WD SmartWare Backup tab greyed out - can't backup files

asdf · January 4, 2019, 4:00pm

I’ve just bought a new 4TB Elements drive. I can’t seem to use WD SmartWare to back up my files, as the Backup tab is greyed out, and it wants me to install WD SmartWare Pro (which incidentally doesn’t seem to exist). I just want to do what I’ve always done, and use WD SmartWare as before (I use it routinely for several other external WD drives).

Any help much appreciated.

cat0w · January 4, 2019, 10:16pm

@asdf Does your Elements drive show in the Home tab? If yes, have you chosen it as where you want to backup to?

In SmartWare see the Help tab>Backup.

asdf · January 4, 2019, 10:32pm

Thanks for replying. Yes, it’s there in the Home tab, but it has a Key symbol on the drive’s icon, which I suppose indicates that I need to buy the non-existent SmartWare Pro, before I can use it! I have had the drive for a few weeks, so it defaulted to SmartWare Pro for the 30-day trial period. This has now expired, and I can’t backup the drive any more. Pretty frustrating, to say the least.

asdf · January 4, 2019, 10:57pm

Further digging implies that my WD Elements Drive is not supported by SmartWare, but is supported by the fictitious SmartWare Pro. Ie it’s not possible to backup the drive using WD software. I have contacted their Support to see if they can help. Otherwise I’ll be expecting a refund from WD!

cat0w · January 5, 2019, 2:15am

Did you you ever own pro and get.a activation code for it?

asdf · January 5, 2019, 8:42am

Nope! I tried putting in a random code but it didn’t accept it.

evd · February 5, 2019, 1:53pm

I had the exact same problem. I used to have a WD Elements desktop drive with complimentary WD SmartWare. Got a brandnew 4TB one, installed the new drive and WD SmartWare. After 30 days I click on “upgrade to Pro” but that is not possible and no backups anymore. Also installing the WDSmartWare again only reroutes to the ‘you have to upgrade / your 30 days trial period is over’ dead-end street. The software did work in the 30-day trial period, so why not provide a key with it?

I thought that the Arconis software was an alternative but that is a trial version of a third party, not WD SmartWare and with very limited functionality.

So, I have sourced third-party software myself for backup to replace the WDSmartWare I was used to.

asdf · February 5, 2019, 8:16pm

Thanks - looks as if I’ll have to use third party s/w then. I contacted WD separately to this thread a few weeks ago. Their customer “support” didn’t even bother to reply to my question, so I guess they’re not interested in retaining customers. They’ve just wasted a whole chunk of my time. I’ll be shopping elsewhere in the future, if I can help it.