For some BIZARRE reason “My Book Essential 1TB” HDD is locked and wont unlock. I know the password, I disabled the password when I first got it (just under a week ago) but when I turned my PC on a few hours ago it wasn’t showing up under “My Computer” and after swapping USB connections, restarting my PC, fiddling etc, it eventually was showing up as Locked. I have read numerous amounts of forum posts telling me that I need to reformat to mac? Im not on mac so I doubt this applies. I also read that I need to restart the HDD completely, yet it still tells me the same thing when I do this. The first thing I am told is “Erase My Book; too many attempts” - Well I haven’t asked for it to be deleted nor do I want it to be.
After getting so angry with the fact I may lose all my files I decided that if I want it to work again this is the only way around it, so I clicked “I understand that reformatting my drive will delete all of my data” and clicking continue I get “There has been an error erasing your drive”
Is there any way I can get into My Book to save my files? Is there a way that will enable me to enter my password again?
I sincerely hope this is just a blonde moment and that there is a extremely easy way to deal with this as I do not wish to tamper with it, going with “gut instinct” as at the moment I am too angry with it.
Please help
I’ll be waiting on the forums willing to give any additional info
I’m having the same problem. Never set a password. Never entered a password once, let alone 5 times. Even when unplugged and re-plugged no option of entering password before receiving “Too Many Password Attempts”.
Didn’t update firmware. Got it about a month ago and never thought to do it. Computer won’t recognize the drive now so that’ no longer an option. Only thing that autoplays is the WD Unlocker, which when run goes straight to the “Too Many Password Attempts” screen.
Hi, I have a similar problem: can’t unlock a WD Passport Essential that I NEVER LOCKED! Never used any lock or password. While listening to my iTunes music on that disk, the music stopped suddenly, device was locked as I found out. No help so far from any local technician, 10 supporft mails from WD online support keep repeating they have no master password, I need my password… nonsense… Now finally, in this thread, after a lot of forum googling, I might have found a hint: I dont know the term FIRMWARE but I assume it is something like an operating system update? If I remember well (but no 100% guarantee) there WAS a WD update request while I was working (multitasking: music, editing photos, reading online news etc). I THINK I just clicked ok. The message that ‘this sometimes happens after installing new firmware’ gives some hope. Apparently it happens SOMETIMES, because my 2 other (500GB) WD’s have no problem, only my 1TB one. But more important is the ANSWER: how to get rid of the problem? Any help?
I’m havening the same problem with my HD “My Book Essential” for some reason it was locked and my notebook does not recognize the HD , This issue follows another problem I had with this HD : few weeks ago I was forced to format my HD because my computer didn’t read it . My understanding is - never get involved with WD again , but for now - what can I do ?
As far as I can understand, there is no default PW for these drives. Try this, it might help you.
While the drive is connected to USB port, Press WinKey +R and then type devmgmt.msc on the RUN dialogue box. In the Device Manager look for your drive listed under Disk Drives. Right click on the correct disk drive and choose uninstall. Disconnect WD drive from USB port. Now shut down your PC and remove AC cable and battery .
Wait for two minutes and reboot your PC without USB drives connected. Once booting completed, reconnect your drive in to another USB port.
Now check whether you can access your drive without any PW prompt. If not successful, you may have to contact WD support to get a replacement. If it is new, return the product to the store and get a replacement or a different product.
Is there any guarantee that I don’t loose all my important data when I follow this complicated and unusual sounding procedure? A locked device is bad, deleted or corrupt data is worse. So?
Just had this problem and fixed it what I did is that even though it said it was locked when I never put a password on it I put a password on it temporary and fallowed these steps making it work:
go to the wd smartware and go to the security and place a password on your my book.
safely remove it from the computer, and unplug it from your computer
plug it back into the computer and place in the password you just made
go back into the security and place the password in again and ask it to take of the password
safely remove from computer, and unplug it from the computer
this should solve it as it did mine but you must make sure you safely remove it from the computer and take out the power supply or else the password will stay.
just an added not from last post, my book still showed has being locked by the blue light but when I plugged it into my wd tv it worked showing that it was unlocked. (before it wouldn’ t work) I think it’s because the LCD is so bright.
Your procedure did not change anything. I had already assumed that, because earlier I already attached the ‘locked’ device to 2 different other computers - with no result.
Maybe you have a different device than my WD Passport Essential 1TB. First of all I don’t have 2 lights, only 1 white one.
And I followed your procedure but it doesnt make sense to me - or I don’t understand your English.
When I connect my device to the computer, and run smartware.exe, it asks for my password. Whatever I type there, it always says: wrong password - even if i leave the box empty.
So how to ‘give’ a temporary password that is accepted? And what you mean with ‘take of the password’?
I don’t understand, sorry. And your additional note is completely unclear to me.
Anyone figure out a solution? I can’t believe how the drive(My Passport Essential) be locked. I have NEVER set any password at all…I was accessing the drive…half way, it stop working…and i can’t accessed anymore. When i disconnect and reconnect again. it said it was locked…This is really driving me crazy ~~~~
Well, add me to this list. I had taken my 2TB Book Essentials to my girlfriend’s house and spent over two days copying many important files, and one by one I copies hundreds/thousands of video games such as “roms” for videogame consoles such as the OLD N64, and older MAME games. It was a lot of work downloading so many games one by one making several clicks per game. But I finally got a large collection of these old obsolete games, of which the copyright holders seem to have no objection too as these games are posted for download on many sites in the U.S.
Anyway once I was about ready to pack and take my hard drive back home the bug known to impact WD HDs using the older software hit me and it has been IMPOSSIBLE to get the 2 TB drive to except any password, it is forcing me to format, but I am holding out, formating is not an answer.
Techs: I have another Book Essentials 2TB of the exact model- Can I open these up and trade just one part into another part and get around the password lock-out??
If you never setup a password then the drive might have become corrupted, you can erase the drive with the following steps, the information to erase the drive will show under failed login.
Techs: I have another Book Essentials 2TB of the exact model- Can I open these up and trade just one part into another part and get around the password lock-out??
The drive is encrypted. Even if you never set a password, the data on the drive is encrypted. So, let’s say you pull the drive out of the enclosure and try connecting it to the MOBO of your PC… the drive will show in the BIOS, but it will be unreadable.
The drive needs the decrypting hardware in the enclosure to be usable, whether there’s a password or not.
But one set of decrypting hardware from one enclosure won’t be any different than the encrypting hardware in the other enclosure. If the drive itself is corrupted, and telling the hardware that it’s password-protected when it shouldn’t be, then it would just tell the other hardware that it was password-protected even if swapping drives amongst enclosures was otherwise feasible. Changing which hardware the corrputed drive is connected to won’t fix the corruption on the drive itself.
