WD File Management Engine cannot start

I’m on Windows Vista SP2 32-bit and I have been doing backups with my Passport Essential using WD SmartWare 1.4.1.1 fine for quite a while. Util today when I connected the drive and found that the automatic backup doesn’t work. Then further investigation revealed that the “WD File Management Engine” service is not running. Trying to start this service manually resulted in error 1053.  

I then updated the drive firmware to version 1.0.8.6 and also upgraded SmartWare to version 1.4.3.4 (installation process went fine), hoping that it will do the magic but unfortunately I have no luck. The WD File Management Engine service still refuse to start with the same 1053 error.  The backup won’t run without this service running. 

Can anybody help?

Me too.

Bought a WD passport for my parents as an easy backup solution for them (Vista SP2 system + all latest Windows Updates) but I can not get the passport to work. It installs drivers, is recognized in My Computer’ but when I launch WD Smartware it produces a Windows ‘WD Smartware has stopped working’ message. i.e. Crash.

Have updated firmware & got latest Smartware but with no luck.

For my parents & all back up systems it must be fail safe, easy & reliable. Any ideas what is wrong?