Why bother with wd exrernal hd's!

[Garry]

I purchased a 750 GB ext.HD ( My Book Essentials)…just 5 days ago. i wished I had not, matter of fact may return it…

Reason-- I have dealt with WD’s support phone line folks ( 3 times now) consuming hours of time and they are unable to help me to download “prompted” software update. Even when I follow the instructions like disabling security, etc., I can’t even get the firmware to download…when I go thru the steps, all that happens is my “Canon” digital software .exe file kicks in and that’s the end of it.

“Level 2” support suggested that I remove the camera software and try again… so much for “smartware” on WD’s part. Then if I do that, what then…remove something else???

Surely something as simple as a software update can not be that complicated. I have a Windows Vista 32bit o/s on a HP desktop with a quad processor.

I guess the solution is to wait and see if others have had this problem… OR… RETURN THE HARD DRIVE TO BEST BUY AND GET MONEY BACK!

I’ll wait for any tips for awhile! Thanks in advance!

Very frustrating…Garry

[Sidney]

I agree… Western Digital’s HDDs   “DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY WITH WINDOWS 7 or VISTA”   Do not waste your money… If you are able, return it and buy another brand… You’ll be glad you did!     In addition, their customer service is worthless.

[SoggyBottom81]

I can not believe that so much work has to be put into something you pay for. Why sell it if it has so many problems WD?

[Garry]

I was away for a week and had my computer shut off. When I turned it on, the WD external harddrive had a new look. The outside light was working. When I clicked on the “Smartware” to see the status of the copied files, it now shows “o files” backed up but the files that were backed up show up on the MY Book Essential Drive in "dark grey ( not blue). I checked the diagnostic’s and all is ok. When I try to use the “back up” button, nothing happens… It appears that nothing is being backed up after the initial backup.

When I called for assistance, the chap in India told me to delete the “folder” in the Ext. HD labeled “WD_smartware” and try backing up from scratch. I did not do this as yet as I was concerned it might delete the software on the My Book Essentials HD causing even bigger problems.

Can anybody shed any light on what the heck is going on and advice to get my HD functioning again?

PS– I still have not been able to download the latest version of firmware and smartware after imput from a “level 2” support at WD.

Any advice would be appreciated before I take a hammer to this 750GB external harddrive put out by Western Digital.

Thanks in advance

[Garry]

Ext.HD–750GB Mt book essential:

 

As I am unable to download updates to the smartware and my Ext harddrive does not back anymore, can someone assist me on how to delete what is on my Ext HD? Where I bought this HD, they said to return it for a refund but before i do i would like to ‘clean’ all personal data that backed up on the inital installation.

 

When i go to delete, are ther any ramifications to my computer (drive c)?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks so much.

[Need_Headstack]

I’ve had mine since 2006, I did forget to back up the back up and now I need a headstack to recover. For the most part i was able to register and get a download for a reformatted drive and post in the forum all within minutes. I’m sorry that for you it has been frustrating, for me I own five and this is the first crash since 2006. Best of luck to you.

[Sidney]

    I want to retract my previous comments about Western Digital …  Apparently Western Digital is an outstanding company… When they got wind of my problems, they were more than willing to assist me.  Although my warranty had expired, they still assisted me in getting a new drive that was compatible with Windows 7.  The customer service personnel contacted me numeous times to ensure my problem was resolved…   The new drive I received is fantastic. I am very happy with it and Western Digital.    This is truely a fine company.  I am again a Western Digital customer and will continue purchasing their products because of the great customer service they provide.