The application has encountered an unexpected error and is now exiting

#1

I purchased a My Passport a few years ago. I don’t remember exactly when. It was either 2009 or 2010. Loaded it with data and used it for a year or two, with no problems. In 2012 I put it in a nice, safe place, climate-controlled, and left it there until today. I memorized the password. Today, I took it out of storage and attempted to access the data. Plugged it into a new laptop and immediately started having problems. I had expected to plug it in and be prompted for the password. But that didn’t happen. Instead, everything I clicked on in File Manager gave me the “The application has encountered an unexpected error and is now exiting” message which I then discovered is a common problem because frustrated users have been asking why this is happening for years, just google it. So I tried some of the ‘solutions’ out there. None of them work. 

I tried this one:  http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/wdsmartware.asp?id=wdfGeneric&os=win

this one:  http://www.wd.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/firmware.asp?id=wdfGeneric&os=win

this one:  http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-Portable-Drives/Windows-7-quot-The-application-has-encountered-an-unexpected/td-p/43535

and this one:  http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-Portable-Drives/quot-The-application-has-encountered-an-unexpected-error-and-is/td-p/18680

The OS is Win 8. I disabled the antivirus. I booted the computer. I did everything suggested. 

So how do I get access to my data? I need a solution. Even if the solution is buying a new drive and somehow transferring the (inaccessible) data onto that. The drive says it is 100% full, but I obviously can’t access the data or see what’s on it because the drive is protected by WD Smartware.

#2

I just found another ‘solution’, but it says I need to make sure my data is backed up on another drive before doing it. How am I supposed to back up the data when I can’t access it? I would only be trying this ‘solution’ out in order to try and access my data. If it’s going to erase my data, I can’t do it. There would be no point. 

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-us/fccc521b-a625-47f4-8330-794d5853554c/xp-configured-external-hard-drive-wont-work-with-windows-7?forum=w7itprohardware

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/wdsmartwareupdate/utilitiesstep2.asp?id=wdfMP_Studio&os=WIN

#3

No answers? That’s ok, I figured out the answer. You can’t open a drive that you protected with WD Smartware on a computer which uses a different OS. This is very important and it means WD Smartware is a problem, rather than a solution. What were they thinking when they produced this software? People want to protect their data, and be able to use it in the future. If your data is locked by this Smartware, when the computer you’re using it with dies, and you replace that computer with one using the most recent OS, or a different OS, then you’ll never see your data again. 

WD Smartware is completely useless. If your computer hasn’t died yet, it will. Before that happens, save your data on something else that you WILL be able to access with a different computer. Then you might as well destroy your My Passport. 

Now that I know this, I feel stupid for buying this product and will not do so again. I’ll download something like TruCrypt and use it with a generic external hard drive next time. 

#4

nametaken wrote:

No answers? That’s ok, I figured out the answer. You can’t open a drive that you protected with WD Smartware on a computer which uses a different OS

Yes you can. I do it every day at home between Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 with my Passport Studio.

Now if you tried a Mac or Linux then bviously it won’t work.

#5

I was using it with Vista. Then I tried to use it with Win 8. Didn’t work. Searched Google, tried a few things - as I explained - came here, read a few pages of people having similar problems, asked a question, got no answer, waited a few days, found a computer that runs on Vista and surprise, it worked on that computer. So that’s an answer and it’s clear. If you can explain how to get it to work on a Win 8 computer, you could have answered me earlier. 

#6

nametaken wrote:

I was using it with Vista. Then I tried to use it with Win 8. Didn’t work. Searched Google, tried a few things - as I explained - came here, read a few pages of people having similar problems, asked a question, got no answer, waited a few days, found a computer that runs on Vista and surprise, it worked on that computer. So that’s an answer and it’s clear. If you can explain how to get it to work on a Win 8 computer, you could have answered me earlier. 

There is nothing specific to be done s it has nothing to do with OS compatibility or settings. You just connect it, open the unlocker app, input the password and done. IF the unlocker app is crashing on the W8 computer with an error message then that’s something completely different than implying the encryption system was designed for not supporting a different OS. It’s that W8 computer itself the problem.

Try a registry clean-up and a defrag, otherwise you’re stuck on that computer. If SmartWare can’t open and stay open on its own with NO WD connected, then that’s a sign the separate unlocker won’t work either on that system.