I have a passport drive that is a couple of years old and I just got a new computer. I tried to install the Smartware software on the new computer and it wanted me to do do a firmware update along with getting a newer version of the software. I did both and they appeared to run properly. So now I have Windows release 2.4.10.17 of the WD Smartware program.
However, after getting everything installed and trying to start the automatic backup process, I realized my taskbar (along with the start button) wasn’t responding. Neither was Windows Explorer. After a couple of reboots with the same problem, I tracked it down to the new Smartware programs that were loading at Startup and turned them off. Now my taskbar and start button work properly again, but I have no backup software.
I really don’t have any idea where to start to fix this. Any ideas what I can do to make it work without affecting the taskbar? Thanks very much
Welcome to the Community.
Have you tried re-installing the application? Does WD SmartWare manually open if you run it from your list of programs?
No I haven’t tried re-installing it. I am hesitant to do so without changing SOMETHING, otherwise I can only expect it will do the same thing. I did run the program from the start menu - it did open but after a few minutes my taskbar stopped working. That is when I started to put two and two together and realized what was causing the problem. Basically, it disabled the taskbar whether I opened the program or not - disabling the program in startup is what fixed the problem. Which I assume means that I could run manual backups but won’t be able to use the continuous backup feature until I re-enable the startup item.
Maybe you should try contacting WD’s Technical Support about this. You can do so either by phone or email.
To Contact WD for Technical Support
http://support.wdc.com/contact/index.asp?lang=en
Support by Country
http://support.wdc.com/country/index.asp
