83 Questions from the Community
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IF MY COMPUTER LOSES FILES, WILL THE MY BOOK REBOOT MY COMPUTER?
- Asked by David H from Roscoe
- Feb 20, 2010
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AnswerThis is a USB Hard Drive. If you have an Intel Mac you can install the system on it and boot up from it. It won't boot if you only back up the system files on it. The System must be installed or cloned to the USB drive. By cloned, I mean some utilities will copy your system over and set themselves up to work from an external drive in order to repair your hard drive.
To make the USB drive into a startup disk...
From Apple:
* The USB drive has been formatted with a GUID partition type
* The USB drive contains an installation of Mac OS X 10.4.5 or later, or Mac OS X 10.5 or later, which is compatible with (or shipped with) the Mac that the USB device is connected to. Note: You should not use a version of Mac OS X that is earlier ("older") than the version your Mac shipped with.
To start from a USB storage device that meets the above requirements, connect the device, then select it in Startup Disk preferences. Or, connect the device, restart, and immediately press and hold the Option key to access Startup Manager. Then select the USB drive and click OK.- Answered by Jon M from Palm Springs
- May 28, 2010
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can i use it to run programs right off the drive
- Asked by Jonathan K from Hollywood
- Dec 19, 2009
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AnswerYes
Except if it's a program like iLife or iWork etc you would have to do a re install except install it onto the HDD..
And if your going to use another external drive make sure its in the mac osx format- Answered by Kevin I from Sydney
- Jan 2, 2010
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How portable is this product - I'm looking for a portable external drive
- Asked by Lorraine M from Westfield
- Feb 15, 2010
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AnswerNot very portable- it requires a power cord to operate. If portability is a priority, I would recommend a WD Essential for Mac(firewire connection).
- Answered by Eric K from Chandler
- Feb 20, 2010
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I have 3 macs on our network --- can I use this to back up ALL of them
- Asked by Laurie R from Bowie
- Feb 21, 2010
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AnswerYes, and no. You certainly may partition the drive into three partitions and back up one computer on each partition, but this device only has one USB port on it. To sync three computers, you must plug it into one computer, sync it, plug it into the second computer, sync it, plug it into the third computer, and sync it.
If you are fine with moving it around to all of your computers, you may sync it with all of them.- Answered by Jacob L from Eau Claire
- Mar 8, 2010
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Is western digital 1TB compatible with MAC OSX 10.5.8
- Asked by Shanly W from Boulder
- Jul 18, 2012
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Best AnswerYes, it is compatible. Apple lists the specifications for the hard drive as:
Mac OS X v.10.4 to v.10.6 or later
USB
You should be fine purchasing this.- Answered by Lucien D from San Diego
- Aug 9, 2012
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Is WD My Book compatible with Apple Tv. Can I watch movies from My Book connected to my Mac computer wirelessly via Apple TV?
Is WD My Book compatible with Apple Tv?
- Asked by Nola B from Brisbane
- Dec 20, 2009
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Best AnswerI bought this drive specific to use with my Apple TV via iTunes to stream my movies. I have had it for over 20 days now without any hiccup what-so-ever. The only thing that I have noticed (and I am not complaining) is that it may take around 30 secs to wake when initially starting a movie. Besides that it seems to be working great. It is a bit more noisy than other brands of external HD's I own, I can hear it accessing from time to time.
- Answered by Jason M from Toronto
- Dec 26, 2009
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I have an IMAC that is used for music and as a Google machine, is this device what I need to hold all my music?
- Asked by Zelda H from Eugene
- Jan 4, 2010
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AnswerIt's very likely, though it depends on the size of your music library. To find out the size of your music library: (1) start up iTunes, (2) look for the LIBRARY heading at the top left of the iTunes window, (3) click Music under that heading, (4) look at the bottom of your iTunes window. ...As an example, my iTunes window says "13119 items, 39.7 days, 298.16 GB": That means I have more than 13,000 songs, which is almost 40 days of continuous music, and which takes up almost 300 gigabytes. I would need a disk that holds 300 GB to hold it all. This 1TB model holds 1 terabyte, which is 1000 gigabytes; that's also 1,000,000 MB (megabytes). If your music library takes up less than 1000 GB, or is only several hundred MB, you can store it all on the WD 1TB drive.
- Answered by Bob D from Mountain View
- Feb 5, 2010
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Is this drive compatible with Snow Leopard/ Time Machine?
- Asked by Christopher S from Eugene
- Jan 11, 2010
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Best AnswerYes, definitely. It works seamlessly with both.
- Answered by Matthew M from Minneapolis
- Jan 22, 2010
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Can this Drive be used by Time Machine in the same manner as Time Capsule device?
- Asked by William B from El Paso
- Nov 24, 2009
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Best AnswerYes. The description specifically states that.
- Answered by Matt R from Tucson
- Dec 17, 2009
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I have a Western Digital My Book and I'm considering buying a MacBook Air to replace my MacBook. Is the My Book and the Air compatible?
- Asked by Sage M from Beaverton
- Dec 27, 2011
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AnswerYes, as long as there is a USB port
- Answered by Bryce K from Ewa Beach
- Jun 15, 2012
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can i backup my old mac and make my new mac have everything that i had on my old mac??
- Asked by Ryan L from Stuart
- Mar 27, 2010
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Best AnswerFor moving to a new Mac, it's really easy to use the Migration Assistant that is included with the Mac OS. The system automatically moves all of your stuff to the new computer, and leaves it intact on the old one.
This is a much simpler approach than moving stuff to an external hard drive. Use the external drive for backups with Time Machine, and for extra storage capacity.- Answered by John S from Golden
- May 9, 2010
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can I use this as a time capsule backup device for 2 separate mac laptops I use?
- Asked by Andrew P from Mount Pleasant
- Nov 16, 2009
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Best AnswerYes, but it can only be plugged into one at a time. You can plug it into one laptop, back it up with Time Machine, then plug it into the other and back that one up with Time Machine; the two machines' backups will be in different files on the drive and won't overwrite each other.
- Answered by Matt H from Reston
- Dec 17, 2009
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can i store and play my video games (such as the sims 3) on this hardrive
- Asked by Edward T from Hardy
- Feb 21, 2010
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replacement power cord?
i lost the power cord for this. when i went to buy a replacement i was asked what the amps and voltage are? nobody could tell me. any help much appreciated!
- Asked by Andrew M from Bronte
- Jan 18, 2011
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Is this device works with an earlier iBook laptop??? with a 10.4.11 version??? and if i will ask for shipping, is it still free to be ship in Asia???
Please answer it. . . I need those info before I buy it. thanks. .
- Asked by Germie L from Taguig
- Apr 14, 2010
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Can I access WD mybook via Apple TV running itunes at the same time, ie do I need my computer to be on as well for this to work?
- Asked by A D from Brisbane
- Aug 9, 2011
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The SmartWare software has been widely criticized in the blogosphere. Any problems from users here?
- Asked by Bill C from Adelaide
- Mar 23, 2010
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What is the best way to save files and data for easy retrieval from My Book?
I have a MacBook Pro, hard disk alomost full, would like to be able to see iPhoto Events just like I see from hard drive.
Can I store email to the MY Book?- Asked by Suzanne R from Elkhorn
- Dec 10, 2009
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Best AnswerI do two different things... and in no specific order or anything...
1) If I don't happen to have my portable hard drive with me (ex. if I bring it to a cafe, friend's house, or library), I would just save my files regularly onto my MacBook (ex. in my Documents, Pictures, Desktop, etc.). Later, when I get a chance to get my hard drive, I connect it to my MacBook and use the TimeMachine to transfer the files onto the hard drive.
2) If my hard drive is connected with my MacBook already (ex. if I am at home), then I would save my files and pictures and such directly onto the hard drive.
So, to me, saving files and data for easy retrieval is via the hard drive...
as for saving email on your hard drive,
~ if you are talking about Microsoft Entourage, I am not positive if you can save them or not.
~ if you are talking about your email via the internet/Safari, you cannot save that onto a hard drive. All of that stays on the web! However, I'm 90% sure that you can save your Cookies, Favorites, Top Sites, etc. on the hard drive as well.
Good Luck! ^_^- Answered by Laila M
- Mar 28, 2010
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My 2TB WD My Book is nearly full of movies, can i daisy chain it (if so, how?) to another or do I have to use another USB port on the iMac?
What I am trying to ask is that because it only has one USB port in the back, would I need to use the second WD My Book independently and so use up another (and last) of the USB ports in the back of my iMac.
Another question is would a USB hub be suitable to run more that one external hard drive?- Asked by Stephen B
- Apr 7, 2010
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AnswerThere is only one USB port on the back of this external drive.
So in theory, you could purchase a usb hub that has a power supply (that is important, otherwise the speeds would be horrible).
plug the powered usb hub into the usb port on the mac, and then attach your external HD(s) to the usb hub.
Hope that helps.- Answered by Jason M from Toronto
- Aug 27, 2010
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