I have just bought the My Passport Ultra 2 TB external drive and connected it to my digibox for use as a storage medium.
When the device is in a horizontal position, it creates a somewhat distracting, although not very high-volume, noise when running. The noise consists in continuous humming, whirring, or rasping; not sure which word describes it best. However, when the drive is in a vertical position (that is, resting on one of its narrow edges), it runs silently.
Does this suggest that the noise is caused by resonance and that it disappears when the product is placed and used vertically?
Is the noise that is heard when the drive is placed horizontally normal?
Is it OK in terms of the reliable functioning of the hard drive to operate it in a vertical position?
The hum produced by the device has an unchanging volume and is constant, so it must be normal operating noise.
But I find it interesting that there is a considerable difference in its audibility depending on whether the drive is placed horizontally with the text
“WD
My Passport
ULTRA”
upwards (when the hum is loudest) or in any other position (when the hum is barely audible). There must be some technical reason for this.
Anyway, if vertical placement does not shorten the device’s lifespan, I’ll have to come up with a support that prevents it from falling to a side.
I just got an ultra 3TB and was about to send it back due to the terrible noise and humming. Then I turned it upside down and it sounds almost slient with no hum. How about making the look like the top? Ridiculous design - do they even test these products?
