some can some can't - 2.5 inch notebook drives can be powered soley thru the USB port when using USB. Larger "desktop" drives require additional power aside from the USB connection. THis may be in the form of external AC power adapter or via power from the computers internal power supply.(in addition if you are using ESATA connection you will require additional power, regardless of hdd dimension/size.)
This one doesn't say it comes with an AC adapter.... do you think it's powered only by the usb cable?
The WD My Book has separate power supply but the WD My Passport and Essentials external HDDs are USB powered. I purchased the essentials (320GB) one first because I wanted it to shut down when device it was connected to (a STB) was powered down. But I needn't have worried because I discovered when I got the My Book (1TB) that although it is powered all the time it only spins up when the connected device comes to life.
“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996
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