - but I would also recommend having one dedicated as a back-up drive. Also, it is wise to unplug or power down when not in use. Overall, I am pleased with this purchase.
I would recommend them to a friend - but I would also recommend having one dedicated as a back-up drive. Also, it is wise to unplug or power down when not in use. Overall, I am pleased with this purchase.
What's great about it: Easy set-up, cost
What's not so great: had one crash
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
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Review 8 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
W/D Worst Customer Support
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: PoodleDog
from Austin, Texas
on 09/26/2008
Value for Price
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Performance
1.0
Ease of Installation
1.0
This hard drive and it's software / drivers had a real problem. After a few hours of it constantly running in the background it had used up all of the virtual memory and basically stopped the computer. W/D support was of no help. Would not acknowledge the problem and were quite rude. I returned this product and purchased another drive.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-1point
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Review 9 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Delay Write Failure...
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: MyBookHater
from Nashville, TN
on 09/26/2008
Value for Price
1.0
Ease of Use
1.0
Performance
1.0
Ease of Installation
1.0
I have used external drives for years with no issues. This one was problematic out of the box. It would sporadically throw Delay Write Failures. Nothing a drive reboot wouldn't usually fix. I've had the drive less than a year and now it constantly throws this error and is basically useless. I run other drives on the same machine (and others) and no other drive gives me the problem this one does. There was very little support for the issue and most of it involved diving into deeply technical issues. I've talked to friends who own MyBook drives and they have similiar experiences. Google it and you will find plenty of folks out there with similar MyBook horror stories. GARBAGE goes in the GARBAGE CAN I guess.
Do not buy a MyBook...under any circumstance!!!
Do not buy a MyBook...under any circumstance!!!
What's great about it: NA
What's not so great: Delay Write Failures, No Support To Resolve
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
-1point
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Review 10 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Great Product
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: collegeGeek
from Rensselaer, IN
on 09/15/2008
Value for Price
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
4.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
This is a great investment if you need a little extra room on your computer. I use mine to hold all of my movie and song files. Its also a great way to hold an emergency back of your HD. Over all i think its a great product.
What's great about it: Fast, reliable, quiet
What's not so great: bulky,
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 11 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
poor reliability
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: LesZ
on 09/13/2008
Value for Price
1.0
Ease of Use
4.0
Performance
1.0
Ease of Installation
4.0
I bought 2 WD My Book Home Edition 500 gb external drives, and, after 9 months, one of them died. A week later, the other one died. In both cases, the drives stopped spinning completely, and were immediately unusable. Perhaps I've had bad luck, but all 3 of the WD external drives that I've bought have now died within a year of purchase. I've had 4 drives from other manufacturers. All of the others are now over 3 years old, and none have failed. Yet, all 3 of my WD drives have failed within a year. I won't be buying WD drives in the future.
What's not so great: poor reliability
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 12 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
I needed more storage space.
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: hotford
from Texas
on 09/07/2008
Value for Price
4.0
Ease of Use
5.0
Performance
5.0
Ease of Installation
5.0
Great harddrive for storage. Using the eSata connection. Stays cool. Well ventilated. I use all WD harddrives. They are reliable.
What's great about it: Big harddrive. Fast file transfer.
What's not so great: Sometimes the drive letter doesnt show up on the computer.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 13 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Work Great, Just what I needed
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Anonymous
from Kansas
on 08/12/2008
Bought 3 months ago and hooked up using esata connection for the increased speed. Has performed well and have no major complaints. Worth the money spent.
What's great about it: Easy to setup and use
What's not so great: The auto shut off when computer turns off is spotty
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 14 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
good buy
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Brickedin21
from JERSEY
on 07/26/2008
bought it, had no issues right out of the box, esata is faster than ever, makes a great addition to my desktop.
What's great about it: space saving, queit, esata is very fast
What's not so great: some sata issues
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 15 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Mac/Leopard/Firewire Users Read This
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: thap
from Fayetteville, AR
on 07/14/2008
If you are going to use this drive with a Mac, be sure to run the firmware update from Western Digital's site, as well as install the Western Digital Drive Manager. If you don't, you may not even see the drive power up. It'll be warm and sound like it's spinning, but the LED lights won't be on and the button won't work. Out of the box mine actually worked for a few days and then went seemingly dead. But running the firmware update and the WD Drive manager will fix all your problems. (Also, don't forget to re-format using the disk utility).
What's great about it: Quiet, cheap
What's not so great: firmware upgrade needs
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 16 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Not For 20 Inch Aluminum iMac
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: ForPersonalUseOnly
on 07/09/2008
I own a 20 Inch Aluminum iMac so keep that in mind when reading this review. The instructions are simple...plug in and wait for it to mount to the desktop. After purchasing, I found that it did not mount to the desktop. I downloaded drivers and software and even called the tech support for Western Digital. No one knew what to do. I figured I bought a lemon and exchanged it at the nearest Best Buy store. My second one will not mount either! Unbelievable...I then went online to read more reviews of the product by 20 Inch Aluminum iMac users. The basic response is...IF YOU HAVE A 20 INCH ALUMINUM IMAC, THIS PRODUCT WILL PROBABLY NOT WORK RIGHT. I hate to bring the overall customer rating down because I have had good experience with WD in the past...but I gotta do what I gotta do...I mean, my product is not working so I have to give it a poor rating. It's too bad, I was almost a lifetime buyer from WD.
What's great about it: Couldn't Get That Far To Find Out...
What's not so great: Never Mounted To The Desktop
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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Review 17 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
My hard drive review
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: ILoveTec
from Westminster, CO
on 06/26/2008
I've always wanted a seperate hard drive for backups. Warning: if you have a little brother/kids you shouldn't get it because if it tips and falls it will break = data loss. My little brother thought it'd be funny to tip b/c he didn't beleive me. It broke. I was able to return it and I got another one after my brother got yelled at. Don't tip it!!! It's a big-kid toy, so set it on it's side!!! (All hard drives have this problem)
What I love:
It just works soo very nice and soo very quiet and the backup program included lets you backup several copies!! Yeah!! Note: when you go crazy like me looking for the key to the backup program (only one given) look on the back of the instructions every guy tosses aside...
I really love so many ports on the back. Firewire really rocks.
Being able to back up many different comps rocks too.
500GB really is perfect for me, and average comp geek who backs up moms photos, my HD movies, family music... All 3 times...
What I hate:
I have a laptop, and the guage really doesn't always light up when it's re-pluged in all the time. But, it was designed for a desktop.
I hate the Google software because mine that I paid for is better.
I hate the short cord.
I hate how fragile it is.
Overall:
Disk Speed: Out of this world, and I know
USB Speed: Well, it's USB...
Firewire Speed: This is where you like the Disk Speed...
Ease of use of included WD software, (not google): 5 stars, super easy (after you find the key...)
Advice: I find this Hard Drive to be the best. I would not go any small size because the price point is so close and the size gain is so big. If you have a laptop forget the gauge and spend less for the 500GB without the guage. It won't like you because of in & out pluging to be mobile. If your sole purpose is to back-up, it is the best. And yes, it does encrypt and require the program to un-encrypt- but only will if you have the password too. Very good protection if you're worried. This is a very slick device and th best I have seen. You will like it! Do not tip it! (just set it on its side) Enjoy it! I enjoy mine! It has saved me!!!
What I love:
It just works soo very nice and soo very quiet and the backup program included lets you backup several copies!! Yeah!! Note: when you go crazy like me looking for the key to the backup program (only one given) look on the back of the instructions every guy tosses aside...
I really love so many ports on the back. Firewire really rocks.
Being able to back up many different comps rocks too.
500GB really is perfect for me, and average comp geek who backs up moms photos, my HD movies, family music... All 3 times...
What I hate:
I have a laptop, and the guage really doesn't always light up when it's re-pluged in all the time. But, it was designed for a desktop.
I hate the Google software because mine that I paid for is better.
I hate the short cord.
I hate how fragile it is.
Overall:
Disk Speed: Out of this world, and I know
USB Speed: Well, it's USB...
Firewire Speed: This is where you like the Disk Speed...
Ease of use of included WD software, (not google): 5 stars, super easy (after you find the key...)
Advice: I find this Hard Drive to be the best. I would not go any small size because the price point is so close and the size gain is so big. If you have a laptop forget the gauge and spend less for the 500GB without the guage. It won't like you because of in & out pluging to be mobile. If your sole purpose is to back-up, it is the best. And yes, it does encrypt and require the program to un-encrypt- but only will if you have the password too. Very good protection if you're worried. This is a very slick device and th best I have seen. You will like it! Do not tip it! (just set it on its side) Enjoy it! I enjoy mine! It has saved me!!!
What's great about it: Very quiet; wonderful auto-backup; I love the fullness gauge; includes firewire cable
What's not so great: Can't drop/tip over; short usb cable; GUAGE works best on an always one desktop and not so well on an laptop
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 18 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
eSATA Preferred
Customer Rating
3.0
Posted by: Rapout
from Sully, IA
on 06/13/2008
I purchased 2 of these at the same time. One for home and one for my business. For home, I also purchased a eSATA card. I liked the speed of the eSATA. It works without prompting, but it keeps disconnecting. Sometimes I can see it in explorer, but explorer reports that there is nothing on it. I switch it off and on and I'm back in business. It doesn't give me a warm feeling that I never know when it's not working. The drive I use at my business is extreamly slow since I'm using it with USB. I usually put it on hold until I go home at night. Again I have problems that when I restart the computer, it sometimes reports that I have no backup plan, so I have to start over. I read the first review on this drive, and I thought the same thing about having to pay for the software after 30 days. But that's wrong. If you look very carfully at the back side of the quick connect setup sheet, there is a product key that proves that you paid for it. It's no very obvious, and some people may throw the paper away without looking at it. One more thing. The light going back and forth reminds me of KIT in Night Rider.
What's great about it: Backs up all the time
What's not so great: Reliability
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Review 19 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Horrible Backup Software and they charge you extra
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: swalkerco
on 05/17/2008
The only reason that I am giving it one star is because of the backup software.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it. It's compact and very quiet and throughput seems to be very good.
With it had a larger cache though.
It was very easy to install. Just plug it in and it configures itself. Wish it included a CD in case a reload is needed.
I had read a review before buying this product that the backup software was included in the price so I called up tech support and they assured me that it was included. And it is but it's only a 30 Day Trial period and then you have to purchase it. This is undoubtedly the worst software product I have ever used.
It actually went into an infinite loop trying to backup 3 files.
The backup was incomplete as it only backed up 20 GB of the 80 GB that should have been there.
The product ran for days and still didn't get it right.
It's a CPU and Memory hog and the computer was unusable during that time.
If the backup process can't work correctly I shudder to think about trying to do a restore with this junk.
Next day i went out and purchased Norton Ghost 14.0 and using the same USB 2.0 it got EVERYTHING and it only took 7 hours to run and the PC was usable.
Also would avoid using the Google Desktop Search install as that is a pig too and ran for two days and was only 41% complete. Unbelievable.
Overall I'm pretty happy with it. It's compact and very quiet and throughput seems to be very good.
With it had a larger cache though.
It was very easy to install. Just plug it in and it configures itself. Wish it included a CD in case a reload is needed.
I had read a review before buying this product that the backup software was included in the price so I called up tech support and they assured me that it was included. And it is but it's only a 30 Day Trial period and then you have to purchase it. This is undoubtedly the worst software product I have ever used.
It actually went into an infinite loop trying to backup 3 files.
The backup was incomplete as it only backed up 20 GB of the 80 GB that should have been there.
The product ran for days and still didn't get it right.
It's a CPU and Memory hog and the computer was unusable during that time.
If the backup process can't work correctly I shudder to think about trying to do a restore with this junk.
Next day i went out and purchased Norton Ghost 14.0 and using the same USB 2.0 it got EVERYTHING and it only took 7 hours to run and the PC was usable.
Also would avoid using the Google Desktop Search install as that is a pig too and ran for two days and was only 41% complete. Unbelievable.
What's great about it: Pretty Happy with it so far.
What's not so great: Horrible/Unreliable Backup Software
I would recommend this to a friend!
-2points
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Review 20 for Western Digital My Book Home 500GB External USB 2.0/FireWire/eSATA Hard Drive
Drop dead in 13 months
Customer Rating
1.0
Posted by: GentleBen
on 05/07/2008
I was happy with the drive when I first got it. Worked great but it lasted only 13 months - one month past the warranty period. I would not recommend this product based on the performance I got from it.
What's great about it: Works great
What's not so great: Lasts only as long as the warranty time +30 days
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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