I have 3 computer drives in my computer. I need to be able to separate this stuff. The WD Smartware seems to keep the “backup location” hidden on the mypassport drive. How do I specify the mypassport folder that I want my backed up files to go to?
I have returned the myPassport wireless drive, I hope I don’t have to return this as well…because it will be Seagate all the way after this.
There’s nothing hidden about it. It will by default be in the Smartware.stor folder in the root of the drive. If you want to put it somewhere else, when you are on the main Smartware screen (the one where you select the target drive), just underneath the drive icons are little white drop-down boxes - click on the one under the relevant drive and in there you can set the location.
Note that this just sets where Smartware targets the Smartware.stor folder (to create if it doesn’t exist or use if it already does). The back-ups always go inside that folder, firstly by device name and then underneath that by drive on that device. This structure is fixed and not changeable, as Smartware is designed to backup multiple devices onto the same target drive (usually a NAS) so that this can be done with all the backups remaining separate and distinct.
Also this is a WD user forum, no-one from WD themselves actively views them (although the moderators do their best to escalate needy trouble cases to the WD support team). So I doubt most account holders here particularly care whether you use WD or Seagate to be honest. Around here we’re all just WD users who like to try and help out fellow users if they have problems.
[quote]If you want to put it somewhere else, when you are on the main Smartware screen (the one where you select the target drive), just underneath the drive icons are little white drop-down boxes - click on the one under the relevant drive and in there you can set the location.
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I’m looking at WD Smartware, right now, selecting the Mybackup tab. I see the F:\ my passport drive and I don’t see any little white drop-down boxes???
I’m a software programmer and there is absolutely NO reason whatsoever that the “destination” location HAS to be fixed per your message. The system can catalog in a database file, the computer, drive, date, and the location the user specified just as well as some “fixed” location which the user has “to hope exists” and has to “hope the software” put it in the right place. That is the opposite of security and knowing your backup is and where it is. As a programmer, I call that “poor programming and execution” of a “principal marketing task”.
Sorry, you’re right - I mistook my NAS’s entry (which has the box to select the target share) for my MyPassport, which doesn’t have the option. It’ll just backup to the Smartware.stor folder in the root.
As to location - Smartware is more designed to work with NAS drives than the directly connected MyPassport (although it can work with it of course). In that context it does have more options, but it looks like for the MP it’s more fixed as it’s only seeing it as a single share. There’s nothing about hoping it exists, if the folder doesn’t exist then Smartware will make it.
If you were to say that Smartware isn’t the best or most well designed/executed piece of software I wouldn’t argue with you at all. It may be that WD Backup (which is designed for use with drives like the MP) may give more options. There I have no idea though, as I’ve not used it (my backup target is my MyCloud Mirror NAS, for which Smartware works fine as I have a dedicated share for Smartware containing the Smartware.stor folder).
