Software Update - WD SmartWare Windows Version 1.5.1.6 (8/16/11)

However one problem remains: I need to remove the “unlock” feature. I made the mistake of setting up a password to unlock Mybook. 

Do I have to format the drive to get rid of the unlock/lock feature? I don’t need it at all. Almost all vestiges of Smartdrive have been removed by WD tech.

thanks,

larryg

Larryg, I think when you install the Smartdrive software there is a install option only to install the administrative stuff, and not the backup part.  That then will at least give you the option to change passwords I know.  Not sure if you can eliminate it.  So I if it allows for no password, then you can uninstall it and hope have a plain USB drive.  I am thinking of doing the same here too. 

It is a shame that a long time hardware manufacturer with a great rep is brought down by a lack of quality control on what is pretty simple software.  And then compounds the issue by not addressing the problem (mabey it will be fixed in not the next release but the one after that).  It is not enough to make good reliable hard drives if you don’t provide the software that makes them work.  Never a WD drive again.

Hi LarryG,

if you look on page15 of the MyBook Essential User Handbook  http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705053.pdf then you will see that there is an option to run the drive without Smartware and (??without the password).

I am still having different problems from everybody else but have had a message from the 7th Cavalry and I hope to be fixed soon.

John

wdfme uses 50%+ cpu all the time, currently it is running 24/7 and causes one of my processors to run at 100% all the time because of other things i use my computer for. memory usage fluctuates but stays around 100K. i use file backup, not category backup.

@Bill_s from a previous thread

"We do actually have a pause button on the software, and we have actually recommended people use it when they need more resources than SmartWare is allowing. "

Where is this pause function?

WDFME & Firefox (my default browser)

  • Why does wdfme get active when I load a browser? I use File backup and do not specify backing up any browser related files except for my downloads folder which is in MyDocuments.
  • When I run Chrome wdfme kicks in for a few seconds, when I exit Chrome wdfme runs for just a little bit.
  • When I run Firefox wefme kicks in and stays at 50+% cpu useage. Period. Even after exiting Firefox! :angry:
  • I use the same download folder for both Chrome and Firefox.

Win 7-64 sp1 w/latest updates

most recent Chrome 15.0.874.120

most recent Firefox 8.0

Smartware 1.5.1.16

george_lol wrote:

@Bill_s from a previous thread

"We do actually have a pause button on the software, and we have actually recommended people use it when they need more resources than SmartWare is allowing. "

 

Where is this pause function?

If you have the latest version of the WD Smartware, just open the WD Smartware, then go to settings, and then setup software, here look for backup speed, just select the option here, "run backup when computer is Idle.

 The problem with this is that the so-called ‘pause button’ does not do that. At least it would not for my case running Windows 7 Ultimate. The software continued using most of my computer’s resources even though I ALWAYS had it set to run ONLY when idle. Not really much of a pause button if the software keeps running at such a highly demanding level. I’d expect a true pause function to run only a trivial routine listening for activity, such as watching the CPU for periods of inactivity of longer than a minute.

Actually, I just checked.  Now, this is for the latest version of SmartWare.  Go to the backup page in SmartWare, and you will find a “Stop Backup” button in the bottom right corner.  When you click on that, it will change into a “Start Backup” button for when you’re ready to restart the backup.

GerardSamija wrote:

 The problem with this is that the so-called ‘pause button’ does not do that. At least it would not for my case running Windows 7 Ultimate. The software continued using most of my computer’s resources even though I ALWAYS had it set to run ONLY when idle. Not really much of a pause button if the software keeps running at such a highly demanding level. I’d expect a true pause function to run only a trivial routine listening for activity, such as watching the CPU for periods of inactivity of longer than a minute.

I would try rebooting the computer to see if it changes that.  But use the Stop Button as well.

Rebooting multiple times did not stop this hyper-consumption of resources in my case, as I was finding that it took a full 10 minutes at least before the software would allow me to start my email client or browser, and after that such simple functionalities as polling for email (using nPOPuk, a very lightweight text-only email client) were taking far too long, often several minutes instead of half a second.

Admittedly I have not tried the latest version of the software. That’s because of my horrible, time-wasting experience in trying to get rid of the version installed a few months ago. It took me several hours to manually dig down into hundreds of sub-folders in the incomplete backup set on the drive, taking ownership of each layer independently as such rights could not be acquired overall, before I was able to delete this backup set which did not offer me any confidence in its veracity. This was after having uninstalled the software, and finding that two services were still running anyway, requiring some acrobatics to get those uninstalled. I will not be re-installing this software in any version as I’ve opted to manually copy folders to external media on my own schedule. Such copying must be remembered regularly to work, but it works, and while copying files to external drives I am free to do any other operations without my netbook being slowed almost to a standstill.

Admittedly, SmartWare still has some issues, which are being worked on; but I’ve never really been satisfied with backup software, in general.  I find myself still just using copy and paste to do my backups.  I do like the idea of continous backups, but they all tend to be resource hogs.  If we can get the resource issue beat, I think SmartWare could end up being one of the better continous backup softwares out there. 

Bill_S wrote:

Admittedly, SmartWare still has some issues, which are being worked on; but I’ve never really been satisfied with backup software, in general.  I find myself still just using copy and paste to do my backups.  I do like the idea of continous backups, but they all tend to be resource hogs.  If we can get the resource issue beat, I think SmartWare could end up being one of the better continous backup softwares out there. 

I have 450+ gigs of data to back up so copy and paste is not an option for me.  Did you see my prior post about Firefox?  When I don’t use Firefox at all and use Chrome instead, I have no issues with Smartware or WDFME.  Unfortunately I prefer Firefox over Chrome and most of what I do on my computer involves the internet.

Windows release 1.5.1.6 (updated 8/16/2011)

It does NOT work!

I have the exact same issue that many others are saying:

partial backup accomplished

I tried a full backup

I tried just 2 files

It could not do either one.

I will be taking this back this weekend.

funny thing is, yesterday Best Buy admitted to me that they sell products

from makers that use Inferior parts. This is why I have been through

3 computers in 5 years, and now software on a backup drive that does

not appear to work correctly. I guess they were right after all.

 This drive is supposed to do automated backups, meaning anything I

put on my computer is backed up automaticlly…thats what the box says,

and that is the main reason I got this, so I could keep my hands off…

and it reads:

“Automatic continuous backup”

Whenever you add or change a file it’s backed up on the spot

Really…I am not seeing that at all…

This thing can not even get past basic software backup issues…

CrapSoftware wrote:

 

funny thing is, yesterday Best Buy admitted to me that they sell products

from makers that use Inferior parts. This is why I have been through

3 computers in 5 years, and now software on a backup drive that does

not appear to work correctly. I guess they were right after all.

 

Wait, are you suggesting that Best Buy admitted that WD sells drives with inferior parts? Come on… :dizzy_face:.

I understand your frustration with WD Smartware, I don’t use the software myself, actually, the best backup software is the manual copy, this avoid a lot of issues. But to state that WD uses inferior parts to make drives is ridiculous, I have a lot of drives, WD, Seagate and others, and I can honestly say that I have not encountered many drive failures. Also, for every user that reports an issue in a forum or a company tech support, there are thousands of users that do not encounter any issue.

cuernudo wrote:


CrapSoftware wrote:

 

funny thing is, yesterday Best Buy admitted to me that they sell products

from makers that use Inferior parts. This is why I have been through

3 computers in 5 years, and now software on a backup drive that does

not appear to work correctly. I guess they were right after all.

 


Wait, are you suggesting that Best Buy admitted that WD sells drives with inferior parts? Come on… :dizzy_face:.

 

I understand your frustration with WD Smartware, I don’t use the software myself, actually, the best backup software is the manual copy, this avoid a lot of issues. But to state that WD uses inferior parts to make drives is ridiculous , I have a lot of drives, WD, Seagate and others, and I can honestly say that I have not encountered many drive failures. Also, for every user that reports an issue in a forum or a company tech support, there are thousands of users that do not encounter any issue.

 

@cuernudo, that was my reaction exactly.  Western Digital makes good drives.  I’ve been using them since the early 80’s when they were they supplier to IBM for the first PC-AT machines.  Over the years, I’ve never had a failure with them. 

Smartware **bleep**.  It is a good concept and I believe unique in their implementation.  But WD is a harware company and NOT a software company.  I stopped using Smartware recently and am now using something called Genie Timeline.  They have a free version that does everything I need. But the caveat is that restoration is a little obtuse and the free edition does not delete old backups, they just accumulate.  That is not a problem for me now, but will be later on, so I will probably get the “pro” edition" which does delete old files and makes retrieval less obtuse.  The software puts no burden on my system at all.  It just tracks file changes, I guess with a hook in Windows, and every hour it makes copies of changed files.  You can also force the backup manually at any time. Also, you can mix and match backup by catagory and/or specific files/locations.

Unfortunately I experience most of the Problems on my Sony i7core Notebook that other Users Report

GOOD: to upgrade from the delivered Version to 1.5.1.6 went well :smiley:

BAD: the software keeps kategorizing on and on (even though I have chosen folder based archiving) :angry:

BAD: the software keeps itself busy by copying 100s of GB after the first full backup even though I add and change just a few files :angry::angry::angry:

BAD: the software keeps the fan of my notebook running almost constantly on hight speed :angry::angry::angry:

NEUTRAL: except occasional events of total unaccessability of the system of which I cannot confirm that WD is responsible for- even though I experience them since I installed WD smartware - the software leaves enough memory and processor power to work while smartware keeps the ventilator busy :neutral_face:

BAD: I just had to delete 60GB of temporary Files … :angry::angry:

GOOD: The User-Interface and the Folder based Archiving (Categories for this purpose are Nonsense in my Opinion) and Retrieval look so promising - why can’t they simply make it work as it is intended (as if Steve Jobs would have organized it - this product could also repeat his success …)

What I ask myself is, how much time I should still wait for a software version without the mentioned defficencies before I look for another product? The issues are well known for months as this forum proves.

One Postscriptium:

To allow so fundamental criticism in an company-forum for me is a sign that WD is confident in its product and willing improve. But when?

Second Postscriptum:

Please excuse my eurenglish. Greetings from Austria.

Solution if you don’t need the security aspect of Smartware.

Use Genie Timeline, free or paid.

1 Like

gerhard_s wrote:

Unfortunately I experience most of the Problems on my Sony i7core Notebook that other Users Report

 

GOOD: to upgrade from the delivered Version to 1.5.1.6 went well :smiley:

BAD: the software keeps kategorizing on and on (even though I have chosen folder based archiving) :angry:

BAD: the software keeps itself busy by copying 100s of GB after the first full backup even though I add and change just a few files :angry::angry::angry:

BAD: the software keeps the fan of my notebook running almost constantly on hight speed :angry::angry::angry:

NEUTRAL: except occasional events of total unaccessability of the system of which I cannot confirm that WD is responsible for- even though I experience them since I installed WD smartware - the software leaves enough memory and processor power to work while smartware keeps the ventilator busy :neutral_face:

BAD: I just had to delete 60GB of temporary Files … :angry::angry:

 

GOOD: The User-Interface and the Folder based Archiving (Categories for this purpose are Nonsense in my Opinion) and Retrieval look so promising - why can’t they simply make it work as it is intended (as if Steve Jobs would have organized it - this product could also repeat his success …)

  

when you switch from categories to file/folder, you need to push the “start backup” button again.  You’ll see the progress bar pop up and it will look like it’s gonna re-copy all the data.  However, IME, it is checking the existing files (backed up previously under category method) with the new files you’ve selected, and will only copy over the newly checked, not-yet-backed-up files.

Also, it does seem to still do a category inventory and show the catgories on that first tab.  But click over to the backup tab (the 2nd one i think?) and you’ll see the files/folders tree.  And the back up button should now say “stop backup”, meaning that it is currently backing up any new files or modified files.