WD My Book External Hard Drive?

Hello everyone,

I just purchased a WD My Book 4 TB External Hard Drive for my iMac.

Is this considered a reliable hard drive? Should I purchase a 3 year warranty on it?

Thanks

This drive should come with a manufacturer's warranty of some sort. I think most folks rely on this for most of their warranty needs. Your biggest concern is keeping your data backed up on a second drive. Usually that data is much valuable to folks than the drive itself. Thus if the drive should fail...the cost of replacing the drive is small...compared to the loss of the data if it wasn't backed up.

Also hope you didn't overpay for this drive. Sometimes the "My Book" drives can be WAY overpriced.

- Nick

I have had good luck with my 640gb WD My Book from ~2006. I don't use it for backups anymore, but I still use for low use files.

Is the drive a "for Mac" drive?

MacLover2011 said:

… I just purchased a WD My Book 4 TB External Hard Drive for my iMac.
Is this considered a reliable hard drive? Should I purchase a 3 year warranty on it?
Thanks

Click to expand...

According to your address, that WD My Book drive already comes with a three year warranty.
http://support.wdc.com/warranty/warrantypolicy.aspx#group1

You might want to register it and update the purchase date if required at the WD USA site.


Edit:
BTW: My two MY BOOK PREMIUM EDITION 500GB USB 2.0 FireWire® 400 drives purchased 2008 and 2009 era are still working with occasional use, and I always kept them slightly elevated to provide good air flow for adequate cooling.







- Patrick
======

You might want to register it and update the purchase date if required at the WD USA site.

Click to expand...

No need to register WD drives. If there's a problem, WD will ask for the serial number of the drive and compute the warranty from that. It doesn't matter when you purchased it from the store, WD has their own way of computing the warranty. Just ask them.

And if the drive gives out during the warranty, they will send you a RMA and from that it will be your responsibility to send the drive to their California depot. After which they will send you a refurbished replacement that if you're lucky will last several weeks before it too will give out.

Now ask me what I think of WD drives..... ;D

BTW: My two MY BOOK PREMIUM EDITION 500GB USB 2.0 FireWire® 400 drives purchased 2008 and 2009 era are still working with occasional use, and I always kept them slightly elevated to provide good air flow for adequate cooling.

Click to expand...

That was the old Western Digital company who made reliable drives. Unfortunately, that is no longer true in my opinion.

pigoo3 said:

This drive should come with a manufacturer's warranty of some sort. I think most folks rely on this for most of their warranty needs. Your biggest concern is keeping your data backed up on a second drive. Usually that data is much valuable to folks than the drive itself. Thus if the drive should fail...the cost of replacing the drive is small...compared to the loss of the data if it wasn't backed up.

Also hope you didn't overpay for this drive. Sometimes the "My Book" drives can be WAY overpriced.

- Nick

Click to expand...

The drive cost $95.00. Are you saying I should have two external drives running?

Thanks

ferrarr said:

I have had good luck with my 640gb WD My Book from ~2006. I don't use it for backups anymore, but I still use for low use files.

Is the drive a "for Mac" drive?

Click to expand...

Yes the external hard drive for a Mac and PC.

chscag said:

No need to register WD drives. If there's a problem, WD will ask for the serial number of the drive and compute the warranty from that. It doesn't matter when you purchased it from the store, WD has their own way of computing the warranty.

Click to expand...

I have always found it's easier and better to do the register just after purchasing and they give you an option to enter the actual purchase date so one gets the full warranty, rather than their "calculation" and later sending in a scan of the purchase receipt if a warranty or later proof of purchase is ever needed.

It also provides a nice quick reference of one's WD purchases. I just wish there was more room for more details, i.e.: where used etc.

Just saying….





- Patrick
=======

pm-r said:

chscag said:



I have always found it's easier and better to do the register just after purchasing and they give you an option to enter the actual purchase date so one gets the full warranty, rather than their "calculation" and later sending in a scan of the purchase receipt if a warranty or later proof of purchase is ever needed.

It also provides a nice quick reference of one's WD purchases. I just wish there was more room for more details, i.e.: where used etc.

Just saying…. - Patrick=======

Click to expand...

When was the last time you purchased a WD drive? They no longer include a registration card in the box. I guess if you want... you can always go to their website and register the drive by serial number. Of course when the drive gives out it doesn't matter because they will use the date they have on record (however they compute that?). Also, if you can get someone on the line from the US or Canada, you would be fortunate since their support is forwarded to India or wherever.

chscag said:

Also, if you can get someone on the line from the US or Canada, you would be fortunate since their support is forwarded to India or wherever.

Click to expand...

I'm glad you have the same problem there too. Over the last couple of years I've ended all my contracts with every company that has shipped it's 'customer support' to third world countries and moved to companies with UK support - car & house insurance, phone, mobile phone, broadband, gas & electricity - and now get far better support. Now if only I can get scam phone calls and emails moved over too

chscag said:

When was the last time you purchased a WD drive? They no longer include a registration card in the box. I guess if you want... you can always go to their website and register the drive by serial number. Of course when the drive gives out it doesn't matter because they will use the date they have on record (however they compute that?). … …

Click to expand...

Per the bold above — that's what I do and have always done, and it seems they added an extension to my last entered purchase date for some reason, but I'm not complaining…

But it does seem that I have had the opposite experiences to you with all the WD drives I have purchased over the years but I've always tended to purchase their higher end Black models with their longer warranty.







- Patrick
==========

I agree. The WD Black drives that I purchased in the past for some of my older PCs and one 2008 MacBook were good drives. But those are internal bare drives. I'm primarily referring to the WD My Book portable drives. Those are the ones that are troublesome.

But hey... like anything else, what might be OK for you may not necessarily be the same for me. As I have already stated, I will not buy another WD drive.