WD Backup will not run

WD External Drives External Drives for PC
1

I bought a WD My Passport external drive a while back and ran the setup procedures. It appears to be running the Backups correctly because I can see newer modification dates on files under F:\FileHistory\Username\PCNAME.

However, I cannot start any of the WD applications like “WD Backup” from the Start Menu, or “Restore a Backup”, Settings", etc form the System Tray.

I tried running as Admin, but that did not help.
I re-installed the software using the “WD Apps Setup.exe” on the drive. The software said it installed successfully, but I still can’t run any of the applications.

2

Hi,

Did you try as a Short Cut on the Desktop screen? Works fine for me. Does WD Discovery work? That will access the others.

Cliff

3

Thanks for the reply Cliff. I don’t have a Desktop short, and there is nothing in the Start Menu called “WD Discovery” or even something similar (like an exe file) in the Programs\Western Digital folder.

4

Hi,

Ok it looks like you need to download software from WD. Click on Downloads tab at the top of this screen. Put in your model # in the search box. It should list what you need.
I would expect:
WD Backup, WD Discovery, WD Utilities and WD Security. WD Smartware is an older backup software which is no longer supported for Passport.

Open WD Discovery and I think it will direct you to the next step. Utilities I think. Select Settings. Continue with Security , then gor to Backup. Be sure to review the Help tab in WD Backup.

This should get you started.

Cliff

5

I downloaded the software from the link you provided. It said that the SW was already installed but needed to be updated.
I ran the install program, it completed successfully. Then I clicked “WD Backup” from the Start menu and nothing happens. WD Backup is also still in the system tray but it doesn’t work either.

6

When you run WD Backup, do you get a box with three options; Backup, Restore , About?

And a black box marked My Ultra Passport? Under the black box it should give you the name assigned to the WD Passport. If not your drive may not be recognized by Windows. Open Windows Explorer and see if the WD Passport is shown. Check the USB is securely plugged in or try on another computer. If not found you need to contact WD Support for help.

Cliff

7

When you run WD Backup, do you get a box with three options; Backup, Restore , About? And a black box marked My Ultra Passport? Under the black box it should give you the name assigned to the WD Passport.
==> As I said in each of my posts, the software will not run.

If not your drive may not be recognized by Windows. Open Windows Explorer and see if the WD Passport is shown. Check the USB is securely plugged in or try on another computer. If not found you need to contact WD Support for help.
==> The hardware seems to be working okay. I can see the hard drive as drive F: under Windows Explorer.

8

Hi,

Do you have C:\Programs(65)\WesternDigital\Discovery\Current\Launch\Discovery.exe?

If not you need to download WD Discovery.

When you have it, run it and select Apps in the header. It should show 4 WD programs including WD Backup. click on Open box.

Cliff

9

Cliff - I appreciate your help, but this is one of the most frustrating applications I have ever used. I have put in two requests on the WD User Support page, but no one has even bothered to contact me. My old backup drive was a Seagate which was easy to use and painless.

Here’s what happened. I downloaded WD Discovery from the WD website as you instructed. It installed and when I ran it, it showed three applications: WD Backup, WD Drive Utilities, and WD Security.
I clicked Open next to WD Backup. The Windows “User Account Control” box comes up asking me if I want to allow the application to run. I click yes. The user account window closes and nothing happens.

10

By the way, the WD Support page does not say that WD Discovery is required.
It only instructs me to install WD Backup.

11

Yes, that is true, but it is not in the Program(x86) Folder with other WD Apps. I keep it as a startup on the desktop, but I don’t know how I got it there! The only other way seems to be through WD Discovery!

Something is missing in your downloads.
I keep all my downloads in a separate partition and I find a WD Backup.exe in a folder “WD_Backup_1.6.6060.18987”.
Now I find that the WD Backup startup uses an App called WDAppManager.exe with something called “-launchbackupdefault”. But when I try to Run that it fails.

See if any of this helps you.

Cliff

12

I cannot start any of the WD applications like “WD Backup”

Hi,
I got this problem on my Windows 10 HP Notebook after a Windows update. Max at WD support suggested the MS uninstall/installer troubleshooter. I ran it and did an uninstall; downloaded a fresh copy of WD Backup and installed it. Runs fine and setup a new backup schedule. Checked back later to see if my backup worked…all is working normal!