An inquiry about updating WD SmartWare(1.4.5.2) into(Windows release 1.6.0 (updated 5/9/2012)

WD External Drives WD Portable Drives
1

Hi,

I have read when I want to update WD SmartWare, I will have to go through with two steps:
Step 1: Update the drive firmware (recommended)

Step 2: Update the WD SmartWare software.

I have found:
IMPORTANT: The following precautions should be taken before installing the firmware update.

Before updating the firmware on your drive, make sure you have a copy of all the data on your drive stored on a separate device.

What does this mean "you have a copy of all the data on your drive stored on a separate device. "? Do I have to have a copy of all the data on my external HDD?

Thanks a lot,

2

I think what it means is : firmware update may screw up your data and WD doesn’t want to be responsible!

       of course you can always gamble or copy 500+gb somewhere!

3

Thank you so much,

But I have purchased a  1TB WD hard disk in order for I want to backup my data whose size is about 560GB into it.

How can I now be bale to back up my data into this WD HDD as long as I want to update firmware(BIOS) and als am  apprehensive from losing my data available in the internal hard disk. Even if I have backed my data up inot WD external HDD, I would be still  apprehensive so long as WD external HDD should be still connected with my comuter during the process of updating WD SmartWare and Frirmware.

Will I have to purchase another WD hard disk???

4

cooperator wrote:

Hi,

 

I have read when I want to update WD SmartWare, I will have to go through with two steps:
Step 1: Update the drive firmware (recommended)

Step 2: Update the WD SmartWare software.

I have found:
IMPORTANT: The following precautions should be taken before installing the firmware update.

Before updating the firmware on your drive, make sure you have a copy of all the data on your drive stored on a separate device.

What does this mean "you have a copy of all the data on your drive stored on a separate device. "? Do I have to have a copy of all the data on my external HDD?

 

Thanks a lot,

If you are familiar with updates you will know they are very intricate process and could potentially damage the entire drive if something goes wrong.

You are advised to backup in case something goes wrong.

The question here will be… Is the software working fine?  If it is leave the updates alone and continue using the drive.

If you have to update the software then make sure to take the precautions advised on the firmware steps.

Better to be safe than sorry 

5

I’m another who dowsn’t update the firmware as long as everything is working OK. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Joe

6

Could you please be logical in your replies?

I have the older version of WD smart Software which doesn’t allow me to back up my data in “swatch to file”, only it allows me to back up my data in “category” which I don’t like  at all and I don’t think anyone likes it

My question is:: Does update of Frirmware cause damage of my external WD My Passport and my internal hard disk? or only the damage might be on the My passport.

If the damage will only be on my passport, then this is good because my passport is empty until now.

If the damage will be on both my internal Toshiba hard disk and the external WD My Passport. This requires me to bring another third HDD. Because I can neither back up my data  on WD My Passport nor stay my data on my internal HDD until finishing the update of firmware and upgrading of WD Smart Software.

Please answer me on my inquiry

7

cooperator,

I have never experienced a damage by firmware update. I do not think firmware update can cause damage to the INTERNAL hard drive. May be the experts here know somethings that I don’t…

     Some of the so call pros.(experts?) on this board are very conservative and illogical. I asked a question earlier about drive lock feature and that question can be answered easily, it’s right in the user manual for the newer passport (mine is old, doesn’t have those options) and those so called expert either got no clue or  don’t want to tell me (may be they don’t want to spoil my learning process)

Peace

8

Thank you so much

I understand your kind care.

But I really I don’t like to back up my datat with those “category”

I want to to 'switch to file" to get a chance to navigate into my internal partition and choose the folders with its content. Thus, the same oraganization of data on that partition will be backed up into ’ My passport '. Once that  is  the same oraganization of my data backed up by Samrt software,  the same oraganization of my data would be snchronised by Smart Software. Thus, any cahange or add to that data will be automatically backup.

So the benefits of this is:

I would find the same oraganization of  my data in the ‘My Passport’

Take this example for the benefit of this:

**If you have a larg variety of  English lessons. You have this organization on your desktop:

The folder" English lessons", which have many other sub-folder(BOOKS, tutorial) inside it.  Each of those folders has files,  such as Txt,  DOC,pdf,mpeg2, mpeg4,mpa, flv,wv, htm, html.

**Also, you have Foder for copies of a large variety of softwares, which inside are other folders and so on. Each one of thos folders contains: variety of files: For example:

You have this oraganization of a path,  for example:

Copies of softwares\ Windows\Seven premium

Copies of softwares\ Windows\XP

Copies of softwares\ Microsoft Office 2012

Copies of softwares\ dealing with PDD files:

Copies of softwares\ dealing with Picuters

Copies of softwares\ Windows\dealing with files

Copies of softwares\ Windows\Seven premium\tutorial

Copies of softwares\ dictionaries

 Each of those folders has files,  such as Txt,  DOC,pdf,mpeg2, mpeg4,mpa, flv,wv, htm, html. or Files as Zib or .rar, ISO

So, if I have let Smart software back up this organization of data during categories environment, I wouldn’t find my files inside those folders. And then I would be quite crazy to try  finding them inside that very wide variety of files in backup copy created with Smart Software

I hope you understand me.

 If I had had another third hard disk, I wouldn’t have been worried. I will back up my data into it and would apply the update, whatever the cost.

As aside, which category do .iso, rar, zib files belong to,  do they belong to other category?

9

Tony33 wrote:

cooperator,

I have never experienced a damage by firmware update. I do not think firmware update can cause damage to the INTERNAL hard drive. May be the experts here know somethings that I don’t…

     Some of the so call pros.(experts?) on this board are very conservative and illogical. I asked a question earlier about drive lock feature and that question can be answered easily, it’s right in the user manual for the newer passport (mine is old, doesn’t have those options) and those so called expert either got no clue or  don’t want to tell me (may be they don’t want to spoil my learning process)

Peace

Well your so called “experts” will not know that you have an old drive unless you provide that info so the argument is not valid 

cooperator wrote:

Thank you so much

I understand your kind care.

But I really I don’t like to back up my datat with those “category”

I want to to 'switch to file" to get a chance to navigate into my internal partition and choose the folders with its content. Thus, the same oraganization of data on that partition will be backed up into ’ My passport '. Once that  is  the same oraganization of my data backed up by Samrt software,  the same oraganization of my data would be snchronised by Smart Software. Thus, any cahange or add to that data will be automatically backup.

So the benefits of this is:

I would find the same oraganization of  my data in the ‘My Passport’

Take this example for the benefit of this:

**If you have a larg variety of  English lessons. You have this organization on your desktop:

The folder" English lessons", which have many other sub-folder(BOOKS, tutorial) inside it.  Each of those folders has files,  such as Txt,  DOC,pdf,mpeg2, mpeg4,mpa, flv,wv, htm, html.

 

**Also, you have Foder for copies of a large variety of softwares, which inside are other folders and so on. Each one of thos folders contains: variety of files: For example:

You have this oraganization of a path,  for example:

Copies of softwares\ Windows\Seven premium

Copies of softwares\ Windows\XP

Copies of softwares\ Microsoft Office 2012

Copies of softwares\ dealing with PDD files:

Copies of softwares\ dealing with Picuters

Copies of softwares\ Windows\dealing with files

Copies of softwares\ Windows\Seven premium\tutorial

Copies of softwares\ dictionaries

 

 Each of those folders has files,  such as Txt,  DOC,pdf,mpeg2, mpeg4,mpa, flv,wv, htm, html. or Files as Zib or .rar, ISO

 

So, if I have let Smart software back up this organization of data during categories environment, I wouldn’t find my files inside those folders. And then I would be quite crazy to try  finding them inside that very wide variety of files in backup copy created with Smart Software

 

I hope you understand me.

 

 

 If I had had another third hard disk, I wouldn’t have been worried. I will back up my data into it and would apply the update, whatever the cost.

 

 

 

As aside, which category do .iso, rar, zib files belong to,  do they belong to other category?

If the drive is empty then no need to ask if required to backup.

The update will only affect the external drive and not the internal so suit yourself.

The file backup is possible on the later versions of Smartware but keep in mind that just because it says "Categories Backup "  does not mean it will not find files that are on different folders.

But yes, update the software if you want to. 

10

If the drive is empty then no need to ask if required to backup.

 

The update will only affect the external drive and not the internal so suit yourself.

 

The file backup is possible on the later versions of Smartware but keep in mind that just because it says "Categories Backup "  does not mean it will not find files that are on different folders.

 

But yes, update the software if you want to. 

 

Thank you so much,

I have said to you in my very first post that I have read these warring andy I wanted you to confirm for me which HDD might be damage during the update.

Step 1: Update the drive firmware (recommended)

Step 2: Update the WD SmartWare software.

IMPORTANT: The following precautions should be taken before installing the firmware update.

Before updating the firmware on your drive, make sure you have a copy of all the data on your drive stored on a separate device.

Because  I  didn’t find that the owner of WD haven’t specified which hard disk might be damage during the process of updating. So if am going to do the udpate, will my data on interanl HDD not surely be damage?

@@The file backup is possible on the later versions of Smartware but keep in mind that just because it says "Categories Backup "  does not mean it will not find files that are on different folders.@@

Second: I know that all of my files will backed up with ‘Categories Backup’,. However, as I said before that I don’t like to do backup with ‘Categories Backup’ because my data will be backed up in other paths in the backup volume.

11
    • *>  cooperator wrote:

 

Thank you so much,

 

Because  I  didn’t find that the owner of WD haven’t specified which hard disk might be damage during the process of updating. So if am going to do the udpate, will my data on interanl HDD not surely be damage?

 

Second: I know that all of my files will backed up with ‘Categories Backup’,. However, as I said before that I don’t like to do backup with ‘Categories Backup’ because my data will be backed up in other paths in the backup volume.

Well you are updating the External drive so it’s obvious that the external drive will be the one affected

The internal drive is not touched during this process

If you don’t like the category backup then update the software and try the file backup instead. 

12

Do I have to update Step 1: Update the drive firmware(BIOS) (recommended) in order to Update the WD SmartWare software?

my BIOS is (Rev 3.5)