I am so frustrated, and I know that this problem has probably already come up, but could someone either help me here, or share a link to the solution…
I used the WD software to set a password on my 1T drive a few years ago. I still know the password, but I recently reformatted the drive to use it for automatically backing up, and now I am getting the message that I don’t have permission to access the drive.
The unlocker software is still on my desktop, but it doesn’t seem to be operating the 1T drive anymore, i.e. I am not getting the option to apply or remove the password.
Any insights would be most appreciated. I am ready to pitch the thing.
I just read a few similar posts. I am using a different computer from the one I used originally with the external drive; changed from Windows XP to Windows 7. Is that the problem? I look like a different user?
Like I said, and like others are saying here in this community, this WD device is incredibly frustrating to use. Do I really have to read every post here before I find out that this is a hopeless case… or that I have to read for hours before I find the “key” to unlocking this thing?
Hi, first you need to check if the Passport is correctly connected to the PC, try using the USB cable that came bundled with the Passport and avoid using USB extension cables or USB hubs. If the Passport is still not recognized, install the latest version of Smartware and check if it is recognized there. Check the link below for the latest Smartware version.
Is there some way of returning the external drive to the factory settings? The “format” function does not seem to do it.
I have two 1T drives. One, I put the password on; the other I didn’t. The one with the password is the one giving me the problems. The one without a password, does not. I just connect it and it works wherever I use it.
I’d like to have them both work without the software. Is that a possibility? I am using both of them for back up, and don’t really need the password on them.
If you have one of the new models you can use the WD security, if not you can do it from the Smartware setup section. Click on the link below to download for the WD security or Smartware.
Thank you. Setting up this backing up process has taken many days to figure out… and not because the Passports are a problem. I just couldn’t get my head around it.
I updated the software as you suggested, and from there it was pretty intuitive.
