BlueRabbit282 wrote:
Will WD roll-out a solution if one doesn’t exist?
WD is rather constantly issuing updates to Smartware to try and help with the resource usage. Have you tried a newer (or the newest) version?
I’d like to uninstall the WD SmartWare software but then I lose the ability to do the smart backups and encrypt…
Well, that’s kinda how it is… if you want the continuous backups that Smartware provides, then you need it running constantly as a background task. If you prefer to use a different program to do manual backups, then you can uninstall Smartware.
The drive will be encrypted whether you use Smartware or not, and whether you set a password or not.
But, as I understand it, Smartware isn’t required for locking/unlocking the drive with a password… that’s why the drive has the Unlocker application in the VCD (whether the VCD is called “Smartware” or “Unlocker”). My understanding is that as long as AutioPlay is enabled, so that the Unlocker app will run when you connect the drive, you can continue to use the Password feature without having Smartware installed.
If you have the newer “Unlocker” VCD, it hides itself if you don’t have a password set, appears if you add a password, and hides itself again if you remove the password. If you have the older “Smartware” VCD, then you can’t manually hide the VCD and expect the Unlocker to work… the VCD must be unhidden if you want to password-protect the drive and be able to unlock it to use it.
