I just bought a WD My Book & I am wondering if there is any reason, or is it necessary, to format it to NTFS? I read articles on their support page, but I would like some user recommendations as well. I plan on imaging then doing incremental backups & I may also buy/add a Macintosh to my setup at a later date.

The info on their site says plug it in and turn it on and it's ready to use.

I don't know what format it comes in, but it does come with a manual that should help. FAT32 can be a problem because of the size of the drive.

My My Book (Essential Edition) came in FAT32 and remains that way. Recently, while posting on another thread I found out that it's recommended to format to NTFS deep down inside the directions (but I don't read the directions - so I didn't notice it).

The only issues are security and the FAT32 file size limit.
1) Security - I don't keep anything on it that's worth stealing!
2) FAT32 file size limit (~4 gB) - the only large files that I store on it are Acronis True Image images - and they're automatically split by the program, so I don't worry about it.

Would it be a good idea to use NAS backup for home compuitng or would setting it up be more trouble than it's worth? I have a Linksys WRT54G Wireless Broadband Router.

NAS is a great idea for sharing files and backups (I've been beta testing the Windows Home Server which does this). If you're able to do it wirelessly, you can set the server up in an out of the way area and just use it as needed.

OK. I'll look into it. Thanks for all the info.