who have made the rubbish 
it does not work on windows7 64bit fix SmartWare so it can be used on windows 7 thx 
I’m on Win 7 64-bit. I’m a software developer, and provide tech support for the products I develope, so, I consider myself to know a little bit about troubleshooting PC and software problems.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I got Smartware 2.0.0 installed and the initial backup completed. Any files created or modified while the Passport drive is plugged in are immediately backed up. But if I unplug the drive, create and modify files, then plug the drive back in, the automatic backup of those files never happens.
I’ve done all the usual things like uninstalling, reinstalling, rebooting, restarting the WD services, redoing the backup from scratch, etc. When I gave up, I contacted support. The level 1 tech told me to do the things I’d already done. Because that failed I was referred to level 2 support. The answer seems to be the software’s just not going to work on my computer.
So I’m sticking with the third-party app I’ve been using for years (SyncBack). It’ll automatically run when I plug in the drive, does versioning on only the directories I need that on, and most important - it actually works.
WD makes great drives. All my externals are WD. And my media server is the WDTVLiveHub, which I love. But WD software - not so great so far.
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After removing all Smartware from my PC due to my disgust with system resource utilization and lack of having Windows 7 sleepmode capability due to continual backup, I noticed 2.0.0 is now available and decided to give it a shot. I was amazed to find that many of my suggestions to tech support were implemented! We now have the capability to either do continuous backup or we can set time and dates to do a backup. I was amazed to find that if you set a backup for nightime for everyday of the week, that system resources finally run at zero when not doing a backup. My CPU thanks you! Also, I can finally schedule Windows 7 64 bit pro to do windows sleep mode and my system will actually go to sleep as long as I do not set Smartware for continuous backup. It was a long time coming but I wanted to say thank you for finally releasing version 2.0.0.
I think the thing that concerned me was that 2.0.0.3 seemed to cordon off the prior backups as if they were made by some other application. That left me with a paltry 232G to provide backup space for what’s currently occupying over 900G in the “other files”.
On top of that, the calculations made by 2.0.0.3 of how much space was currently sequestered were crazy - usually of the order of 4T or more, on a drive that’s just 1T in size…
In addition, the Passport drive is listed in 2.0.0.3 but -appropriately - isn’t in 1.6.5.3. True, if you try to include the Passport drive as a drive to be backed up, there is a warning message that the source and destination are on the same drive - but it shouldn’t even appear in the drive list.
I did see that it was possible to individually select in turn each drive to be backed up (although it’s not clear that they are all being backed up simultaneously), but in each case not only was the prior backup space sequestered, it was such a palaver to have to keep switching between Home and Backup in order to choose drives. Not an improvement, IMHO.
The rollback wasn’t completely straightforward. 2.0.0.3 lists no less than three entries in Add/Remove Programs under XP Pro SP3 + all patches, and it’s not clear which one is the right one to start removal with. The three are WD Quickview, WD Smartware, and confusingly WD Smartware Installer (!).
I chose to begin removal with the Installer, and while that seemed to go OK, the other two reported errors (“This action [removal] is only valid for products that are currently installed”), yet still ultimately disappeared from the list of Programs in Add/Remove Programs.
I’ve done this twice now, to exclude an effect that seems to have been an artefact (namely, the deletion of javacpl.cpl, which makes accessing the Java Control Panel entry impossible if it’s missing). I’m not sure why the Java CPL was deleted, but it doesn’t look as though WD software was at fault there (it may have been a bizarre side effect of installing 7_21 around the same period of time).
During this period the Passport drive froze again (as described under another thread for 1.6.5.3), but this time I couldn’t be bothered to go through the power cycle and simply unplugged the USB connector for the Passport and then reinserted it (which is supposed to be OK, right? USB2 et seq are meant to be hot-swappable, right?), which allowed the ongoing backup to apparently resume OK.
Someone else commented that they liked WD hardware, but software - not so much. I second that (for now).
Sorry for the slow response - I didn’t receive a notification of your reply, and it was only by chance that I came across it today.
Sorry to report that after downloading and installing 2.0.0 today for my Win 7 64bit machine the computer still experience the “no sleep” issue that plaugued releses 1.6 and later. 1.5.x is not a problem in this regard, and I hope I do not have to go back to that version (again). It is too bad becuase I like the new features and speed in 2.0.0
Is there a fix on the way for the ongoing sleep problem?
Based on other people’s comments about the latest version I “updated” today expecting this to have solved the Win7 sleep problem. I then stopped the continuous back up with great expectations and waited. Problem not solved. Computer did not sleep.
I had been in an email exchange with WD support about this issue when using 1.6.5 but then they simply did not reply any more - coincidentally immediately before the launch of version 2.0.0
I emailed “support” asking them to escalate the issue on 15th April - no reply. My follow up email to “support” asking them to respond was sent on 25 April. No reply.
I shall try again but rapidly losing any faith in Smartware and WD Support.
We released version 2.0.1 today. However, we are keeping this thread open, since it was a minor update.
SmartWare 2.0.1 Update
- Added capability to select a specific currency when purchasing WD SmartWare Pro.
the installer for 2.0.1.2 (x64) requires priviliges to install the WD Drive Manager service (WDDriveService).
Even when I run the installer as administrator, this step fails.
I believe my corporate IT department uses group policy to restrict this priv, but am checking on this.
Are there any alternatives? I have no smartware on my system as a result of the upgrade (and resultant rollback due to the install failure.)
To get windows 7 64bit to run its sleepmode, I had to uncheck “continuous backup” and select a time and date. I picked every day of the week at 1:00 AM and my system now goes to sleep and wakes up for the “scheduled backup” System resources also are showing zero utilization from WD software when not doing the backup at 1:00 AM each day.
To Magosa’s comment, I wanted to reply. You can’t just desellect running continuous backup. I believe you have to go in and pick a date and a time to run the backup and then hopefully your system will go to sleep until the time you schedule. I picked everyday of the week at 1:00 AM and my system now goes to sleep.
@Slash Well I am not sure how I have done it but I seem to have succeeded in getting automatic sleeping with Win7 without disabling the backup! Result!
I did change the WD sleep setting to the same as the Win 7 sleep setting - maybe that was it - anyway I am happy that it is working.
I am not happy that WD Support does not even have the courtesy to reply.
@ magosa - can you explain better “I did change the WD sleep setting to the same as the Win 7 sleep setting”?
Thanks
nickjack43 wrote:
I have checked and I have the correct firmware for my Passport. I’m at software level 1.2.0.8 and the home screen says I should download 2.0. I’ve done that and run the installer. It finishes, but after restarting my PC and starting Smartware, it says I’m still at 1.2.0.8 I’ve tried it (5) times and the same thing happens.
Anybody got any ideas?
I had the same problem. First make sure you have the latest support programs, Java, Microsoft.NET Framework 4 Client Profile and Extended and Adobe Flash Player. Uninstall older versions of these programs. If you get an error saying Adobe can’t open the WD Smartware Software, open it with Internet Explorer. That worked for me. Good luck!
I’ve installed this and set it to run continuous backup. I find every few seconds it says it copying files and then saying the backup is complete however there a no new or amended files for it to copy. Does the copying files message mean it is copying files or does it just mean it is scanning?
the new version looks really good compared to some of the older versions like 1.4 and 1.6 which i have just updated from and i like the new features especially the scheduled back up. looks like WD really listened to some of the previous issues.
i have one thing i dont understand, my other backup is showing as 79.4 TB, which is some drive
i’m running xp and a 1 TB drive. it does something similar on the page thats shows my other drive
any ideas ??
HELP !!! ???
activating my good old WD Smartware, it told me a new version was available., so I downloaded and installed it.
However, it now requires that I BUY / activate my account in order to continue to use it ???
What has happened ??? are we now required to pay again for the product we have ???
can someone tell me if I did something wrong?
I tried to uninstall the SW, and run an older version, but now it seems to create yet another full backup of my computer, instead of just adding new files to it.
Any help will be greatly appreciated
Arik
What a bunch of crooks, I’ve been trying to get SmartWare to work for the past year, I’ve been stuck with a username and password dialog box. Bill you your self said you’d keep in contact with me and you didn’t. But I know lets perfect the software and then charge for it. WOW Western Digital’s ability to **bleep** over its customers just never seizes to amaze me.
Hello,
The new version of Smartware does not require you to activate it. There is a normal version that’s free for download and use if you have a drive that had Smartware, and there is the Pro version that does require an activation.
Please see the link below for more information.
How to upgrade WD SmartWare to WD SmartWare Pro
How to roll back WD SmartWare Version 1.6.x and earlier to a previous version
Theagustin wrote:
What a bunch of crooks, I’ve been trying to get SmartWare to work for the past year, I’ve been stuck with a username and password dialog box. Bill you your self said you’d keep in contact with me and you didn’t. But I know lets perfect the software and then charge for it. WOW Western Digital’s ability to **bleep** over its customers just never seizes to amaze me.
Okay, I’m sorry. Obviously, I missed something, here. What was I supposed to contact you about?
Apologies for delay in reply. There is a setting in WD Drive Utilities which allows you to set a sleep timer for the My Passport.
It was that which I set to the same sleep period as the Win7 power settings timer. May just be a fluke.
Incidentally I did get a reply from WD support shortly after my last posting so I am grateful for that.
