Firmware update process takes forever

Hi people,

I have a My Passport Essentials drive, which I’m trying to upgrade using the instructions provided here:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5460/~/updating-firmware-on-a-my-book-or-my-passport

I pass all the steps correctly, and get to STEP 9. The updater seems to be working. It says “Updating”, and there’s a progress bar moving.

It correctly recognizes my drive:

My Passport Essential (D:) SN:  v2.011

But I’ve waited up to two hours and it never finishes updating.

I’ve tried the procedure on three different computers (Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows Vista), but the result is always the same.

What can I do?

Make sure all security software is disabled before trying the update, however IMHO I never update a firmware, unless there are fixes and new features on it.