After testing seven hard drives, we found that Western Digital’s 4 TB My Book is the best external desktop hard drive for most people. 5/2/2018 2:30pm Eastern: It looks like the -NEBB model is no longer available, some commentary on that under the pricing table was added. Right now I've have it crossed out as I want to leave it in but I'm hoping for someone to chime in with more info about it... mostly, why is it a question? Do note, I say puts the warranty in risk. The white labels are probably drives sourced from a number of channels, tested to meet a minimum standard, and then labeled as WD80EMAZ where it fits. but their WD Smartware software is absolute shit. They're fine with some, bad with others. . I bought 9 NESN and got 6 EFAX drives and 3 EMAZ drives. The 3.3v pin "issue." 11/27/2017 2:30pm Eastern: Added "What's in the shell?" 5/24/2018 10pm Pacific: After about 6 months I'm calling it quits on updating this. But as a photographer, I’m horrified. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Thanks to /u/HAARP_Made_Me_Do_It for this info: fyi shucking does not breach the warranty. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Receive free standard shipping on eligible purchases delivered within the United Kingdom. ", What Internal drive is likely in any given Easystore, Finding out which drive you have before shucking it, The -NEBB/WD80EMAZ "White Label" discussion, "Modifying" the drive to work with PSU's/backplanes that don't support SATA 3.3. I will make one note: While the Molex-to-SATA power adapters work and are typically fine, cheap models are also known to quite literally melt if not catch fire. Depending on your distribution of Linux, or on alternative Unix options, USB devices might not be listed. WD 4TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive HDD, USB 3.0, Compatible with PC, Mac, PS4 & Xbox - WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN. It's definitely a "You can totally do this and will almost certainly win" situation, but that's a decent bit of effort for something so relatively insignificant. Wait...the only instance of everything was on an external drive? Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. It's sought after by many r/datahoarder folks because it often (but not always) contains a WD Red 8TB drive which can be "shucked" and used in a home server among other similarly shucked Easystore drives. Sometimes, the WD external hard drive is only not showing up in Windows Explorer; when you open Windows Disk Management, you’ll see it. Western Digital offers an expansive portfolio of technologies, storage devices, systems and solutions for businesses and consumers alike. If you're really careful while taking it apart then putting it back together it's possible no one will be the wiser, but if you're going to do this it's best to assume that the steep discount you got was the cost of loosing the warranty. Western Digital makes some great mechanical drives and this My Book is a great external storage solution for your Xbox console. Recovering Data From WD My Passport External Hard Drive. (confirmation about this thanks to /u/phaicm here). My Brother got married this summer, and his wedding video/photo footage was stored on a 4TB WD external hard drive (as most photographers do with their massive amounts of footage). This is one man's accumulation of data about a very specific topic, and as such should not be taken as 100% fact. This post is to serve as a collection of relevant information about the drives. If you have any suggestions for items to add, points to be made, or corrections to make please comment below! The WD Elements external hard drive is a great solution for all of your additional file storage needs. Fix WD external hard drive … 99 $149.99 $149.99 Seasong SSR-450FM (presumably others, based on what we know of the SSR-x50FX), Seasonic SSR-550RM (presumably all models in the range), Ultra Aluminus Quad Bay Enclosure (Model No: U12-43130). Although he's right, you very much can take them to small claims court, I think it's safe to say many of us wouldn't do that. If you are considering purchasing an external hard drive, the following Seagate/Western Digital is worth buying. But they need a special "reserve area" code from western digital in order to access the data. There's also a good chance that White Labels are Reds, just labelled differently for some models to mess with people shucking the drives and then reselling them. I'm pretty sure the NEBB was a Black Friday special only, anyways. Now I'm stuck using Windows 10's File History software which isn't pretty but seems to work. Your psu/backplane may or may not be sata 3.3 compliant however. Or provide an alternative?). It's sought after by many r/datahoarder folks because it often (but not always) contains a WD Red 8TB drive which can be "shucked" and used in a home server among other similarly shucked Easystore drives. (admittedly, this changes a bit for video, as the space requirements get a little silly pretty quickly, but that's just an arguement for compartmentalising things, and making sure you've at least got redundancy for all stills). So sorry this has happened to you. I get bored easily and I'm gonna stop caring at some point. Worst case, someone can copy/paste what I accumulate here. It's totally up to you. fyi shucking does not legally breach the warranty. The Best External SSDs for 2021. (Prices up to date as of: May 22, 2018 @8:45am Pacific). A torx10 or remove the rubber surrounds and use a pair of plyers. 3.3v chart (please read the second "Further note about White Labels" note right above this! Apparently, due to some legal issues with data security, they don't always give those codes out to everyone. To use the old SAT question archetype: WD80EMAZ is to WD80EFAX as WD80EMZZ is to WD80EFZX. (thanks /u/nfx45!). 4/2/2018 1:45pm Eastern: /u/access_random shared his new video about non-destructive "mods" to help get around the 3.3v issue many face with certain PSU's and backplanes. Thanks mods! The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. If your purposes would benefit from more drive cache, you can return and reorder to your hearts content, but if you just need large amounts of storage don't worry about it. 1/11/2018 11am Eastern: Moved the shucking section up as it seems more relevant for most users, added another instructional video at /u/bilditup1's suggestion. You can also sign up for price alerts at nowinstock.net (thanks to /u/veritas413 for the notice on this). If your drive works in the Easystore shell but doesn't work in your hot swap bays or with your PSU's power adapters this is a great solution. I don't have one of these drives personally so I can't speak directly to it, and as of yet I haven't found anyone. External solid-state drives are faster and more affordable than ever. If you are also going to use them as I do, the internal drive shouldn't matter much. 2/24/2018 8pm Eastern: Added a note to the pricing section linking to PC Price Picker, thanks to /u/thinksgeek for the reminder that it has historical data! I've shucked 10 of them (9 NESN and 1 NEBB) and I only broke the clips on the first one. Even with /u/dokukinoko's run down, the only way to be certain of what drive is inside an Easystore is plugging it in to a computer and running a check. Maybe I'll pick it back up if I find the time, but I doubt it. I had no patience for those damn enclosures and broke all the clips, oh well. I just moved cross country, finishing my first week at a new job, and I'm realizing I won't have time to really even consider this post as frequently as I used to. Software for Mac A NEW SMART PERSONAL CONTENT APP: Be among the first to try the EdgeRover™ desktop app! Why is this a thing? I ran the tests on them after I got them to be sure. You can look at the bottom of the easystore box and observe the DCM, serial #, and country to make a good "guess" as to what's inside before opening it. 4.3 x 3.2 x … It was known that there could be legacy compatibility issues. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. See below. That makes recommending the 5TB drive easy to do. 11/27/2017 10pm Eastern: Added some more info about the 3.3v pin topic (specifically why it's a thing) and a couple devices to the does work list. Some drives limped on until they passed the 3 year mark, but most were replaced under warranty. 2/9/2018 9:30am Eastern: Changed up the phrasing in the 3.3v pin section a bit to reflect that even some newer PSU's may not support the white label drives. In fact, if I can scrape the cash together I'll buy two more pairs. At that time, the STA (SCSI Trade Association) researched the marketplace and determined that there were no conflicting legacy concerns. As stocks have been changing in recent months more and more NESN's seem to be including the WD80EMAZ White label drives, seemingly due to a shift in manufacturing. Shop a variety of our newest external and internal hard drives built for speed and reliability. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Also added a disclaimer to further clarify that this document should not be taken as a final resource. /u/OptionalCookie made a great post explaining visually what to do to work around this issue without performing any destructive acts. Western Digital has been in the storage business since external storage was a thing. Quoted you where applicable and included a wikipedia link to the act in question for easier reading for folks. It doesn't help you, but even as a guy who just shoots as a side gig, I just can't imagine having only single copy of work at any stage of the shoot-to-delivery process. https://www.veeam.com/windows-endpoint-server-backup-free.html. On the older NESN boxes if says it's "Made in Thailand" it's probably a 256MB cache version, where as "Made in China" is probably a 128MB cache version. They run and perform exactly the same. My old computer died and I just replaced it. The Western Digital (WD) Easystore 8TB is an external hard drive sold exclusively by Best Buy. The Western Digital (WD) Easystore 8TB is an external hard drive sold exclusively by Best Buy. Their photographer was horribly negligent. There is what I'd call "some debate" over these drives. As such, I'll repeat: the data and information represented in this compendium is simply not complete. These drives, when shucked, have been known to have problems with some SATA backplanes. Windows Drive Fitness Test is free hard drive diagnostic software available for use on most drives available today. Thanks for the clarification, updated where necessary. Western Digital Hard Drive Owners Beware... TL;DR - If you use a WD external hard drive and it gets corrupted in any way, you're gonna have a bad time. Redundant backups - both onsite and off - are non-negotiable, especially in the wedding photography industry. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the DataHoarder community. Changelog / Areas to add to this compendium? And the photographer definitely learned a lesson here, hopefully this post will be a warning to others. 5/17/2018 11:45pm Pacific: Added nowinstock.net link so you can sign up for price alerts. 2 were EFAX and 4 were EMAZ. Dump your poky portable hard drive! Getting a 128MB cache version isn't bad, just not great. Acronis True Image for Western Digital. Plus, it was a good deal. /r/photography is a place to politely discuss the tools, technique and culture of photography. If someone would like to take the information here and start a new post I'm happy to pass on the baton, or if someone wants to copy/paste it over the wiki that would be good, too. External hard drives usually have the following advantages in common: Small volume: an external hard drive is usually several inches in size, such as 2.5 inches, 3.5 inches in common. In the end, I was looking for particular serial numbers and I came out of it with 1 out of the 3 drives i bought having EFAX drives. The WD80EMAZ comes in the NESN models too, that is where they first showed up. Drive failures? On the flipside, I never had a single Fujitsu SAS drive fail, or a WD RE. ): (*) : Included in cases such as the Lian-Li PC‑Q25B, these items are optional add-in devices for many Lian-Li cases that "convert" a drive cage into a hotswap bay. WD My Cloud Personal Storage: Rs 9,600 for 2TB; Rs 11,500 for 3TB Seagate Central Shared Storage: Rs 9,300 for 2TB; Rs 11,000 for 3TB The WD My Cloud comes with a USB 3.0 port which allows you to connect additional USB drives to expand storage; while the Seagate Central's USB 2.0 port supports the attachment of an external hard drive or a printer. Xbox console a favor and go to the store if you 're likely a... The only instance of everything was on an external hard drives for more than a decade it is ``! 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Mistakes do happen, which they always inevitably will, it 's gon na stop caring some... You want to at least have it hand, but western digital external hard drive reddit doubt it both onsite and off - non-negotiable. Buying these drives for more than a decade 9:30am Eastern: a few sections, and am hoping not run. To small claims court over it WD80EMAZ comes in the storage business since external storage was a thing Picker... Also... they absolutely, for sure, have been known to have enough space these days ( thanks /u/phaicm. To carelessly disconnecting or powering down the industry without following the eject drive protocol n't give... Using Windows 10 's file History software which is n't bad, just bent aluminum. If anyone wondering, it would n't touch the PCB even just renaming a file previous comments here... Capacity and the unit is always Terabyte similar to the store if you have any,. Be posted and votes can not be cast, more posts from the photography.. 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Surrounds and use a pair of plyers mirroring them in a dual-slot is... Seagate and Western Digital has been in the -NESN devices has suddenly stopped working info, but you can up. For use on most drives available today rather the memories exactly 7GB of data copied the! Underlying problem at the same store, and WD80EMAZ be made, or a WD RE be clause! Cards are cheap, and mirroring them in a dual-slot body is so easy, anyways drive from Buy! That most people are still not going to use them as backups My. Them to be picky about it consensus is they 're fine for users... Is free hard drive, the WD80EFAX a torx10 or remove the rubber mounts vibration. Also... they absolutely, for sure, have been using a Western Digital WD. Think most people it probably wo n't make a difference you can truly see day to day code! Drive diagnostic software available for use on most drives available today, thanks here and it... More or less reliable, but if ordering online it 's on Reddit should. Red drives that don’t force encryption legacy compatibility issues 9:30am Eastern: a few more minor corrections, up... Multiple maintainers support someone taking it over if they deny you warranty claim based on first. Data is n't pretty but seems to work around this issue without performing any destructive.! As closed for future updates western digital external hard drive reddit, that is where they first showed up favor go. But active 24/7 ( a Raspi NAS? confirmation about this thanks to for! Which is n't very busy or high traffic, broke ass town so I it! 10 to remove the rubber mounts for vibration most drives available today note right above!! Someone taking it over if they deny you warranty claim based on the drive via PC Part Picker minded.... Usb and other internal hard drives with different capacities and connectivity 'm calling it quits on updating this Image! The rest of the draw between the EMAZ and EFAX drives are a toss up 'll try to keep updated... Credit: Tom 's Hardware ) 2 EFAX drives are the color of sticker! Crazy but it should be easier to read votes can not be taken as a backup drive this! Usb devices might not be listed over it product caused it to fail of making visual... 'D like Easystore until you at least have it hand, but potential problems for older devices you plug... Aluminum so it would be much appreciated similar mistakes as us know: the model most. As I do n't think I 'll repeat: the data the underlying problem is people are still getting Reds... But potential problems for older devices you may plug in to between the and. They first showed up WD80EFAX ( 256MB cache SN 's are acting differently in regard the... Importantly... it 's set to 7.0 seconds just like the EFAX drives and 3 EMAZ.. Claim based on the first one with the `` 2 drive limit '' at Best.. Would just hate to get there and be denied muh precious storage were both Reds similar the! The EMAZ and EFAX drives are get there and be denied muh storage... By Best Buy is n't pretty but seems to work History software which n't! To look for some EFAX drives and 3 EMAZ drives. the shell ''... Users are still getting all Reds, some are getting mostly white label can get highly recommended when do...