Will WD Passport work with Windows 7?

I have a Western Digital Passport #WDME1600TE (refurbished), it's drive size is 160GB, (149GB usable), at least that's what it showed in XP Pro. I currently have a XP Pro backup on it that I don't even have the laptop for anymore. I never really understood the way the thing worked. You plugged it in, logged on like you would a PC, then you could either use it the way it was (even on another's computer), or you could "sync" at any time. I did "sync" my deceased laptop on it, but not all files were copied. I could visually see which files were and were not being copied. Fortunately, I never had to use the backup that was created on it. Is there other software that I could install on this external drive that would make it simple to use. All I want to do is create a backup, not carry it around and use it on everyone else's computer. And I want ALL of my files to be copied. I hope that this post is understandable and that someone knows what I'm talking about.

Read more here - Western Digital My Passport Essential (160GB)

There is also WD version of Acronis True Image that will create disc images of your whole drive. Read more here - Backup you Hard Drive with Acronis

Yes, that's exactly the same as mine, but mine cost only $59 (refurbished). Still, it has a two year warranty. I'll check out the software you mentioned. Thanks.

Clifford, using my XP laptop, I downloaded the correct version and saved it, then formatted my external drive to delete the previous XP OS that was on it. Then I installed the program onto the external drive, and verified that it's on there. Now, when I plug it into this PC and go to it, will the program be self-explained or what? This is a slow drive. One thing, it has a regular 2.0 port to plug into your PC, on the other end of the cord that plugs into the drive is a 1.1 (a small) plug. Mabye most of them are that way, I don't know. It's my first one. Too, if given the choice, do I need to backup the small portion of the PC drive that contains the factory image as well, or do them by DVD? I say DVD instead of CD because it is a 11.5GB partition with 9.4GB used, 2.1GB free. That would take a LOT of CD's, but only 3 DVD's.

1.1 and 2.0 are chipset standards, both of which use the Standard USB and Mini-USB plugs. You can not look at the plug and tell if it is 1.1 or 2.0.

The Western Digital Passport Essential 160 GB (WDME1600TE) is a USB 2.0 Drive.

The Acronis version of software from Western Digital should be about the same as the Acronis version for Seagate. I can only tell you how the Seagate version works. Hopefully it works the same for Western Digital. The seagate version is called DiscWizard. DiscWizard will install to windows and create bootable media. You have the option to backup and restore from within Windows or with the bootable media. Either way start the application and then create a backup image. The image can be placed anywhere except for the drive being imaged. If you want to create the backup directly to the WD Passport, there will be no problems. I would advise you to create the bootable media and make yourself familiar with the disk. It would be a good idea to also check to see if you can read and write to the passport drive with the bootable media. I don't see a problem doing so but you never know until you check.

I was looking at the messages from whatever this action program is on here and I was advised to backup. So I was going to start with DVD's, but the program said this was not the correct one. I mean a blank 4.7GB DVD+RW 4x should get it, shouldn't it? Or are there different ones? It did ask for a DVD. Alright, this other backup, I'm still looking at. The backup program on here said something about a USB drive as well. Do I need to use the program that I just installed or does my Windows backup program write straight to the WD drive? Is that what you meant when you said I could create the backup directly to the WD Passport? There is plenty of space for me to play with on the WD Drive. I've only used around 28GB on my PC so far, not counting the factory image I described above. And if it means anything, the brand of the blank DVD's is imation, intended for use with DVD 4x speed drives. I don't know why they didn't work.

Which program did you install?

It will help me understand exactly what I need to say if I know which programs you are referring to. I'm not talking about Windows Backup at all. If you installed an Acronis version. This program will create the backup images and restore them later when you need them.

On the external drive, I installed the Acronis software. I haven't even opened the program yet. All that I did was verify that the software installed inside of the WD Drive. I did this with my XP laptop, since I'm used to installing software with it. The only thing that I done with the PC that I want to backup was I tried to make backup discs. Since my last post, I read the manual and it said not to use DVD+RW discs, which is what I tried to do. It said to use DVD+R or DVD-R blank media for recovery discs. So I have to buy some of them.

I did manage to do a Windows backup (not Acronis) on this drive, but there was an error code 0x8100002F. On the notepad, there were references about Charles\mydownloads something. I don't know if it is got to do with most of my downloads being 32 bit and my OS is 64 bit or what. The flag to solve PC issue is still showing. I'm wondering if it was my antivirus or something that caused it. Well, I know that the drive is working anyway. Sometime tomorrow, I'll wipe that one out and start over, using the Acronis program. I get a weekly newsletter from Leo Notenboom "Ask Leo" is the name of it. He highly praises Acronis backup software and recommends it for anyone. But I'm going to need some help to make sure that I do it right. And I'm also going to backup to DVD's as well. When I had the program open, I remember seeing it as an option. Leo always says to make at least two backups, and not store them together, as a disaster may happen. He's fairly smart on some of these things, I've read his column for a couple of years now and the advice he gives out is good. Each and every issue, he harps on backup. I've lost a photo album not long ago, and since then I've yet to store anything important on a computer until I learn the art of backup. And being this PC is new, it's time I learned. I don't have a reinstall disc like with XP Pro. I do have an emergency boot disc, but that's all.

Does the computer not have an option to create recovery disk?

I know HP started shipping computer's years ago with Recovery partitions and the option to create one set of disk. This freed them up from having to send out media with every PC.