I had posted on May 9 in the thread concerning the previous version of this software (1.6.0). I had reported that the software DID NOT WORK – it did not reliably back up files. I had uninstalled that version and reinstalled version 1.5.4.5, which took care of my problems.
You can read the full report here: http://community.wdc.com/t5/WD-Software/Software-Update-WD-SmartWare-Version-1-6-0-for-Windows-5-9-12/td-p/403776/page/4 (the post by me, WD33SmartWare). (And if you look, you will see that MANY after my post reported the same unreliability).
I became aware of version 1.6.2 (actually 1.6.2.6), just released a few days ago, and downloaded the installer and installed it today. Unfortunately, I have to report that it still does not work.
I installed it “on top” of my existing installation of version 1.5.4.5. (I had found when attempting to install 1.6.0 that it HAD to be installed on top of a previous version – it was not a “stand alone” installation program. (I found out that 1.6.0 did not work whether installed on top of 1.5.4.5 OR the 1.4.5.2 which was included on my “My Passport” USB 3.0 portable hard drive.)
After about 2 hours of my time wasted, here is what I found:
1 – My settings from my previous version were not retained. (This may be by design, but if so, why? So many other software programs retain one’s settings from previous versions installed.)
2 – When I went to make my settings in the backup by specific folder and file section in the GUI (rather than backup by type of file), I experienced the same problem I’d found in 1.6.0 – when expanding the folder hierarchy to access sub-folders the program hangs for an inordinate length of time. Easily a minute or so before the folder structure allows access to the sub-folders. When one has multiple sub-folders that must be individually assessed in terms of the need for a back up (many of my data files are already backed up on CD’s, so I don’t need to have SmartWare back them up) – much time goes by waiting until the job is finished marking which folders and files you want backed up. EACH click to expand a folder downward is taking that minute or more before you can get back to work. When you take that time multiplied by many instances . . .
3 – Once I’d done all that, I finally clicked to back up everything (I’d deleted the previous backed up files just to ensure it was as simple a proposition as possible for the action). The running diagonal line with the message “backing up” appeared . . . and just hung forever. I went to the target destination on the portable hard drive in Windows Explorer and found that nothing was being backed up. So I never got to find out – like I had with 1.6.0 – that some files were backed up but others were not. This 1.6.2 couldn’t even get that far.
4 – I closed the backing up process – and just like 1.6.0 had done, the running diagonal line with the message “backing up” just stayed there.
I will attest as I had done in May – I have Windows 7 SP 1 with all updates conceivable installed to it. I have a Dell XPS 8300 high performance machine. I have the latest firmware update installed for Western Digital. It is just baffling to me to find software that just doesn’t work.
I uninstalled 1.6.2, reinstalled the original 1.4.5.2. (from my portable hard drive), and reinstalled 1.5.4.5 on top of that. EVERYTHING WORKS BEAUTIFULLY AGAIN. When clicking to drill down to a lower level in the folders in the back up by file section to mark what you want backed up it happens instantly, as it should. Once I’d marked all I wanted backed up, I clicked on backup – and it actually backed up! And QUICKLY, without hanging. Imagine that! And when I stopped back up, after the job was finished, the moving diagonal with the message backing up had stopped before then (as it should have)
I’m really sorry to have to report this negative news. I hope others will report their experiences. I’m afraid that many will still find this software not working, just as they had with 1.6.0.
I find I have the problem of “etilq” files building up using the 1.5.4.5 version, as others have reported in other posts for older versions. But that’s something I live with and HAVE to live with if neither of the last two versions work at all (I simply delete as many of those “etilq” files as possible in the temp folder they stay in when I go through my normal process of closing down my pc). (I have not found that I have a resources problem – high CPU usage – with 1.5.4.5.)
Once again, I have shut down automatic notification of new versions in my software – I’ll just manually check online in another 3 months or so. If the next version is STILL ineffective I guess I’ll forget about any upgrades at all and just stick with 1.5.45.
Sorry again for the bad news, but it is what it is.
