Western Digital Hard Drives made to fail.

[Puke]

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/12/western-digital.html

By Rob Beschizza December 06, 2007   
Western Digital's 1TB MyBook external hard drives won't share media files over network connections (UPDATE: Don't install the "required" client software! See workaround below). From the product page:
"Due to unverifiable media license authentication, the most common audio and video file types cannot be shared with different users using WD Anywhere Access."
It doesn't matter what the files are: If you try to share these formats over a network, Western Digital assumes not just that you're a criminal, but that it is its job to police users. You see, MP3, DivX, AVI, WMV and Quicktime files are copy-protected formats.
The list of banned filetypes includes more than thirty extensions. Some of them are bizarre: .IT files are banned — these are Amiga-style music modules composed with Impulse Tracker, a particularly well-loved tracking sequencer that hasn't been updated in almost a decade. I composed with IT myself, back in the day, and still have all my shitty compositions, none of which Western Digital would have me share. (Try MOD vs. Speak&Spell masterpiece Eddie Dreams of Women, if you dare: IT, MP3)
Isn't it cute how the only data it views as worthy of policing are music and movies? These are the only copyrights that matter under corporate monkey law.
It's the most astonishing example of crippled equipment I've ever seen. A DRM'd hard drive! Whatever next? Dreaming meat?
UPDATE: The manual's appendix and online support site provide setup instructions for SAMBA, allowing access over IP instead of with the DRM-infested and poorly-reviewed client app, elsewhere claimed to be "required."
MOAR! Samba not enough? Gut the firmware and install made-to-measure Linux: An entire community of folks is here to help you hack your MyBook: mybookworld.wikidot.com.

[J’raxis 270145]

Why the hell is a hard drive even aware of the filetypes stored on it? I wonder what it'll do if you create an encrypted loopback partition on this thing, with all your "illegal" files inside.

[Puke]

Why the hell is a hard drive even aware of the filetypes stored on it? I wonder what it'll do if you create an encrypted loopback partition on this thing, with all your "illegal" files inside.

It looks like it has to do with some software that they say is required to install, but it isn't.
So I guess you could just format the drive and it should work like normal.
It's a pretty fucking stupid idea.
"For the sake of preventing one or two files being copied illegally you are not allowed to copy any files!"

I'll stick with LaCie HD's.

[KBCraig]

This is a network drive.

I imagine this product is aimed at network administrators who are worried about their school or business getting hammered for illegal file sharing on their network.

[error]

There's a whole embedded computer in there.