I’m sorry I don’t mean to be rude, if I have earlier run into this forum to see all the info about the WD Passport Essential 500GB I bought 30 mins ago and found out about this unremoveable software, I will not buy it in the first place so I can only blame myself for being so stubborn not even looking for info about it. I have search everything about this Smartware now and found no solution how to remove it except only hiding it? This is retarded. What if I’m running other operating system? I wish this work just as a normal HDD. My friend bought a LG 320gb, I took it back home to copy something for him, and even though there is a software inside, it is removeable. And it work just as any other normal drive which is flexible. I like the way it look, and I have always used WD desktop harddisk for so many years because I never had any problem with it, so I buy this WD instead of LG. Then I was stunned when I plug this WDPE500GB in my computer and it took like 30 secs to appear. The very annoying thing I don’t like this is the encryption software it provided. I don’t trust it, it doesn’t feel any safer encrypting using it since you’re a HDD manufacturer not Encryption software specialist plus hardware-based encryption despite many claims that it is safer than software encrpytion is all lies. I’m using Truecrypt and I like the way it work instead of yours which I cannot hide the hidden drive I wanted. I don’t even bother to look anymore of this Smartware, so I don’t know about the slow / lag it makes your CPU become posted by many other forumer. So the Smartware occupied around 600 mb, seriously I don’t mind but do you mind putting an options for me to fully remove it? Thanks. And this has wasted me another 15 minutes writing this a time that I will never get back in my life.
** Very angry buyer >.< The Smartware is a Nightmare.
Great, when I’m about to start to use it the second time, it just loaded the Smartware drive but my 465GB drive isn’t showing up. I have to restart my computer then again I plug in for another 30 secs only did it show up. By the way I’m using Vista, and on my laptop it’s Windows 7 and still having the same problem on both. Great job making the Smartware a compulsory nightmare =.=!
By the way I’m gonna pass this HDD to my friend to transfer the file to his old WINXP computer, so it’s gonna be another hassle right AFAIK needed to install Microsoft Framework Net 3.0 is that you called from what I saw in this forum? Geez >.<
The .NET Framework is needed if you are using SmartWare. However, if you don’t want to use SmartWare, you can uninstall it. And, even though you can’t get rid of the VCD (which is not SmartWare), you can hide it. See link below.
Bill, will all due respect, i do realize that you must have a lot of patience from all the answers you give here and you seem to have the best of intentions - but HIDING something is not a solution. That’s just pretending it’s not there, but the space is still being eaten up.
The only solution would be a firmware update that would allow the complete removal of the VCD partition.
Anything short of that is a bandaid, or worse, just putting our heads in the sand.
Your point is WELL taken. But it’s not going to happen with these existing SmartWare drives. So, I’m stuck working with what I have to help. Sorry, it’s not enough.
Oh and by the way, I got rid of the spam you were slamming me over. I had banned that person but they found a way back in. I’m not usually a day or two behind, so this kind of stuff should clear up, soon.
I didn’t mean to slam you specifically, Bill - it’s not your fault if you’re the only one here, and you seem to be doing a great job (as well as job as one person could do, I would say). Seems that perhaps WD might want to think about putting a few more people on the community side of things. To be clear, I think you’re doing a great job from what I’ve read - but you also seem to be doing the job of three or four people.
As far as the existing WD drives, that is truly a shame.
And while I’m certain you get tired of reading the same things over and over I do hope you realize that it’s still important for people to post them. Without customer feedback WD will never know what users want (or don’t want).
I do hope you at least will do what you can to pass these concerns up the chain.
It seems impossible to reach anyone via the WD website.
WD Passport Essential used to work with smartware, now when I want to update it I download the update, unzip, hit run and it tells me the drive is in use and to shutdown everything and try again, but of course the drive is in use, that is where the Passport is plugged in, redo the destructions 4 times and always the same result. Totally useless. Now try explaining to the support guy, how does this outfit sell anything? I know, there are umpteen million PCs in the world and if 1% respond to the glossy ads and outrageous claims at $100 each, that makes $umpteen million/100 revenue each year which is enough to keep any clueless outfit in the black for a long time before the customers can catch up with it. Wow, I didn’t realise it was so easy …
