Filename Date and Time Stamps

WD External Drives My Passport Wireless
1

I live in USA. When I take My Passport Wireless Pro to Europe and import files from the SD Card the filename date is fine, but the time stamps

  • do not match the time zone I’m currently in

  • do not match the time zone of the computer

  • do not match my USA time zone.

I have not figured out how it determines time. Does My Passport Wireless Pro have it’s own Operating System that I can access to edit the time? How may I set the time?

2

I have the same problem

3

The MPW has an internal clock that’s keeping track of the time. When accessed via the device’s web dashboard or My Cloud mobile app will set the time to the device.

https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16583/kw/timestamp

4

jchen,
Thank you for your reply. I’m familiar with the Web Dashboard, but not My Cloud mobile app; however, you wrote that either of these “…will set the time to the device”. Are you saying that the MPW’s internal clock recognizes the time zone that the device is currently in at the time the files are imported from the SD card to the MPW and that the MPW applies that time to the filenames? When I travel in a different time zone I do not connect the MPW to the MPW Wi-Fi network nor the internet. I wait until I get home to check the filename times and that is when I discover the filename times with my current time zone, not the original time zone. Even when I’m home I’m using Windows to discover the filename times. I don’t use the Web Dashboard or My Cloud to view the filename times. To get the correct filename times are you saying the device has a GPS or are saying that once the MPW touches the internet then it uses the internet time to mark the filenames? I thank you in advance for your assistance.

5

The MPW does not have GPS inside. It relies the My Cloud mobile app or its web dashboard to set the correct time of its internal clock. If you travel to a different timezone and what’s to set a different time, then you need to make sure your phone/computer is already adjusted to the new timezone and connect it to the MPW to ensure the time is synchronized.

6

jchen,

The answer is becoming clear. Let me see if I understand with a real life example.

I travel for two days in another time zone. On day 1 I insert my SD card, copy files, connect to Web dashboard. I suspect the filenames get stamped with the time of the timezone I’m in.

On day 2 I insert my SD card, but forget to connect to Web Dashboard. I come home to my home timezone, open Web dashboard. I suspect day 2 files will receive current time, but
will the MPW leave alone the filename time for day 1 files?

I thank you in advance for your assistance.

7

I travel for two days in another time zone. On day 1 I insert my SD card, copy files, connect to Web dashboard. I suspect the filenames get stamped with the time of the timezone I’m in.
Ans: Let’s assume your MPW was set in your home time zone A to begin the trip. In day 1 you travel to new time zone B. If you copy the files from your SD card before connecting your MPW to the mobile app or web dashboard, the files you copied will have time zone A in the time stamp. However, if you connected the MPW with mobile app or web dashboard before the SD card copy, then the time should be synced to the new time zone B and the content you copy in afterward should be stamped with time zone B. (Assuming your computer or mobile phone already changed in its system time to B)

On day 2 I insert my SD card, but forget to connect to Web Dashboard. I come home to my home timezone, open Web dashboard. I suspect day 2 files will receive current time, but
will the MPW leave alone the filename time for day 1 files?
Ans: If your MPW was set to time zone B in day 1, then came home to time zone A without syncing the time, the new files copied from the SD card will still be in time zone B.

8

Thank you very, very much. That is very useful information. I’ve been struggling with this for two years. I had to resort to a Windows utility to manually change the Windows time stamps. It will be much easier not that I understand how the time gets changed. I am very grateful for you thorough answer.
Keith