Deleting Files

Yes, your understanding (now) is correct.

But there is no mandatory need to use Smartware, there are other (non-WD) solutions which will synch rather than back-up your data to your drive. I can’t recommend any as I don’t use that kind of functionality, but a quick Google search should bring up some candidates (and others here may have some recommendations).

If you do want to delete previous Smartware backups, then yes just delete the relevant folder from your WD Smartware.stor folder. You can either delete by device (the first level below that folder) or by drive (each drive on a given device will have a sub-folder within the device level folder).

Darren, thanks for confirming!  And thanks for the suggestion to try another software…  I’ll look into that!

Thank you for clarifying this.  People want different things from a backup function.  Some want access to older versions of files, others simply want a duplicate of their hard drive in case the latter fails.  I am in the latter category, i.e. all I want is an “synch” function out of my backup.  I wish people like me were supported with this option, it cannot be that hard.  Redoing a backup from scratch to do a synch is simply not practical.

I know I can Google this, but it would be great if someone can recommend good synch software.

There are a few Windows software options in  this link, although as I said I have no experience of this so can’t make any personal recommendations or endorsements on any of them.

On Linux you of course have rsync built into the OS which can manually do the job.

I found that this was happening as well… I ended up downloading Microsoft SyncToy. It allowed for different type including:synchronised copies (Deletions on either source or destination result in same action on the other side) as well as contributory copies (NO deletions on destination regardless of changes in the source and echo copies where a change in the source is reflected in a change in the destination. Changes include deletions, creations, and time stamp changes.

The only downside is that I don’t have an option to delete the source file after successfully copying it to the destination. I keep a synchronised copy of my downloads for example because I usually move files from here to some other directory on the backup or the source. so it makes sense to synchronise them…

My media files are contributory copies since they get copied from their source to the destination and then I usually manually erase the source.

I also have a directory where I copy electronic files that I am going ot read. (I call this directory an active books since I am actively reading them) When I finish with these files I will erase them and expect SyncToy to erase them in the backup. SyncToy is not an ideal solution but it gives me great control over how my files are handled. If MS would just allow me to check a box to erase the source I would be in heaven lol.

Using this software is completely redundant and is considered by any logic to be bloatware. Your operating system can do exactly the same thing that any third party backup application can do. “Backing up” files means the same thing as “copying.”

You can also create an image of your entire hard drive, including the operating system and all of your files, by using built in services provided by Windows. It is possible to have this image be updated as your data is updated (which, as you say, would REPLACE the data in that image); it is also possible to create multiple, separate images. This process can be completed manually or set to backup on a schedule through Task Scheduler (via Windows).

The WD support member is absolutely correct. If you are storing files on your external HDD to save space on your internal HDD, then that is one application. Just be aware that if your Passport fails, you will need to recover the data using elevated recovery methods. These are oftentimes very expensive, in excess of what you paid for the drive itself.

The other application is If you are using the Passport to create a true “backup,” then by the definition of the word “backup,” you will need to have files on a separate, primary drive. Using an external HDD in this way provides elevated means of preventing data loss, but does not save any space on your drives. If you want more space on your computer as well as data security, the only way to do that is to either install an internal drive with a larger storage capacity, OR have a third drive available to store data.

You cannot have both data security AND a dedicated system drive at the same time unless you have a third HDD. I would recommend having a dedicated system drive, an internal storage drive, and an external backup drive. Laptops are more restrictive because they only allow one internal HDD to be mounted (in which case you would need two external HDDs. See the manufacturer specifications for your computer to learn what options are available to you.)

I had the same problem, could not delete WD back up file from my WD drive. I was forced to download Unlocker, it’s a freeware program which helps me deleted unwanted folder at no time.

Best regards

Robert

I copied all my pictures to My Passport and then deleted them from My Pictures on my computer only later to find out they were deleted from My Passport as well. Lucky I made a cd back up first.