WD Smartware 2.4.1.9 Update Issue

I had tried running that .Net Framework installer early in the troubleshooting process and it exited saying that a newer version was already installed.

I had .Net Framework 4.5.1 installed so I uninstalled it and then installed the .Net Framework 4.0 provided in your link. That resolved the issue.

Apparently the SmartWare installer isn’t compatible with .Net Framework 4.5.