My HDD is locked and wont unlock

Did you recently update the firmware?

Joe

Didn’t update firmware.  Got it about a month ago and never thought to do it.  Computer won’t recognize the drive now so that’ no longer an option.  Only thing that autoplays is the WD Unlocker, which when run goes straight to the “Too Many Password Attempts” screen.

Sometimes this happens shortly after a firmware upgrade.

Joe

1 Like

Hi, I have a similar problem: can’t unlock a WD Passport Essential that I NEVER LOCKED! Never used any lock or password. While listening to my iTunes music on that disk, the music stopped suddenly, device was locked as I found out. No help so far from any local technician, 10 supporft mails from WD online support keep repeating they have no master password, I need my password… nonsense… Now finally, in this thread, after a lot of forum googling, I might have found a hint: I dont know the term FIRMWARE but I assume it is something like an operating system update? If I remember well (but no 100% guarantee) there WAS a WD update request while I was working (multitasking: music, editing photos, reading online news etc). I THINK I just clicked ok. The message that ‘this sometimes happens after installing new firmware’ gives some hope. Apparently it happens SOMETIMES, because my 2 other (500GB) WD’s have no problem, only my 1TB one. But more important is the ANSWER: how to get rid of the problem? Any help?

I’m havening the same problem with my HD “My Book Essential” for some reason it was locked and my notebook does not recognize the HD , This issue follows another problem I had with this HD : few weeks ago I was forced to format my HD because my computer didn’t read it . My understanding is - never get involved with WD again , but for now - what can I do ?

since yesterday i tried to use my laptop emachines e725

but a blue sing appear it said that i had to enter a input password to unlock the hard drive… please if somebody could tell me the password…

l never put a password to my hard drive i dont know of any password… please help me…!

As far as I can understand, there is no default PW for these drives. Try this, it might help you.

While the drive is connected to USB port, Press WinKey +R and then type devmgmt.msc on the RUN dialogue box. In the Device Manager look for your drive listed under Disk Drives. Right click on the correct disk drive and choose uninstall. Disconnect WD drive from USB port. Now shut down your PC and remove AC cable and battery .

Wait for two minutes and reboot your PC without USB drives connected. Once booting completed, reconnect your drive in to another USB port. 

Now check whether you can access your drive without any PW prompt. If not successful, you may have to contact WD support to get a replacement. If it is new, return the product to the store and get a replacement or a different product.

Is there any guarantee that I don’t loose all my important data when I follow this complicated and unusual sounding procedure? A locked device is bad, deleted or corrupt data is worse. So?

This is not a dangerous procedure… anyway it is always good idea to wait for another opinion.

If the drive is locked, you can try on another PC to open your drive. And again, above mentioned steps does the same.

Just had this problem and fixed it what I did is that even though it said it was locked when I never put a password on it I put a password on it temporary and fallowed these steps making it work:

  1. go to the wd smartware and go to the security and place a password on your my book.

  2. safely remove it from the computer, and unplug it from your computer

  3. plug it back into the computer and place in the password you just made

  4. go back into the security and place the password in again and ask it to take of the password

  5. safely remove from computer, and unplug it from the computer

this should solve it as it did mine but you must make sure you safely remove it from the computer and take out the power supply or else the password will stay.

just an added not from last post, my book still showed has being locked by the blue light but when I plugged it into my wd tv it worked showing that it was unlocked. (before it wouldn’ t work) I think it’s because the LCD is so bright.

Hi,

@Mabkay

Your procedure did not change anything. I had already assumed that, because earlier I already attached the ‘locked’ device to 2 different other computers - with no result.

@East_E:

Maybe you have a different device than my WD Passport Essential 1TB. First of all I don’t have 2 lights, only 1 white one.

And I followed your procedure but it doesnt make sense to me - or I don’t understand your English.

When I connect my device to the computer, and run smartware.exe, it asks for my password. Whatever I type there, it always says: wrong password - even if i leave the box empty.

So how to ‘give’ a temporary password that is accepted? And what you mean with ‘take of the password’?

I don’t understand, sorry. And your additional note is completely unclear to me.

Please clarify…

Thanks

Anyone figure out a solution? I can’t believe how the drive(My Passport Essential) be locked. I have NEVER set any password at all…I was accessing the drive…half way, it stop working…and i can’t accessed anymore. When i disconnect and reconnect again. it said it was locked…This is really driving me crazy ~~~~

Well, add me to this list. I had taken my 2TB Book Essentials to my girlfriend’s house and spent over two days copying many important files, and one by one I copies hundreds/thousands of video games such as “roms” for videogame consoles such as the OLD N64, and older MAME games. It was a lot of work downloading so many games one by one making several clicks per game. But I finally got a large collection of these old obsolete games, of which the copyright holders seem to have no objection too as these games are posted for download on many sites in the U.S.

Anyway once I was about ready to pack and take my hard drive back home the bug known to impact WD HDs using the older software hit me and it has been IMPOSSIBLE to get the 2 TB drive to except any password, it is forcing me to format, but I am holding out, formating is not an answer.

Techs: I have another Book Essentials 2TB of the exact model- Can I open these up and trade just one part into another part and get around the password lock-out??

Thanks.

If you never setup a password then the drive might have become corrupted, you can erase the drive with the following  steps, the information to erase the drive will show under failed login. 

Digital_Freedom wrote:

Techs: I have another Book Essentials 2TB of the exact model- Can I open these up and trade just one part into another part and get around the password lock-out??

The drive is encrypted.  Even if you never set a password, the data on the drive is encrypted.  So, let’s say you pull the drive out of the enclosure and try connecting it to the MOBO of your PC… the drive will show in the BIOS, but it will be unreadable.

The drive needs the decrypting hardware in the enclosure to be usable, whether there’s a password or not.

But one set of decrypting hardware from one enclosure won’t be any different than the encrypting hardware in the other enclosure.  If the drive itself is corrupted, and telling the hardware that it’s password-protected when it shouldn’t be, then it would just tell the other hardware that it was password-protected even if swapping drives amongst enclosures was otherwise feasible.  Changing which hardware the corrputed drive is connected to won’t fix the corruption on the drive itself.

Cant get the prompt to unlock my passport essential. I have been all over the WD website and tried everything that has been suggested. I don’t want to lose what is on there, but even tried to erase with hopes of using an undelete program to get everything back. won’t even erase. Seeing that this seems to be a global issue, I am suprised no fix has been offered.

Believe me: there IS no fix to this issue.

In my high level discussion with the top customer support official of WD they admitted that incidentally some models autolock themselves, and there is no master password or back door available. The device can not be accessed or repaired and the data are lost. In my case a costly professional data recovery service in Singapore tried it, and reported that all files were badly damaged and corrupted. Only due to that autolock or other mistake caused by a WD firmware update.

[deleted]

WimYogya wrote:
Hi, I have a similar problem: can’t unlock a WD Passport Essential that I NEVER LOCKED! Never used any lock or password. While listening to my iTunes music on that disk, the music stopped suddenly, device was locked as I found out. No help so far from any local technician, 10 supporft mails from WD online support keep repeating they have no master password, I need my password… nonsense… Now finally, in this thread, after a lot of forum googling, I might have found a hint: I dont know the term FIRMWARE but I assume it is something like an operating system update? If I remember well (but no 100% guarantee) there WAS a WD update request while I was working (multitasking: music, editing photos, reading online news etc). I THINK I just clicked ok. The message that ‘this sometimes happens after installing new firmware’ gives some hope. Apparently it happens SOMETIMES, because my 2 other (500GB) WD’s have no problem, only my 1TB one. But more important is the ANSWER: how to get rid of the problem? Any help?

@ WimYogya.

It’s funny how your last post doesn’t even match up to your original post.  You quote everything as being our fault, yet you completely overlook what you actually did to destroy your own drive.  Who cares that it reports it being locked as a result.  That’s only one thing that may happen.  Above is your original post over your issue.  You say that the drive stopped while you were listening to your music, or editing photos, or reading online news, because you THINK you clicked okay to doing a firmware update - without knowing or understanding what a firmware update is or does, or can do to your drive, if you don’t follow the proceedures correctly. 

And that’s exactly what you got, a destroyed drive.  Before making us look stupid, maybe you should read what’s required to do a firmware update before you flippantly click an okay button next time.  The link below explains the same things you HAVE to do for any of our drives before doing a firmware update. 

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/firmware.asp?id=wdfMB_Essential&os=WIN

Same problem here! Is there a solution for it??? 

I dont think I have never updated my firmware in my 3 months of usage!