

- Western digital my book essential 1tb external hard drive install#
- Western digital my book essential 1tb external hard drive software#
- Western digital my book essential 1tb external hard drive password#
Once installed, SmartWare will scan your computer (defaults to drive C:) and present you with a graphical representation of all the various bits of data in 6 main categories: System, Pictures, Other, Music, Movies, and Documents.
Western digital my book essential 1tb external hard drive install#
The first time you plug your new WD drive into your computer you will be prompted to install WD SmartWare. Standard across its entire line of external drives, SmartWare provides users with a very straight forward (if at times too simplified) way to automatically backup your files.
Western digital my book essential 1tb external hard drive software#
I can live with that.įinally, we get to WD’s new, integrated backup software solution, SmartWare. Should it be lost, the drive will remain locked or must be re-formatted to use again.

In other words, you are the only person who knows the password. Thus, WD never receives your drive’s password. When I spoke to WD a few weeks back, they were pretty adamant about erring on the side of total security.
Western digital my book essential 1tb external hard drive password#
The My Book Essential connects via USB 2.0, has a physical on/off switch, a place for a real lock, and ships with a relatively compact power adapter.Īs mentioned above, the new WD drives come standard with password protection and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. Generally speaking, the drive is pretty quiet, although there is the usual buzz and hum during large backups. The faux book shape may not be for everyone, but it does hide rather nicely if you put actual books (remember them?) around the drive. The drive also has a new illuminated capacity gauge and an icon showing whether the drive has been locked (via password with encryption). The drive is the same height as its predecessor (6.5″), but is down to 1.9″ wide (from 2.1″). Now available in 500GB, 640GB, 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB capacities, the new My Book Essential has undergone very slight physical updates. The My Book Essential is Western Digital’s “standard” PC desktop external hard drive (identical to the Mac version). Thus, it came as no surprise when Western Digital recently overhauled its entire external drive lineup with password protection, encryption, and built-in backup software. Along with the ability to save and backup all of one’s digital treasure trove, being able to secure all those 1s and 0s has also become more desirable. Longer version: As we, the computer-savvy netizens of the (physical) world, continue to amass more and more digital media and create endless bytes of data, storage has become increasingly important in our everyday lives. With an enormous 2TB capacity, built-in WD SmartWare software, 256-bit built-in encryption with password protection, an “illuminated capacity gauge,” and a MSRP of $249.99, there is very little not to like here. Short version: Western Digital’s refreshed My Book Essential external hard drive provides a simple, unobtrusive, and relatively inexpensive home backup solution.
