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expired Posted by sr71 • Mar 31, 2021
expired Posted by sr71 • Mar 31, 2021

12TB WD My Book Desktop External Hard Drive $190

$190

Newegg
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Model: WD My Book 12TB USB 3.0 External Desktop Hard Drive, Black

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9 Comments

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Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Mar 31, 2021
WingsOfF
Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Given the B&H deal for 12GB WD elements for $180, this deal is pretty much DOA I think (not accounting for the Newegg bots).

https://slickdeals.net/f/14928698-12tb-wd-elements-usb-3-0-external-desktop-hard-drive-179-99-free-shipping-b-h

From what I understand My Book hardware proprietary encrypts data, so drive data not accessible if the electronics fail (except via some hacking layer). Elements doesn't.

So, not sure why anyone should buy it over the Elements unless it is significantly discounted over it.
Mar 31, 2021
2,499 Posts
Joined May 2011
Mar 31, 2021
Guy767
Mar 31, 2021
2,499 Posts
Quote from WingsOfF :

So, not sure why anyone should buy it over the Elements unless it is significantly discounted over it.
The Newegg My Book has a 3 year warranty while the B&H only has 2.

I would choose the 3 year warranty and the drive that has the option of encryption. An extra year of warranty coverage is pretty nice IMO...
Mar 31, 2021
1,413 Posts
Joined Dec 2007
Mar 31, 2021
chazzzer
Mar 31, 2021
1,413 Posts
Quote from WingsOfF :
Given the B&H deal for 12GB WD elements for $180, this deal is pretty much DOA I think (not accounting for the Newegg bots).

https://slickdeals.net/f/14928698-12tb-wd-elements-usb-3-0-external-desktop-hard-drive-179-99-free-shipping-b-h

From what I understand My Book hardware proprietary encrypts data, so drive data not accessible if the electronics fail (except via some hacking layer). Elements doesn't.

So, not sure why anyone should buy it over the Elements unless it is significantly discounted over it.
Some older My Book models did do the encryption in the enclosure, but this model does not. The encryption is done by the drive itself, so the drive can be removed from the enclosure without losing data. (Here is WD's info on external drives and encryption. [wd.com])

The My Book has a three-year warranty vs the Element's two-years, which some might think is worth the $10 difference.

One other difference is that B&H Photo is closed for Passover until Monday, April 5th. If you need a drive shipped this week, go with the My Book from Newegg.

BTW, if you want to shuck a My Book, this is the easiest way [youtube.com].
Last edited by chazzzer March 31, 2021 at 01:29 AM.
Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Mar 31, 2021
WingsOfF
Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Quote from Guy767 :
The Newegg My Book has a 3 year warranty while the B&H only has 2.

I would choose the 3 year warranty and the drive that has the option of encryption. An extra year of warranty coverage is pretty nice IMO...
As far as I know, My Book hardware encryption is forced not optional (it will encrypt even if you don't use a password). This is the problem.

You can use software encryption on all external drives as an option. The only time you need that hardware encryption is that you are worried about access to it from unauthorized machines especially while traveling with it if not encrypted or the machine doing the software encryption is compromised. But you can find reverse engineered scripts for unencrypting these with the key stored in one of the disk blocks. So, this is really not a fool-proof solution for the paranoid scenario.

Possible use cases, for sure, but I would think they are an exception than the norm. Most of these high capacity drives are used for storing media content at home and a small portion of it for home directory backups. Hardware encryption makes a lot more sense for the small capacity external drives you carry around with your laptop.

About the warranty, if the electronics fail OR the disk fails, you can't wipe the disk before sending it back (and whoever has it can always get at the data). So, a lot of people I know wouldn't dream of sending it back under warranty unless it has not totally failed and they can ensure that the disk can be wiped. So, I am not sure, how useful these warranties are in real world scenarios unless you are only keeping data that you don't care if anyone else gets access to it. Two years is more than enough to shake out initial and boundary scenarios for defects.

Seagate external drives are only one year warrantied!

I keep track of SMART data for early detection and phase out use or wait for a threshold for RMA before it completely fails so I can wipe it using a drive's own enhanced security erase.
Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Mar 31, 2021
WingsOfF
Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Quote from chazzzer :
Some older My Book models did do the encryption in the enclosure, but this model does not. The encryption is done by the drive itself, so the drive can be removed from the enclosure without losing data. (Here is WD's info on external drives and encryption. [wd.com])
Interesting. But I am not sure I get the difference. How do you access the data without the enclosure (or sending it back with the data in the drive for enclosure replacement, a no no for many)? Just plug it in? Then anybody who gets access to that drive can do it. If password should not be set to allow this and data can be read without enclosure, then what exactly is the point of that hardware encryption? What use case is it solving?

Quote :
The My Book has a three-year warranty vs the Element's two-years, which some might think is worth the $10 difference.

BTW, if you want to shuck a My Book, this is the easiest way [youtube.com].
Those two statements being incompatible witn each other, no? Smilie
Mar 31, 2021
2,021 Posts
Joined Feb 2008
Mar 31, 2021
stm69
Mar 31, 2021
2,021 Posts
Conflicting info here. Is this schuckable and usable with a NAS or unraid situation?

Same model is on staples, good for 100% PM as well as using this months' rewards.
Mar 31, 2021
2,499 Posts
Joined May 2011
Mar 31, 2021
Guy767
Mar 31, 2021
2,499 Posts
Quote from WingsOfF :
As far as I know, My Book hardware encryption is forced not optional (it will encrypt even if you don't use a password). This is the problem.

About the warranty, if the electronics fail OR the disk fails, you can't wipe the disk before sending it back (and whoever has it can always get at the data). So, a lot of people I know wouldn't dream of sending it back under warranty unless it has not totally failed and they can ensure that the disk can be wiped.
I'm pretty sure the encryption is optional and needs to be activated by software. By default the drive arrives with decryption disabled I'm logically assuming as the description states "...ready to use out of the box...".

As for the warranty, if the drive fails you are forced to send the drive back with all your funky data regardless if it's encrypted or not. Unless I'm missing something, a broken drive is inaccessible and you can't delete/remove anything from it as it is dead.

Overall, I find external drives to be somewhat unreliable and that they have a high failure rate so a 3 year warranty is a big plus for me.

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Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Mar 31, 2021
WingsOfF
Mar 31, 2021
3,657 Posts
Quote from Guy767 :
I'm pretty sure the encryption is optional and needs to be activated by software. By default the drive arrives with decryption disabled I'm logically assuming as the description states "...ready to use out of the box...".

As for the warranty, if the drive fails you are forced to send the drive back with all your funky data regardless if it's encrypted or not. Unless I'm missing something, a broken drive is inaccessible and you can't delete/remove anything from it as it is dead.

Overall, I find external drives to be somewhat unreliable and that they have a high failure rate so a 3 year warranty is a big plus for me.
No, the encryption in these drives is forced and there is no way to disable it. Perhaps you are confusing it with setting a password which is optional. It will hardware encrypt whether you set a password or not.

My point about warranty is that many choose not to send disk drives internal or external for warranty at all unless the drive is still functional enough to be securely erased. So, the warranty beyond early failures may not be relevant in such a case.

Personally, I have never had a unit fail and have lasted far beyond any warranty. But this is all for non-portable use. Lugging it around may have different outcomes.

As I have mentioned before, the encryption and warranty are much more relevant to portable use and is a vestige of the smaller capacity drives used as extension to the tiny capacity of earlier laptops.

YMMV.

I just don't see the rationale for WD producing both the Element and My Book and selling at roughly same price. If they want to take the one extra year warranty overhang, then they are compromising on something else to have same margins.
Mar 31, 2021
2,021 Posts
Joined Feb 2008
Mar 31, 2021
stm69
Mar 31, 2021
2,021 Posts
PM'd a few of these to Staples today for a bunch of fun stacking. PM 110% Pricematch, $10 off $20 in store coupon, rewards, and 10% off staples Amex sync deal.

Really wanted 16 TB drives, but this works out really well per TB.