Unused WesternDigital "Passport" 320GB USB exterrnal HD for sale

[Stan Goodman]

On Sunday 20 March 2011 at 23:25:46 (GMT+2) Hetz Ben Hamo 
<hetzbh at gmail.com> wrote:

> I don't get it. The software that it's there is just for backup stuff
> (there are other utils, hard disk icons etc depending on which
> model). You can always use gparted or any other partitioning program
> to erase it, so why do you want to sell it?
> 
> Hetz

I can add a bit to my earlier remarks about this drive.

A while before I posted the offer to sell it, I sent off a message to 
WEsternDigital support, and asked what I could do to make the drive more 
useful in the environment in which I operate. This morning I received a 
reply which I find interesting, despite the obligatory preface: "We do 
not support Linux with this product". The man gave me a link to the PDF 
user manual for the drive; a nice touch, which almost makes up for the 
failure to print it on a slip of paper in the packaging along with the 
drive.

The manual has a chapter about converting the drive to use with Mac 
boxes, how to reformat, and how to opt out of the "smart software". What 
it says one cannot do is avoid the need for a password. I am rethinking 
my offer of sale, reformating, and giving the  "smart software" the deep 
six. If the hidden partitions won't bother me, I can pretend that they 
aren't there.

If you want to see the user manual, it is at 
<http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705020.pdf>.
 
-- 
Stan Goodman
Qiryat Tiv'on
Israel