Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased the 1tb Elements (WDBAAU0010HBK-NESN) for use with a Dish DVR 622. Installation was was truly "plug and play". I simply took it out of the box, plugged it in, and it was immediately recognized by the DVR. I have since transferred about 200gb of content to/from it, and have watched content directly from the drive. So far, it is working perfectly. It automatically spins down after a few minutes of non-use, as well as when the DVR is powered off. It also spins back up automatically (less than 10 seconds) when the DVR accesses it. One thing some people might not like: The case is designed to sit flat (as pictured), not on its side. There are four small non-skid pads on the bottom corners, but none on either side. There is no indication on the box, in the documentation, or on Western Digital's web site as to whether the drive will work properly on edge. As a general rule, WD drives are designed to operate sideways or even upside down (any X,Y,Z orientation), so this one probably will too -- but you'll need to provide your own non-skid pads. Several similar Western Digital drives, such as the late model "My Book" series, now include a firmware-based CD-partition that is difficult to remove, and can cause compatibility issues with some devices. That partition contains backup software and utilities that are of questionable value in any case, and of absolutely no value when using the drive with a non-computer device (like the Dish DVR). The Elements -- at least at time of this review -- doesn't include any of that junk. (Note: WD does have a downloadable utility to remove the partition from the other drives, but if you don't want that junk then save yourself the time/trouble and just buy the Elements drive.) *** UPDATE 8-24-2013 *** Still using this WD Elements 1TB on my Dish DVR-622. I purchased in in December 2009, so it has been connected 24x7, getting regular usage for archiving and watching programs, for 45 months now! Still working perfectly. *** UPDATE 11-10-2014 *** Well, it has been another year -- and this WD Elements 1TB drive just keeps humming along. Still connected to my DVR-622, still connected 24x7 (note: It does correctly "spin down" when not in use and "spin up" when accessed), and still working perfectly!