I have a WD Passport 2TB External Drive. It is a year old and always worked well
However in the past few days it has struggled. Sometimes works but sometimes not.
It is still under guarantee so know I can return it.
Luckily I have always backed up my files
Always bought WD drives and the question is would you advise a different make?
Also all my personal files are on it and concerned about returning it since sometimes it will work!
Hi, you might wish to see what Hard Disk Sentinel (install/portable- trial) - SSDs too makes of it. Great instant report right on its GUI- and useful evidence when returning it if it shows a problem.
Drive makes? Previously I've always bought Hitachi or Toshiba (why?- see below), but the last I bought I found these harder to get for some reason.
This site gives some idea, but tends to focus on large capacity drives I think.
A Look at the Current 2020 Hard Drive Failure Rates
2019 Hard Drive Reliability: Failure Rates Continue to Rise
Note this for interest (older- 2015) - HGST = Hitachi.
Which Hard Drive Brand Is the Most Reliable? Seagate Western Digital
A study conducted by cloud-based online backup tool BackBlaze might help you make that decision. Backblaze took note of how many of its data center’s hard drives failed over the course of a year. It found that Western Digital’s drives were overall the least reliable.
This comes as a big surprise considering Western Digital is a hugely popular brand among PC enthusiasts and mainstream users alike. BackBlaze’s findings are relevant to businesses and average consumers alike in that the cloud-based storage company uses the same typical, off-the-shelf products that regular consumers use.
The analysis officially released by the company states that during 2015, BackBlaze used over 56,000 hard disk drives which were in turn organized into 1,249 storage pods. The drives were of various capacities, some storing only 1 TB while others stored up to 8 TB. The only hard drive manufacturers used by the company were HGST, Seagate, Toshiba, and Western Digital.
The hard drives failed differently depending on their make, model and capacity, but the difference based on manufacturer was substantial. HGST was the most reliable of the hard drive providers and had an annual failure of only 1 percent. Toshiba had an annual failure rate of nearly 3.5 percent, Seagate ranked in at slightly more than that but still under 4 percent, and Western Digital topped the charts at just under 7 percent.
Thanks for the info. Something I didnt know.
I have also had a WD My Book fail before But had it many years.
Always have 2 back ups.
HDD is dead tech.
Due to the gyroscopic effect, any HDD has to be used completely stand still. On a portable it means that once running, don't move it, don't even touch it.
My recommendation is to buy a 2.5" SSD and install on a USB3.x caddy.
2Tb SSD external seem to be a bit over £200
Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable Hard Drive - Black
- a bit over £50
a factor of around 4 on a quick look.
2T BX500 cost £156.
That is 3 times more than the Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable Hard Drive - Black but it is also more reliable and 6 times faster.
Just for interest, and not to provoke a discussion: no massive lifetime increase for SSDs expected according to this:
Are Solid State Drives / SSDs More Reliable Than HDDs?
SSD Reliability: Can You Really Rely on Your SSD?
In other words, if we’re looking at SSD reliability vs HDD reliability, solid state drive failure rates-- while not apples to apples-- are not incredibly different from those of HDDs.
Yes it is.
If you read my post #4 it is to be installed on a USB 3.x caddy
There is also a external package
Crucial CT2000X6SSD9 X6 2 TB Portable SSD - £185
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