Mac Mini Help Please!!! - Hard Drive and Time Machine

Hello everyone,
I return once more seeking your support if I may...
I went down to the Genius Bar today, as my Mac Mini was having the multi-colour circle not-responding icon showing an awful lot, and it was struggling to perform simple tasks.
I bought my mac mini 2 years ago (12-Mar-11), and I was told there was an I/O error; and i needed a new hard drive.
I am currently backing up my machine, onto a WD My Passport 500gb.
When a new hard drive is installed by Apple, can I restore my files with my 'My Passport' backup?
I do also store other items on 'My Passport'; does this make a difference when trying to restore my files to my new hard drive?
One more question if I may...
Has anyone here had a new hard drive installed by Apple before, and if so, has the hard drive 'stood the test of time'
Many thanks in advance for your help
James

What utility are you using to backup your drive?
Apple buys hard drives from major manufacturers like Toshiba, Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital. The drives will last as long as any drive you would purchase from them. Some last long and some don't.
Suffice to say the drives carry a specific warranty. That should give you an idea how long the manufacturer thinks it will last on average.
You can restore files from your backup pretty easily in Mountain Lion. If you are using Time Machine then you can actually boot from a Recovery HD image that it places on your backup drive. To boot from it you must connect the backup drive, then restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the Recovery HD and then click on arrow button beneath the icon.

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