Hello. I am trying to reestablish local control of my device through the WD software for a My Cloud unit on a Win10 Pro machine. I do not use the WD software for backup or file synch (I use File History).
My local access to the WD Dashboard no longer opens. I do have access to my files through the web portal, and though Win10 File explorer to my mapped drive. However, the dashboard functionality for managing my device does not appear in the web portal (when I click on the gear in web portal I simply get option to add users).
I used to access the device locally through the dashboard by opening WD Access in the tray. However, my original installation no longer responds when I click on. I therefore proceeded with a complete uninstall and reinstall of WD software. Unfortunately, other than the list of downloads for this model, I could not find any advice for proper sequence of install, or which ones are needed simply to open dashboard.
I started with WD Discovery, which I’ve used in the past to open WD Access. However, this time, when I launched it in tray, I received an error message that my device is no longer supported.
I then attempted to install WD Smartware Pro. I received a challenge screen for my name and email to receive an Activation Code, but when I clicked “Activate” the software froze. I have no feedback whether it has accepted my request, or whether this software will even restore local access to my device.
Can someone please advise how I can regain local access for management of my device. I am specifically referring to this screen from the original instructions:
The general directions on how to access the Dashboard on a My Cloud device. Note that the My Cloud Home device is different than a My Cloud device and does not have the My Cloud Dashboard.
How to access the Dashboard on a My Cloud (single bay) device
One can also access the My Cloud Dashboard using the My Cloud IP address. That IP address can be obtained through the network router’s administration interface.
Or one can typically access the My Cloud Dashboard by double clicking on the My Cloud icon under Storage when using the Windows File Explorer and viewing the Network neighborhood.
Bennor, many thanks for quick response. Your pointer to the icon in Network Neighborhood was the solution. Is there any useful purpose of the WD software and, if not, is it safe to delete it? What is the purpose of Smartware Pro, and is this something that needs activation?
Just to confirm, I am using My Cloud (not My Cloud Home) and do not need any third party backup software.
For local network access to the My Cloud one does not need to install the WD software. The WD software may provide easier access or provide capabilities such as backing up the computer (WD Smartware) or syncing the computer (WD Sync) to a My Cloud.
There are any number of free and paid third party programs that will perform the same function as the WD Smartware and WD Sync programs. Sometimes those third party programs run better and have more features than the WD provided software.
