Using the WD SmartWare icon
The WD SmartWare™ icon is in the system tray portion of the Windows taskbar. By clicking the icon, you can:
Opening the WD SmartWare software
If the WD SmartWare software does not start automatically, you can start it by:
- Double-clicking the WD SmartWare icon
- Left- or right-clicking the WD SmartWare icon and selecting WD SmartWare
Note: You can also start the WD SmartWare software by clicking Start > (All) Programs > WD SmartWare > WDSmartWare
Checking the drive status
Hover the pointer over the WD SmartWare icon in the taskbar to see the percent of capacity used, temperature status, and find out if the drive is locked.
Safely disconnecting the drive
CAUTION! To prevent data loss, always close all active windows and applications before disconnecting the drive.
Right-click the WD SmartWare icon in the taskbar and select the Safely remove ... option for your My Book or My Passport drive.
Always wait for the power/activity LED to turn off before disconnecting the drive from the computer.
Note: You can also safely disconnect the drive by pressing the power button on the back of My Book drives that have one.
Monitoring icon alerts
The WD SmartWare icon in the taskbar flashes colors to indicate drive status:
Managing drive security
Drive security management includes:
Password protecting the drive
CAUTION! The WD SmartWare software uses your password to electronically lock and unlock your drive. If you forget your password, you will not be able to access the data that is on the drive or write new data to it. You will have to erase the drive before you can use it again.
To create a password and keep others from accessing the files on your drive:
- Click the Settings tab to display either the WD SmartWare Settings tab display or the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- If you opened the WD SmartWare Settings tab display, click Set Up Drive to display the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- On the Drive Settings screen, click Security to display the Set Security dialog.
- On the Set Security dialog:
- Type your password in the Choose a password box, using up to 25 characters.
- Retype your password in the Verify password box.
- Type a hint to help remember your password in the Password hint box.
- Select the Remember my password on this computer check box if you want the WD SmartWare software to remember your password for the selected drive on this computer.
Note: This function remembers the password for your currently logged on user name. If you log on as a different user, you will have to type your password and repeat this selection.
- Read the warning about the possibility of data loss if your forget your password and select the I understand check box to signify that you accept the risk.
- Click Save Security Settings to save your password and enable password protection for your drive.
CAUTION! After creating a password, the drive remains unlocked for as long as you continue your current work session. Then the WD SmartWare software:
- Locks the drive when you shut down your computer, disconnect your drive, or—depending on its configuration—your computer goes into the sleep mode
- Requires you to type your password to unlock the drive when you restart your computer or reconnect your drive, UNLESS you selected the Remember my password on this computer check box when you created your password
Unlocking the drive
After you have created a password to protect your drive, unless you selected the Remember my password on this computer check box, you will have to type your password to unlock the drive whenever:
- You shut down and restart your computer
- You disconnect and reconnect the drive
- Depending on its configuration, your computer exits the sleep mode
You will have to do this even if you do not have the WD SmartWare software installed on your computer.
Unlocking the drive with the WD SmartWare software
Whenever you shut down and restart your computer, or disconnect and reconnect the drive, unless you selected the Remember my password on this computer check box when you created your password, the WD SmartWare software displays a Drive is locked message in place of the content gauge for your My Book or My Passport drive.
To unlock your drive using the WD SmartWare software:
- Click the My Book or My Passport image above the Drive is locked message to
display the WD SmartWare drive unlock screen.
- On the drive unlock screen, type your password in the Password box.
- Click Unlock to unlock your drive and enable the WD SmartWare software.
Unlocking the drive without the WD SmartWare software
Whenever you connect your password-protected My Book or My Passport drive to a computer that does not have the WD SmartWare software installed, you can use the WD SmartWare Drive Unlock utility to unlock the drive there. The WD SmartWare software provides the Drive Unlock utility on a virtual CD drive that appears under My Computer in the Windows Explorer display.
To unlock the drive without the WD SmartWare software:
- Start the WD SmartWare Drive Unlock utility by either:
- Using your computer's file management utility to open the WD Unlocker virtual CD and double-clicking the Unlock.exe file
- Clicking Start > My computer and double-clicking the WD Unlocker virtual CD icon under Devices with Removable Storage
- Type your password in the Password box and click Unlock to unlock your drive.
- At the Your drive is now unlocked prompt, click Exit to close the WD SmartWare Drive Unlock utility.
Changing your password
To change your password:
- Click the Settings tab to display either the WD SmartWare Settings tab or the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- If you opened the WD SmartWare Settings tab, click Set Up Drive to display the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- On the Drive Settings screen, click Security to display the Your Drive is Secure dialog.
- On the Your Drive is Secure dialog:
- Type your current password in the Password box.
- Select the Change password option.
- Type your new password in the New password box, using up to 25 characters.
- Retype your new password in the Verify password box.
- Type a hint to help remember your password in the Password hint box.
- Select or clear the Remember my password on this computer check box to signify whether you want the WD SmartWare software to remember your password for the selected drive on this computer.
Note: This function remembers the password for your currently logged on user name. If you log on as a different user, you will have to type your password and repeat this selection.
- Click Update Security Settings to change your password.
Turning off the drive lock feature
To remove password protection:
- Click the Settings tab to display either the WD SmartWare Settings tab or the WD Smartware Drive Settings screen.
- If you opened the WD SmartWare Settings tab, click Set Up Drive to display the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- On the Your Drive is Secure dialog:
- Type your password in the Password box.
- Select the Remove security option.
- Click Update Security Settings to remove password protection from your drive and redisplay the Set Security dialog.
Customizing the drive settings
You can customize the drive settings by:
Naming the drive
Some configurations of the following drives have a customizable label that you can use to name your drive:
- My Book Elite
- My Book Studio
- My Passport Studio
The name that you specify remains on your drive even when it is turned off or disconnected from your computer.
To specify a name for your drive:
- Click the Settings tab to display either the WD SmartWare Settings tab or the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- If you opened the WD SmartWare Settings tab, click Set Up Drive to display the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- On the Drive Settings screen, click Label to display the Set Label dialog.
- On the Set Label dialog:
- Type a name for your drive in the Label box.
- Select or clear the Invert label check box to establish the label presentation that you want—dark text against a light background, or vice versa.
- Click Save Settings to apply the label to your drive.
Setting the drive sleep timer
The drive sleep timer turns off power to your drive after a certain period of inactivity to conserve power and minimize long-term wear on the drive.
The initial/default value is after 30 minutes.
To set the drive sleep timer:
- Click the Settings tab to display either the WD SmartWare Settings tab or the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- If you opened the WD SmartWare Settings tab, click Set Up Drive to display the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- On the Drive Settings screen, click Sleep Timer to display the Set Sleep Timer dialog.
- On the Set Sleep Timer dialog:
- In the Turn off Drive box, select the inactivity period at which you want to turn off the drive. The options are:
- After 10 minutes
- After 15 minutes
- After 30 minutes
- After 45 minutes
- After 90 minutes
- Never
- Click Set Timer to save and implement your sleep timer selection.
Checking drive health
The WD SmartWare software has several built-in diagnostic tools to help make sure that your drive is performing well. Run the following tests if you are concerned that your drive is not operating properly:
- Quick SMART Status Check
SMART. is a failure-prediction function that continuously monitors key
internal performance attributes of the drive. A detected increase in drive
temperature, noise, or read/write errors, for example, can provide an
indication that the drive might be approaching a serious failure condition.
With advanced warning, you could take precautionary measures, like
moving your data to another drive, before a failure occurs.
The result of a quick SMART status check is a pass or fail evaluation of
the drive's condition.
- Quick Drive Test
Your My Book or My Passport drive has a built-in Data Lifeguard diagnostic utility that
tests the drive for error conditions. The quick drive test checks the drive
for major performance problems.
The result of a quick drive test is a pass or fail evaluation of the drive's
condition.
- Complete Drive Test
The most comprehensive drive diagnostic is the complete drive test. It
methodically tests every sector for error conditions, and inserts bad sector
markers as required.
To run drive diagnostics and status checks:
- Click the Settings tab to display either the WD SmartWare Settings tab or the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- If you opened the WD SmartWare Settings tab, click Set Up Drive to display the WD SmartWare Drive Settings screen.
- On the Drive Settings screen, click Diagnostics to display the Run Diagnostics dialog.
- On the Run Diagnostics dialog, click the button for the test that you want to run:
- Quick SMART Status
- Quick Drive Test
- Complete Drive Test
Registering the drive
The WD SmartWare software uses your computer's Internet connection to register your drive. To register your drive to receive free technical support during the warranty period and and be kept up to date on the latest WD products:
- Make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet.
- On the Drive Settings screen, click Registration to display the Register Drive dialog.
- Type your first name in the First name box.
- Type your last name in the Last name box.
- Type your e-mail address in the E-mail address box.
- Select your language in the Preferred language box.
- Select or clear the Yes, I want to receive communication... check box to specify whether or not you want to receive e-mail notifications about software updates, product enhancements, and price discount opportunities.
- Click Register Drive to register your drive.
Erasing the drive
CAUTION! Erasing your drive permanently deletes all of the data on the drive. Always make sure that you no longer need any of the data on the drive before erasing it.
Note: Erasing your drive also deletes the WD SmartWare software and all of the support files, utilities, online help, and user manual files. You can download these to restore your My Book or My Passport to its original configuration after erasing the drive.
The WD SmartWare software provides two ways to erase your drive, depending on whether it is locked or not:
Using the Drive Settings Drive Erase function
To erase your My Book or My Passport drive when it is not locked:
- On the Drive Settings screen, click Drive Erase to display the Erase Drive dialog.
- Read the warning about the loss of data if you erase your drive.
- Click the I understand check box to signify that you accept the risk.
- Click Drive Erase to erase your drive.
Using the Drive Unlock utility
To erase your My Book or My Passport drive when it is locked and you have forgotten or lost your password:
- If you do not see a prompt to provide your password, then either:
- Click the drive image above the Drive is locked message on the Home tab to display the WD SmartWare drive unlock dialog.
- Use your computer's file management utility to open the WD Unlock virtual CD and double-click the Unlock.exe file.
- Click Start > My Computer, open the WD Unlock virtual CD listing under Devices with Removable Storage, and double-click the Unlock.exe file.
- Make five attempts to unlock the drive by:
- Typing a password in the Password box.
- Clicking Unlock.
- The fifth invalid password attempt displays the Too Many Password Attempts dialog.
- Read the warning about the loss of data if you erase your drive.
- Click the I understand check box to signify that you accept the risk.
- Click Drive Erase to erase your drive.
Customizing the software settings
You can customize the software settings by:
Specifying the number of backup versions to keep
The WD SmartWare software can keep up to 25 older versions of each file. If you overwrite or delete a file by mistake, or want to see the file a couple of versions ago, the WD SmartWare software has a copy for you. You always have the most-recent specified number of versions of each file available for retrieves, and you can choose to keep from 1 to 25 versions.
The default number of versions is 5. After you reach the specified number of versions for a file, the WD SmartWare software deletes the oldest version before backing up a new one.
Keeping more versions:
- Improves your ability to retrieve files from a longer back-in-time period
- Consumes more disk space
To specify the number of backup versions that you want to keep for each file:
- On the Software Settings screen, click File History to display the Set File History dialog.
- In the Enter the number of backup versions to keep for each file box, specify the number of file versions that you want to keep (from 1 to 25).
- Click Apply to save and implement the new number of backup versions.
Pausing backups until your computer is idle
A large backup can take a lot of time,
and can consume a lot of your system processing resources. The WD SmartWare software works in the background using minimal computer resources while you are
working on your computer. If you want to pause all backup activity until your computer is idle:
- On the Software Settings screen, click Backup Speed to display the Reduce Backup Speed dialog.
- Select or clear the Run backup when computer is idle check box to enable or disable the Backup Speed option.
Specifying a different retrieve folder
When you start a retrieve, you can choose whether you want to copy the retrieved files to
either:
- Their original locations on your computer
- A Retrieved Content folder
By default, the WD SmartWare software creates and uses a Retrieved Content subfolder in your My Documents folder. To specify a different folder:
- Either create a new folder or determine which existing folder you want to use.
- On the Software Settings screen, click Retrieve Folder to
display the Set Retrieve Folder dialog.
- Click Browse and use the browse function to identify the new retrieve folder.
- Click Apply to save and implement the new retrieve folder.
Checking for software updates
When enabled, each time you reconnect your My Book or My Passport drive to your computer, this
Preferences option checks for software updates. This ensures that you are always using
the most-recent software version.
To enable or disable the Preferences option:
- On either the Software Settings screen or the drive
management Drive Settings screen, click Preferences to
display the Set Preferences dialog.
- Select or clear the Automatically check for WD SmartWare software updates
check box to enable or disable the Preferences option.
Enabling the backup and retrieve functions
If you selected Install Drive Settings at the What would you like to do? prompt on the
Welcome to WD SmartWare screen and now want to enable the backup and retrieve functions:
- On the drive management Drive Settings screen, click Preferences to display the Set Preferences dialog.
- Select the Enable Backup and Retrieve functions check box.
- Click Enable Backup Now to:
- Add the Backup and Retrieve tabs to the Home screen display
- Add the Set Up Software and Set Up Drive options to the Settings screen display
- Remove the Preferences option from the Drive Settings display
Uninstalling the WD SmartWare software
IMPORTANT: Uninstalling the WD SmartWare software deletes all existing backup job configurations. Your backups will still be there, but you will have to manually restart each one after reinstalling the WD SmartWare software.
Use your operating system's Add or Remove Programs function to uninstall the WD SmartWare software.
Uninstalling on Windows XP
- Click Start > Control Panel.
- Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
- Select WD SmartWare and click Remove.
- Click Yes at the Are you sure... prompt.
Uninstalling on Windows 7 or Vista
- Click Start > Control Panel.
- Double-click Programs and Features.
- Click WD SmartWare or the WD SmartWare icon and click Uninstall/Change at the
top of the screen.
- Click Yes at the Do you wish to proceed... prompt.
Restoring the WD SmartWare software and disk image
In addition to deleting all of the data on your My Book or My Passport drive, erasing or reformatting the
drive also removes the WD SmartWare software and all of the support files, utilities,
online help and user manual files.
If you ever need to remove and reinstall the WD SmartWare software on your computer,
or move the drive to another computer and install the software there, you will need to
restore the WD SmartWare software and disk image on your My Book or My Passport drive. To do this, after you have erased or reformatted the drive, see Knowledge Base answer ID #5419 at http://support.wdc.com.