EU ruling (which is now law in almost all EU countries) is that a product must be sold with a minimum 2 year warranty.

So if you buy from newit then you get a 2 year warranty - despite what their website states.

My sheevaplug has suffered the same fate, and I have NEVER used an unpowered usb hard drive on it. It had been running 24x7 with an unpowered USB hub + 3 powered usb hard drives.

3 people I know bought sheevaplugs at the same time and 2 of their power supplies died within a week of each other. So don't be surprised if yours also goes pop...

On a positive note it looks like there is currently a 100% success rate at using a replacement power supply to get the plugs working again.