Does this product actually work?

I purchased a 1tb mybooklive over a year ago and never got it to work except as a large hard drive with intermittent access. None of the features described in the marketing work. In fact, I can only access the user interface after installing the software and discovering the drive each time. What is more, there is a blinking icon indicating that the device is overheating or over capacity all the time (it is neither). I set up a couple of user directories but cannot access them as I do not have access authority – from any computer and any user. I have established a multitude of users with full access but I still get an invalid user access message.

I do not have any interest in writing software or redesigning the product, and don’t mean to offend those who enjoy such activities but I purchased an appliance (not something that I had to redesign) that was promised to provide backup storage with user directories that could be secure from other users.

My question is: has anyone ever purchased this product, walked through the installation software and had it work? Of course the next question is what did they do? If not, what does work?

And for the hacks that say it is user problem, that may very well be the case but I am on my third computer – formatted and installed clean. Multiple operating systems (windoze 7, linux and Mac) and get the same error message that I do not have authority to access the drive. I have no interest in investing hundreds (or even two) to learn to operate what should be a plug-and-minimally-adjust appliance.

This seems to be a marketing success and a technical failure.

jallan1 wrote:

My question is: has anyone ever purchased this product, walked through the installation software and had it work? Of course the next question is what did they do? If not, what does work?

Sure.  In fact, I’d hazzard a guess that the vast majority of people do exactly that.

It does for me. I bought it, read the directions, plugged it in, updated the firmware because I wanted to use WD Media Server and it was off a running. It does everything I’ve tried so far. WD2go works as does WD photo.

Works for me as well. My install is even simplier.

  • Did not install any of the Smartware software or utilities

  • Manage the MBL via its IP.

  • Backup using robocopy (Win7) and rsync (MACs)

  • Stream to all devices (PCs, HTPC, tables, phones)

  • WD2GO mobile apps work

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!

Now if you have issues with user’s authority to access the drive, you might need to play around with the creation/settings of users and shares before you move on to more serious tasks and/or move all data to it.