Recommended External Hard-drive for Macbooks

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max123max123
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Hi Guys,

I have just bought a macbook and want to get an external hard-drive. I'm looking at the Western Digital My Book Passport Essential 320GB USB Portable Hard Drive, which looks well-priced and a good size. However, it seems to be more configured to Windows than it does to Macs and I'm not even sure it offers the 128-bit encryption for Macs that it offers Windows users. Can anyone suggest any other brands/models that are better for Macs or whether or not this one is ok for Macs?

Thanks,

Max

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    Marvinmarvin Posts: 15,585moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by max123 View Post


    Hi Guys,

    I have just bought a macbook and want to get an external hard-drive. I'm looking at the Western Digital My Book Passport Essential 320GB USB Portable Hard Drive, which looks well-priced and a good size. However, it seems to be more configured to Windows than it does to Macs and I'm not even sure it offers the 128-bit encryption for Macs that it offers Windows users. Can anyone suggest any other brands/models that are better for Macs or whether or not this one is ok for Macs?

    Thanks,

    Max



    I always like Lacie drives for Mac compatibility. They have safe ones too:



    http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10873
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  • Reply 2 of 5
    bbwibbwi Posts: 812member
    I like G-Technology drives because you can get them with no fan so they're quieter
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  • Reply 3 of 5
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    I always like Lacie drives for Mac compatibility. They have safe ones too:



    http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10873



    Is this OS-agnostic or do you need Windows for this to work? And what if you damage the surface of your finger? A small accident like a cut from a knife in the kitchen could alter your biometry and make you unrecognisable by the drive.
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  • Reply 4 of 5
    Marvinmarvin Posts: 15,585moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PB View Post


    Is this OS-agnostic or do you need Windows for this to work? And what if you damage the surface of your finger? A small accident like a cut from a knife in the kitchen could alter your biometry and make you unrecognisable by the drive.



    It's Mac and Windows supported - software is bundled for both. You register two fingers for access to the drive and you can have multiple users so I guess you could register all your fingers if you like.



    I would personally use manual encryption but it might be easier for some to have the fingerprint scanner.
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  • Reply 5 of 5
    zinfellazinfella Posts: 877member
    The Firewire interface is faster than USB 2. If you use the external much, then that will make difference. I prefer to buy the enclosures and drives separately. My fave external enclosure is the Icy Dock line, because they use no fan, are dead silent, run cool, and allow you to hot swap drives. They can be had with various interfaces.



    http://www.icydock.com/product_pagein.html
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