Disable/Remove 'SES Device...' at firmware level

Hello everyone, cheers :slight_smile:

Title says it all. Just wanted a good storage to be used on many systems, no hassles, no drivers installations.

Drive is a My Passport Essential SE 1TB.

Kind regards

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So… you paid extra for hardware encryption, and then you want the encryption functionality disabled in the firmware??

Why not just buy one of the cheaper drives without encryption?

If encryption means an extra device driver to install on every system, or any other hassle, I don’t want it. Seems that I’m not the only one, too.

Sorry if this was asked before, but I see people mention VCD partition, not the extra device detected.

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The SES driver is what’s needed to enable the encryption.

KB Article What is the SES driver, why is it needed, and how to get the driver popup to stop?:

Cause:
Your new Western Digital My Passport/My Book hard drive requires a special communications channel (SCSI) between your PC and the drive to enable certain features such as password protection, LED control, and access to the drives label if applicable.


At install, the Windows operating system detects this SCSI communications channel and attempts to install a SCSI Enclosure Services (SES) driver. This driver is only used by your hard drive and is installed by default when you first attach the drive to a computer.


However if you did not install the driver upon first install and chose not to install WD Smartware, Windows will continue to prompt you to install the driver each time you connect the drive to a computer. This will continue to occur unless the SES driver is installed.


Solution:
We recommend that you install the driver by selecting the Install the software automatically option on the popup screen. Windows will automatically find the Windows SES driver online, and the prompting will disappear. This will not affect your operating system negatively in any way.

All the extra features that certain drives have, cause Windows to want/need the SES driver.  The bare drives don’t have any of the features and don’t need the driver.  All password-protection-capable drives need the SES driver to use the password-protection capabilities, along with needing the VCD for housing the bits and pieces for the locker/unlocker – it wouldn’t do much good to have the “unlock.exe” program stored on the locked partition – the drive would be a brick with no way to unlock it.

ok, I thank you.

(but a tool to completely disable this device would be nice) :wink:

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I have the same issue as the original poster. I got this drive as a gift so I did not buy it knowing that it has an unremoveable encryption software and a virtual CD drive that mounts itself.

It seems there is a way to hide it, though. I tried to hide it using the instructions in this WD Webpage link: http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/utilitiesstep1.asp?id=wdfMP_Essential&os=win

I have been able to update the firmware (Step 1), but when I do Step 2 (Download and Run the VCD Manager), it can not detect the drive even if I have already ejected it after updating the firmware, waited 10 seconds, and then plugged it back again in my computer. Also, the files stored in it can be accessed fine.

Is there another way to remove the virtual CD drive and other WD software in the disk, if not, what about a way to configure Windows to ignore the virtual CD drive and other software and do not attemp to auto-mount or auto-run them?

We are in the year 2011 and still people are complaining about permanent VCD partition, SES drivers etc.

It seems that WD still does not inform adequately customers about these “extra features” BEFORE THEY BUY the product.

So many complains about the same issue for more than a year !

I read your explanation of the SES driver. I don’t need the drive to secure my data. I do like the HDD LED. So I disabled the SES driver in Windows 7 device manager and copied a file to the drive. The LED functioned normally. Also I was still able to change the Drive label. So why not give an option to disable the SES? Than everyone in happy.

I need to boot from the drive, but the bios doesn’t recognize it and I think it’s caused by the SES (the drive is 1TB USB3 My passport essential and it doesn’t have VCD)

I think that you should be able to use the drive as a simple external HDD or you should be informed that you can’t use it as a simple external HDD.

I have 12 days to return the drive to the shop, and i’d like to know if I will be able to disable SES or not.

I like the drive and it would be a shame to return it.

I have the same drive and I completely agree,  I am informed that you CANNOT boot from a drive that has the VCD firmware.  Also another post said that Western Digital has NO intention of releasing a firmware update that will actually disable the VCD firmware as opposed to just hiding it from Windows.

Seagates don’t have this problem, as I understand it.

The only way WD will respond is if they lose sales.  So get on outside blogs and relate your experience.  I have already e-mailed all my friends about my experience and suggested they look at Seagates.

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I got tired of asking WD to remove the permanent VCD partition , SES Device etc. , so the next 2 external drives I bought were from another brand.

If you need a “plain” drive just return the one you already have AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

There are a plain drives Element and My Books without Smartware.

Joe

But WD is not interested to make Elements as small as 1TB My Passports. Others do have larger drives in smaller packages and they don’t insist of installing SES drivers.

Most of the people choose My Passport not because of they have drive security, but for the smaller package.

Let me add a couple of other points against the Elements line.

They come with a one year warranty vs the two years on both the Passport and Seagate’s models.

I have not seen an Elements portable on a store shelf.  I personally dislike ordering things to be shipped.

Although not useful to me at the moment, the Elements line doesn’t have USB 3 capability.

Finally, the Elements line has less discounting, so that it is usually more expensive.

Knowing what I know now, if the Elements line had the same form factor, on the store shelf, had the same specs but without the Smartware or encryption, and cheaper, I would grab it in a heartbeat.

Agreed. This is a good way to spread the message. Does anyone want to suggest a good phrase that could fit well within Twitter’s character limit?

RoofingGuy wrote:

So… you paid extra for hardware encryption, and then you want the encryption functionality disabled in the firmware??

 

Why not just buy one of the cheaper drives without encryption?

    • *Hi RoofingGuy – While I presume, from your POV, that you were being helpful, there was a direct question asked, and whether he paid for, wants encryption or not, is not relevant to his question. You are, in fact, dismissing someone’s legitimate concerns, which is only self-serving your need to say what you would do if it were you in his place. Quite selfish.

I had a blue-screen shortly after I got this drive. I did not install VCD or other backup software, however, the SES driver was installed automatically when I first used it.  :frowning:

I updated the driver from the WD site, but the next day, I got another blue-screen.

Finally, I disabled the SES drivers in the device manager and so-far have not had another crash (it’s been a couple days now).

The SES driver seems to stay disabled over reboots etc.

I will post again if I think this was not a final fix.

  • Greg

System: Windows 7, SP1 64bit, Dell Optiplex 780, 12GB RAM

Drive: My Passport, WDBACX0010BBK-00

MarkAtHome wrote:
Hi RoofingGuy – While I presume, from your POV, that you were being helpful

Actually, I wasn’t trying to be.

But let’s face it, paying extra for encryption, when WD sells drives without the encryption – they’re right next to them on the shelf and they cost less – and then complaining that you don’t want it and you would like it removed, is just like paying extra for an automatic transmission, and then complaining to the manufacturer that they should remove automatic transmissions from all future models because you don’t want them and don’t want to pay more for them.

It’s up to the consumer to buy what they’re looking for.  It’s not up to WD, or anyone else, to hold the consumer’s hand and make sure they pick out something appropriate and don’t buy something not suited to them.

there was a direct question asked, and whether he paid for, wants encryption or not, is not relevant to his question. You are, in fact, dismissing someone’s legitimate concerns

How is it a “legitimate concern” that the OP wanted the SES removed from the drives that _ REQUIRE _ it??  Especially when the drives that do not require it, don’t come with it (and are cheaper).  There was no question… just a request for WD to remove something that is necessary for the drive’s full operation – something that other WD drives don’t come with when they don’t need it.

It’s simple… if you want encryption, you pay extra for encryption, and the encryption scheme uses the SES channel to communicate with the PC… if you don’t want encryption, you can either buy a drive that has it, and then whine that the drive has it, or you can buy a drive that doesn’t have it, and be happy (and pay less for your drive).

But it’s asinine for everyone to keep demanding that WD remove it from certain drives, just because they personally don’t want it, when WD sells drives without it.

Now, if _ EVERY _ WD external came with it, then ya, we should all scream at WD to sell some drives without it, so that the consumer has a choice.

I fail to see how it’s “selfish” to point out how selfish and ridiculous others can be with their own demands, as if they’re the only customer in the world that matters.

Mabkay wrote:> Most of the people choose My Passport not because of they have drive security, but for the smaller package.

Elements: 5.00 x 3.10 x 0.60

Elements SE: 4.43 x 3.06 x 0.77

Passport Essential: 4.10 x 3.20 x 0.60,

Passport Essential SE: 4.30 x 3.20 x 0.60

The original Elements is narrower, and equal in thickness, but a bit longer than the Passport Drives.

The Elements SE is narrower still and more comparable in length, but a bit thicker than the Passport Drives.

We’re not talking about the difference between a Passport and the MyBook line – the Elements sizes are fairly comparable to the Passports, they’re just not as “cool” looking.

But again, it’s that people are _ choosing _ the Passport… and then complaining.  They could just as easily live with a drive that’s narrower but the width of your thumb longer… they’re just choosing to buy the Passport instead.

RoofingGuy wrote:

 


MarkAtHome wrote:
Hi RoofingGuy – While I presume, from your POV, that you were being helpful


 

Actually, I wasn’t trying to be…

    • *QED. Thanks, it saved me a lot of typing.