Product Summary. The Western Digital Passport portable hard drive is a self-powered external USB shirt-pocket size hard drive available in 120, 160, 250, and 320 GB storage capacities. These drives are available from the Resources for Life.com online Amazon store.
Problem Summary. When used on some older computers, such as the Apple PowerBook G4 notebook computer, the drive will not have sufficient power to spin up. Some external hard drives include a power adapter, or a jack for an independent power source for the drive. The Western Digital drive does not include an adapter and has no means to independently power the drive.
Problem Solution. An independently powered USB hub should provide sufficient power for the Western Digital Passport hard drive to operate. The Rocketfish 4-port USB hub is known to work with the Western Digital Passport drives. Various brands and models of USB Hubs are available from the Resources for Life.com online Amazon store. However, it is important to make sure that a hub being purchased includes an AC Power Adapter, such as the D-Link, or Kensington PocketHub (a very nice, small unit). Most USB hubs are capable of operating without an external power source, but this requires sufficient power from the computer through the USB. So, external power is recommended.