Firmware update in endless loop -- what do I do?

I have a MyBook Essentials 2.0Tb drive and when adding it to a new laptop, I ran the update which recommended a firmware update.

I downloaded it and executed it after turning off anti-virus and any other programs I thought might access the drive.

I has now been running for over an hour.  The progress bar is in an endless loop of zipping across to about 80% done and then resetting back to the beginning.  The exit button is grayed out.  The activity light on the drive is flashing.  However, the CPU usage of the WD Updater is mostly 0%.

What is going on?  I can’t imagine that the firmware udpate would take this long, but then I’m worried if I interrupt it abnormally it may compromise the firmware.  I searched on-line and turned up something similar noted about 3 years ago, but there was no useful resolution provided.  I haven’t seen any other entries.

I would appreciate some help ASAP as I don’t want to leave this going all night.  THANKS!

Hello, try turning of the laptop, disconnect the My Book, turn on the laptop and then reconnect the My Book. Note that the firmware update is optional, if everything is working fine you don’t need to do it.