Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition 2TB USB 2.0 (WDH2U20000N)

Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition 2TB USB 2.0 (WDH2U20000N)
by Western Digital

Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition 2TB USB 2.0 (WDH2U20000N)
List Price: $249.99
Our Price: $160.00
You Save: $89.99 (36%)
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details

Manufacturer: Western Digital
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: WDH2U20000N
Product features:
  • The safest place for your data
  • Automatic backup software
  • Cooler, quieter, eco-friendlier
  • Capacity Gauge
Accessories:

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition 2TB USB 2.0 (WDH2U20000N)

Customer Review: I've Revised My Opinion (Orig: A Resource Hog That's Missing A Few Key Functions)
Summary: 4 Stars

UPDATE:
I've bought a newer and better computer since I wrote my review below (April 11, 2010). The automatic backups now function seamlessly in the background as advertised. I also store all of my music files on it in a separate folder and play them directly from that folder with no skips, stutters, or other signs of delay. In the review below, I speculated that the problems I was having would largely disappear with a newer computer, and that speculation turned out to be correct.

I still think the option to schedule backups would be helpful for some users, especially those with older or slower computers. And I think an on/off switch would be helpful since the drive continues to draw power at night after I have shut everything else down. Or perhaps it could be programed to turn on and off with the computer. The drive itself does not appear to remain on at night; rather a very bright blue LED continuously fades on and off every five seconds or so. If I had not placed the drive so it sits angled away from me, this would be very annoying at night. The LED seems only to be telling the user the drive is plugged in, so why is it there?

Overall, though, once I upgraded my computer, the drive works exactly as advertised, and I've never ran into a problem with file corruption or loss, so I have raised my rating to reflect that.

Steve Hight
Dec. 17th, 2010


ORIGINAL REVIEW:
In addition to regular system- and program data backups, I purchased the Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition backup drive as security for the thousands of digital photographs and scans we have. I am not going to review the quality or accuracy of the resulting back up files since I have not yet had any opportunity to test them. I hope I never do.

We have an older Dell PC with a 3.2 Ghz Pentium 4 processor and 4 gigabytes of installed RAM (which unfortunately only seems to result in 3.25 gigabytes of available RAM).

When WD Anywhere Backup, the included backup program, is actively open, it uses all of our available system resources: The CPU clocks at 100% and more than half a gigabyte of RAM is consumed. When it runs resident (in the background), however, the CPU still clocks at 98% or higher and the program can consume as much as 440 to 450 megabytes of RAM, still close to half a gigabyte. The program does this even when I have other programs open, programs it is supposed to yield to according to supplied product information.

What I have done is change my system configuration so WD Anywhere Backup doesn't start at boot time, and I keep the power disconnected from the drive until I am ready to activate it manually. When I'm ready to make a backup, I plug in the drive, and then activate the program with the desktop icon. I then initiate the collection of new backup data by selecting "Verify All Backups" from the "Actions" menu. The program then rescans everything that has ever been backed up, not just the folders with new files. When the backup is finished, I have to shut down the computer and unplug the drive to turn everything off again.

This is a clunky and very time consuming workaround. On our PC, a backup can take many hours, and is best done overnight. Because of the required system configuration changes, it is also a workaround that is likely unavailable to the average PC user.

WD Anywhere Backup needs a simple on/off "switch" and the ability to schedule backups. It should also have a way to resume a backup that doesn't require a rescan of everything, one that enables it to simply examine and compare dates and times so only those folders that have actually had content changes are backed up again.

I would imagine that on newer computers with more resources to yield, many of these issues would be less problematic, but for those users with computers that are a bit older, the Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition backup drive and its accompanying software may be more than their systems can handle effectively.

Steve Hight

Description of Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition 2TB USB 2.0 (WDH2U20000N)

WD's My Book Mirror Edition dual-drive storage system automatically mirrors your valuable data for extra protection. The USB 2.0 interface and a powerful combination of features make this system the storage solution of choice for photographers, home users, small offices, and anyone looking for extra assurance that their data is safe.
Amazon.com Product Description

The safest place for your data.

WD?s My Book Mirror Edition dual-drive storage system automatically mirrors your valuable data for extra protection. USB 2.0 interface and a powerful combination of features make this system the storage solution of choice for photographers, home users, small offices, and anyone looking for extra assurance that their data is safe.

Features at a glance
  • Easy installation and set up
  • RAID 0/1
  • Automatic backup software
  • Cooler, quieter, eco-friendlier
  • Capacity gauge
  • User serviceable
  • 3-year limited warranty

Swapping out a drive is easy and you do not need any tools.
My Book Mirror Edition retail packaging

Gain peace of mind with this true data guardian. Organize and archive your vast photo, music, and artwork libraries. View larger.

My Book® Mirror Edition? 360° view

Secure your vital data with WD?s My Book® Mirror Edition? dual-drive storage system with RAID Mirroring. With RAID-based continuous data protection, automatic data backup software, and user-serviceability, this is the perfect backup system for your irreplaceable data.

The safest place for your data
Using RAID mirroring technology, this system automatically and continuously duplicates your data. If one drive in this two-drive system ever fails, the system continues to run and your data is safe. How?s that for peace of mind? Learn more about RAID

Automatic and continuous backup software
Back up your computer - just set it and forget it. Every time you save a change it's backed up and then mirrored on the second drive for the ultimate in data protection.

GreenPower technology logoCooler, quieter, eco-friendlier
Designed to use only WD drives with GreenPower? technology, this system, with its efficient convection cooling architecture, fan-less design, and power saving mode, is reliably cool, remarkably quiet and consumes up to 33% less power* than standard systems.

* Tests based on comparison between a 1 TB dual-drive system using 7200 RPM drives and a 1 TB dual-drive system using WD's GreenPower drives.

Easy to set up, easy to use
You?re up and running in a few simple steps. WD?s intuitive RAID wizard software lets you easily modify your RAID settings.

Capacity Gauge
See at a glance how much space is available on your drive.

User serviceable
Want to upgrade a drive? Simply open the case and replace the existing drive ? no screwdriver needed.

System Requirements
Available USB port
Mac® OS X 10.4.11+, 10.5.2+
Windows® 2000/XP/Vista

What's in the Box
Dual-drive storage system, USB cable, AC adapter, Software CD, Quick Install Guide.


More about RAID

RAID is a high-tech acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. The acronym is not important. What is important is that the inclusion of RAID technology in WD's dual-drive external storage systems make them very powerful storage products.

With RAID enabled on a storage system you can connect two or more drives in the system so that they act like one big fast drive or set them up so that one drive in the system is used to automatically and instantaneously duplicate (or mirror) your data for real-time backup.

There are two reasons you might want a RAID system of drives.

1. You need tons of storage space and you need it to be fast. (RAID 0)
2. You want to instantaneously and automatically backup your data. (RAID 1)

Which RAID mode should I use?


RAID Mode Comparison

1. Speed (RAID 0)

Set in high-performance mode (also called striped mode or RAID 0) the storage system gives you the power you need when you're:

  • Designing huge graphics and you need a lightning-fast Photoshop scratch space.
  • Recording large DV files while maintaining clean audio performance.
  • Editing DV or HD video and you want a smooth work flow with no dropped frames.
  • Rendering complex 3D objects or special effects.
  • Performing disk-intensive database operations.
  • Driven to be the first geek on your block with a computer so fast it blows your socks off.

Why is RAID 0 so fast?

It's a bit complicated, but suffice it to say that two heads, or in this case, drives, are better than one. Picture two hoses filling a bucket at the same time or two men bailing a boat and you can understand why two drives striped are faster than one. Data is saved (striped) across both drives and accessed in parallel by both drives so you get higher data transfer rates on large data accesses and higher input/output rates on small data accesses.

2. Data protection (RAID 1)

Set the system to data protection mode (also know as mirrored mode or RAID 1) and the data is duplicated onto one of the drives providing two copies of all the data. This reduces your capacity to the size of a single disk.

So why do I want that kind of redundancy?
It's your data, your family pictures, your movie of baby's first steps, your first novel. Is it important? You decide. If it is, then RAID mirroring if for you.

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