[lagerstarfish]

Just make sure you put it somewhere sensible when using it - getting a really long usb lead has been a good way for me to leave the drive in a safe place while having the laptop on, well... my lap.

[slackline]

Just make sure you put it somewhere sensible when using it - getting a really long usb lead has been a good way for me to leave the drive in a safe place while having the laptop on, well... my lap.

But in this case the WD Passprort drives get their power from the USB cable, and if its too long there won't be enough power reaching it for it to work.

[lagerstarfish]

I'm talking 3m. How long does a usb cable have to be to be too long to supply power?

[magpie]

Fear not men folk, I'll just buy and use a short cable (I'm going to come back and ask about buying cables soon  ) and sit it right beside me or also on my knee, I have big knees.

[Adam Lincoln]

Fear not men folk, I'll just buy and use a short cable (I'm going to come back and ask about buying cables soon  ) and sit it right beside me or also on my knee, I have big knees.

The WD's come with a smallish USB cable.....

[slackline]

I'm talking 3m. How long does a usb cable have to be to be too long to supply power?

It depends on the demands of the thing (in this case the WD Passport) requires, but the base amount that can be supplied by a USB is limited and degrades over the length of the cable due to the innate resistance of the cable, so the power is lost over the length of the cable.

The WD should have come with an appropriate cable though.

[magpie]

No need to buy a cable, good.