Vista 64-bit External Hard Drve

C

ckoeppel

New Member
I am looking for an 1TB external hard drive that is compatible with Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit operating systems. We have 3 laptops in our office that we would like to back up using an external hard drive. I contacted Western Digital regarding their My Book World Edition, but the salesman I spoke with said it wasn't compatible with our operating systems. I also contacted Seagate for their recommendations, and unfortunately, they didn't have any.

Can someome please share any recommendations they might have for us?

Thanks in advance.

Cindy
 

My Computer

System One

Not compatible with an OS???

Did they tell you exactly *how* it is not compatible? Because, (and especially if it is USB) it is plug and play - there should not be a compatibility issue....

Of course, you could buy yourself the components and make one yourself - buy a SATA HD enclosure and then buy yourself a 1 TB SATA HD - et voila!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
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    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
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    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
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    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
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    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
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    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
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    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
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    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
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    Lenovo
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    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Thank you for your response. Considering what you posted regarding the fact that there isn't a compatibility issue with a plug and play, would the following external hard drive work in our particular situation?

My Book Essential Edition 1 TB Hard Drives ( WDH1U10000 )

It says that it is Vista compatible, but when I called, they said the drivers for this hard drive isn't compatible with 64-bit.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Cindy
 

My Computer

System One

johngalt said:
Of course, you could buy yourself the components and make one yourself - buy a SATA HD enclosure and then buy yourself a 1 TB SATA HD - et voila!
Click to expand...

this is exactly what Im planning to do. Just ordered the Thermaltake Muse enclosure and will put a Samsung 1Tb drive in it.

It be very surprised if there are issues with any hard disk.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Self built
    CPU
    Intel E8400 3GHz
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    Intel DX48BT2
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    Kingston PC3-10666 4Gb
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    XFX 9800 GTX XXX
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    Soundblaster X-Fi XtremeMusic
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x Samsung SM-T220HD 22"
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050 on two monitors
    Hard Drives
    WD Raptor X/150Gb in RAID0
    WD Raptor 36gb
    3x Samsung F1 1Tb
    PSU
    Thermaltake ToughPower 850w
    Case
    Thermaltake Armor
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    Tuniq Tower 120
    Keyboard
    Dell Multimedia Enhanced USB
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    Razer Diamondback 3G
    Internet Speed
    8128/832
    Other Info
    Thermaltake Muse esata caddy
You know, it is really strange that they say it is not Vista x64 compatible, when on WD Support > Downloads > My Book > My Book Essential Edition it *clearly* states
This installer - WDDriveManager_x64.exe or WDDriveManager_x86.exe (contained in the zip file) installs the Drive related light, button, and RAID Manager functionality program for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista.
Click to expand...

I think you should contact them again and talk to someone in technical support - and perhaps read some reviews of this on the web, in particular to folks who already use this product with Vista x64.

Honestly, I can see the problem if it was not a driver but software, such as their DataLife tools or something else, that would be causing the problem, but it seems highly unlikely that they would be including a 64bit version of that tool if it were not 64bit compatible.

Mind you, I am not saying you're at fault in this at all - you're just the messenger, telling me what they said - and I am calling them out right now for what seems to be, superficially, as an utter lack of product knowledge.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
ckoeppel said:
Thank you for your response. Considering what you posted regarding the fact that there isn't a compatibility issue with a plug and play, would the following external hard drive work in our particular situation?

My Book Essential Edition 1 TB Hard Drives ( WDH1U10000 )

It says that it is Vista compatible, but when I called, they said the drivers for this hard drive isn't compatible with 64-bit.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Cindy
Click to expand...

Not true...it works with my system flawlessly...

WD External HD's a awesome HD,

I'm planning to buy another WD 750GB within a week...

so,just go for it...really

~Peace~
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    XPS 720 RED
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    Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX9650(Penryn Yorkfield) ([email protected])
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    8GB OCZ Reaper PC2-8500 Ver.3@1066MHz
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    EVGA GeForce® GTX 295 Plus w/Backplate OC@ 670c/1246m/1500s
    Sound Card
    Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeGamer (D) Sound Card
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    Dell Ultrasharp 27" WFP LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    500GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache with Thermaltake HDD cooler ~
    Western Digital 1TB X (5) / 750GB USB 2.0 My Book Essential Edition 2.0 External Hard Drive
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    1,000W
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    XPS 720 Sliver w/ X-View Clear Side Panel
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    Logitech® diNovo Edge™
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    Logitech® MX™ Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse
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    15MB~D/2MB~U
    Other Info
    Logitech® Z-5500 THX-Certified 505-Watt 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System ~

    D-Link DGL-4500 Xtreme N Gaming Router ~

    Scythe KAMA-METER 5.25 inch Bay Multi-Function Panel Controller ~
Hey ckoeppel...Check tis out.

Newegg.com - 800GB and higher, Western Digital, External Hard Drives, Hard Drives, Computer Hardware

WHoever told you it would not work with Vista is wrong. I've setup lots of these with Vista, both x86 and x64.

Heres a tip. Dont worry about a thing, all you gotta do is plug it in. Thats it.

In Vista it just takes off. X86 or X64 it dosent matter.

And use your own backup software. There is some included with the drive. I dont use it. Personaly I format it to NTFS first thing and then I use Acronis and the backup software you like.

Good choice of drive to. They arent the fastest and watch out for heat. A hot drive(really hot, some heat is normal) usally needs to be replaced.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    My Ever Changing Whim!
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad 9650
    Motherboard
    Intel DQ35JO
    Memory
    6GB Corsair DDR2 800
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS 9800GT Ultimate
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    19 inch Sceptre 19 inch Acer
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    1 320GB Seagate SATA
    1 250GB Western Digital SATA
    1 200GB Maxtor SATA
    2x160GB Western Digitals SATA
    1 320GB Seagate External
    1 120GB Western Digital External
    1 80GB Westen Digital External
    1 4GB Crucial Flash Drive for Ready Boost
    PSU
    600watt Fortron Source
    Case
    Antec
    Cooling
    Fresh Air
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Ergonamic 4000
    Mouse
    Razer Diamondback
    Other Info
    My main rig runs Vista Ultimate or Server 2008. Depending on which Acronis image I decide to load.
Enjoy the drive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Yah...I'll throw my hat in this ring too and tell you to "GO 4 IT!!!"

A new drive that won't work with an OS????
Whoever told you that surely didn't know what the He!! they were talking about. The drive is simply magnetic media and as long as the data interface is supported, the firmware is recognized, and the geometry of the drive (tracks, heads, cylinders) is correctly recognized the drive will work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Personal Build
    CPU
    Intel E6750 Core 2 Duo
    Motherboard
    Asus Commando MoBo (P965/ICH8R)
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    4G's Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2 PC26400 RAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    BFG 8800GTS OC2 320MB
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Platinum FATAL1TY (next)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x 22" w2207 LCD Monitors
    Screen Resolution
    1- 1680 x 1050, 1 - 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    3 x 500G SATA II WD Caviar HDD's
    PSU
    EnerMax NoiseTaker II 600W
    Case
    NZXT Lexa Classic (modified, dual doored & windowed)
    Cooling
    Zalman 9700 CPU cooler, 4-120mm fans, 1-90mm
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical Trackman trackball
    Other Info
    NZXT Lexa Classic Case, Zalman 9700 CPU Cooler, 2 DVD Burners c/w LightScribe (Sony, TSST), Enermax NoiseTaker II 600W PSU with Custom Chrome cable sleeving, Hauppauge HDTV TV Tuner Card, 5.1 Logitech Z5500 speakers, 15 in 1 Multi-card reader
I beleive it is the software that folks have a problem with - these drives are meant to be one stop drops for backups and such, using buttons to initiate a backup process.

If you use it as a manual repository as I do, then it is not a major hassle - but if you try to install the software and it is not x64 compliant then you run into all sorts of hassles.

Plus, not all users are savvy enough to use the external drive as an actual external drive....
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
I am brand new to vista 64 and am having the same problem with external hard drives. I plugged in a western digital drive via fire wire and the software for it would not open. I called technical support and they repeated they do not support 64 bit versions of Vista. So I removed the drive and software and tried a Maxtor Onetouch 4 drive. It installed and seems to run fine and I can see it on my computer and connected it via USB.

To confirm I called Maxtor tech support and they told me they also do NOT support vista 64 bit and while it works now it will become unstable and start getting various errors? I am not interested in building a drive but want one that works any advise for a newbee?
 

My Computer

System One

I have the same issue tested multiple WD drives. from this and other forums i think it may be a 2 fold issue maybe three. 1) Power isn't high enough 2) not compatible with 64bit because the disc is preformatted with fat32. 3) You have a Dell like me and they are software package tards... whats worse is if you are like me with a laptop you will get the bounce around because the manufacturer of the laptop is the responsible party for software issues. Since it is Dell in my case they don't care cause they have my money already and I am outside of my return it period.
 

My Computer

System One

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