As a backup, it works just fine, with the LEDs blinking to tell you when it's actively reading/writing. You can map an automatic backup program like Norton Ghost (8.x or later at least) to write directly to the drive, or you can simply drag-n-drop your backups through Windows Explorer or your GUI of choice. As an always-attached, always-on drive, it will go into sleep mode and stop spinning the drive after being idle for several minutes to cut down on both power consumption and heat output.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with the MyBook. The price, performance, and reliability have been spot-on in the time I've had it. The size, speed, and form factor (it really is the size of a book, and weighs just under three pounds) make it ideal as a desktop staple or something to use to take your files with you. You could even disconnect it and lock it in a safe if you wanted. If you've been holding off on making those all-important backups of your priceless photos and music files, or need to keep a copy of business records or presentation files with you at all times and you don't want to sacrifice capacity and performance, the MyBook is a solid choice all around.