After a couple of years of solid use my computer finally broke down. It had slowly grinded to a halt and I needed to seriously format and upgrade.

As I had been using the computer for several years I had files after files that I was desperate to keep, ranging from precious memories in forms or videos and photographs to music albums and personal compositions.

A lot of the work I had to store was infact recordings I have done for previous bands. While a single compressed MP3 that you get on a CD could range between 3-5mb a full multitrack recording of a song can go from 500-700mb. A lot of people do not realise this. If you put the multitrack together and mix it down, to then finally compress it it may get smaller but then you can no longer edit it and have the raw copies if you want to make space. This is why it is best to keep the original.

There are many of these sort of files on my computer you see, including full ablums which are huge in size. This is when I decided I needed to get an external hard drive to backup my work for my format of my computer.

I researched online and always found that Western Digital had some of the best reviews. After searching for the size I decided to look for a terabyte (1000 gigabytes).

This is plenty of space for most peoples needs and was a good size for me at the moment.

When I received the product (for a bargain prize of £55 from PC World) I was not disappointed. It was a small, maybe the size of a small book on a shelf shape with a sleek black finish, which in fact fitted the style of its surroundings on the desk. It can stand up looking smart on the desk and doesnt look out of place.

The speed of the drive is very satisfying. It is USB2.0 making it quick enough for most peoples need. I had it running for serveral hours copying files and it did not at all get hot which was a big concern for me. It is also very quiet and you can hardly tell it was on.

Whilst it is a great product with a nice finish I would warn you that it doesnt seem the sort of drive that will be that durable. I wouldnt reccommend taking it around to different locations but only use it purely as a backup drive in the office. If you wish to get a portable drive I would go for the Freecom Tough Drive. Definately worth a look at.

Overall its a fantastic device which I can see myself getting several more of in the near future for backup purposes.