Hi everyone,
Now that the classic WD Dashboard is no longer supported, Western Digital is pointing users toward the SanDisk Dashboard and WD Kitfox.
This got me thinking: do you actively install these new manufacturer utilities for firmware updates and health monitoring, or do you prefer keeping a completely clean, stock Windows OS?What are you choosing for your drives?
What WD devices do you own? My Dashboards still work fine even for my old first generation WDMYCLOUD that is used on my home network only.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I still use “no longer supported” utilities from other vendors due to one or more of a few reasons.
These may not apply to anyone else. For the record, I still use my EX4 daily but I use no WD software to manage it. I am on Windows 11 25H2
I’ve got a mix of WD drives myself—things like WD Red, WD Passport, and WD Elements. Good to know the old Dashboard is still working fine for you, especially with a first-gen My Cloud. If it’s doing the job and everything’s stable, I’d probably leave it alone too.
Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is pretty much how I feel about this stuff too. If the old software still works, does what you need, and avoids extra ads or unnecessary changes, there’s not much reason to replace it just because a newer version is available.
These utilities can be useful for firmware updates but aren’t something I’d keep running all the time. I’d install the manufacturer tool when I actually need a firmware update or drive specific diagnostic, then remove or disable it afterward. For everyday health monitoring I’d rely on Windows and the drive’s SMART data rather than having another background utility constantly running. That gives you the useful manufacturer support without adding unnecessary software to a clean Windows 11 setup.
That’s a really solid point. Keeping background utilities running constantly can feel unnecessary if Windows can handle basic health monitoring. Installing it only when you actually need it for a firmware update is a great strategy.
