Product Details
Western Digital 500 GB My Book Essential 2.0 - USB 2.0 External Hard Drive WDH1U5000N

Western Digital 500 GB My Book Essential 2.0 - USB 2.0 External Hard Drive WDH1U5000N
From Western Digital

List Price: $129.99
Price: $89.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

54 new or used available from $70.00

Average customer review:

Product Description

This elegant external hard drive, reminiscent of a book, is the perfect storage solution. It takes no more space than a paperback book. Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a shelf. Installation is a snap because you don't really install this drive, you just plug it in and it's ready to use. A USB 2.0 simple connection offers convenience and compatibility among multiple computers. Dimensions - Height 6.5 x Length 5.4 x Width 2.1 Weight - 2.5 Pounds


Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #103 in Consumer Electronics
  • Brand: Western Digital
  • Model: WDH1U5000N
  • Original language: English
  • Dimensions: 6.50" h x 2.10" w x 5.40" l, 2.50 pounds
  • Hard Disk: 500GB

Features

  • Includes - External hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter and Quick Install Guide
  • Smart and energy efficient - Turns itself on and off with your computer
  • Saving and organizing your digital photo collection
  • USB 2.0 Serial Bus Transfer Rate - 480 Mbits/s
  • System Requirements - Available USB port, Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later

Editorial Reviews

From the Manufacturer
Are you running out of hard drive capacity? Do you need to archive some important digital documents, photos, or music? This elegant external hard drive, reminiscent of a book, is the perfect solution. It takes no more space than a paperback book. Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a shelf.

Table ShotWhat It Holds:

  •     Up to 142,000 digital photos
  •     Up to 125,000 songs (MP3)
  •     Up to 12,000 songs (uncompressed CD quality)
  •     Up to 38 hours of Digital Video (DV)
  •     Up to 220 hours of DVD quality video
  •     Up to 60 hours of HD video
One gigabyte (GB) = one billion bytes. One terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.

Product Features:
  • Easy to set up, easy to use - Installation is a snap because you don't really install this drive, you just plug it in and it's ready to use.
  • USB 2.0 interface - A simple connection that offers convenience and compatibility among multiple computers.
  • Fits right in - Takes no more space than a paperback book. Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a shelf.
  • Smart and energy efficient - Turns itself on and off with your computer.
  • PC and Mac compatible - Works with both Windows® 2000/XP/Vista and Mac® OS X 10.4.8 or later

Rear ViewIdeal for
  • Instant storage
  • Easy to use
  • USB 2.0
  • Saving and organizing your digital photo collection

System Requirements
  • Available USB port
  • Windows® 2000/XP/Vista™
  • Mac® OS X 10.4.8 or later
Box
Package Includes
  • External hard drive
  • USB cable
  • AC adapter
  • Quick Install Guide





Which external drive interface is the right choice: USB, FireWire, eSATA, or Gigabit Ethernet? The right choice depends on compatibility with your computer and how you want to use your device. First, look at the connections on your computer.
interface
Note: For convenience and flexibility, choose a WD hard drive with both USB and FireWire interfaces
(available in dual and triple interface configurations) or with both USB and eSATA interfaces.


Customer Reviews

Failed after a year - DO NOT BUY IT. 1
This drive failed after one year. I lost a lot of personal and financial data that is not recoverable.

It was not abused. Sat on a desk for the most part. No power outages. It died during a write access for a financial program.

This is the second WD drive I have die on my in a year of use. (I had blamed myself for the first one, but maybe this is the just the way these drives are built.)

Back to paper for the financial reports. They don't need batteries.

Stay away from it1
My WD drive failed after a couple months...never did any damage to it. One day, it wasn't recognized by my PC and when I powered it down and turned it back on, the clicking noises began.

Great for backups!4
Shopping for an external drive for file backups I found this model and another brand that was 250gb for the same price. Of course I went with the larger drive for the same price!
Setup was very easy and I have it setup to backup certain VIP folders on my PC, mostly my digital photos. With my wife hounding my to burn the photos to something so we'd have a backup in case of PC failure, this has been a fantastic purchase!
The only thing I don't like about it (which is my own fault for not inspecting the package closely) is that it's not recommended to be a travelling drive and needs AC power in a place where plug space is rare in my home even with a surge strip.
Overall though, I've been very pleased with it's performance and for the space I got for what I paid.