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(More customer reviews)Received the drive last week from Amazon. Overall, it's a simple solution to backing up data and in my case, storing nearly 10,000 mp3 files (legit) ripped from my CD collection.
Here is where I am having an issue. The drive MUST be formatted for NTFS for any realistic use. This is a general action for any NT and up user. It comes FAT because users of FAT probably have no idea what NTFS is or have a specific requirement for it.
The BIG problem is the actual 320 gigs, which formats down to about 300 gigs. The drive WILL NOT accept more then 105gigs of data before giving the "disk FULL" error. I moved it to my work PC that is also running XP SP2 and it gave me the same error near the identical mark of 105gigs. I just contacted WD customer support and I'll follow up with their recommendations. Obviously, to rule out the >4 GB FAT limit, even if I am using NTFS, there are no files exceeding 100mb.
Something is not right... I will edit and follow up as I get more information.
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Follow-up as promised.
The issue seems to be the way information is handed off to the drive via the OS. The error is generated between the USB driver and the drive itself. The full 300mb are there; it's just hit and miss when doing large transfers. I used Norton optimizer to place all my mp3 files at the end of the drive and the problem seems to have cleared for now (luck?). Maybe it's how and where the incoming data is written to the drive? I don't know. It does seem to be driver related.
Now to discuss WD tech support. In the initial trouble ticket, I clearly stated the problem and wrote very specifically as line items, "The drive was formatted to NTFS" and "No files exceed 4gig and there are no files larger then 100mb". Their reply suggested I format my drive to NTFS because FAT will not support files larger then 4 gig. I wrote them back as per their system instructions. It appears they abandon my ticket since the reply time has been seriously missed.
It's apparent that WD is in the business of selling drives and not supporting them.CCNP/CCDP/CISSP
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Click Here to see more reviews about: Western Digital 320 GB USB/Firewire External Hard Drive with Dual Option Backup
The WD Dual-option Combo Drive with USB 2.0/FireWire interfaces provides instant add-on storage for a PC or Macintosh. It has a USB 2.0 hub with front and rear ports and a convenient front-mounted power button with a Safe Shutdown feature. Dual-option backup buttons let the user choose automatic or on-the-spot backup. With 7200 RPM rotational speed and an 8 MB cache, the WD Dual-option Combo Drive is ideal for backing up valuable data, music, photos, and movies. The horizontally or vertically placed Combo Drive has a Fluid Dynamic Bearing motor for near-silent operation. Dantz Retrospect Express backup software is included.
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