First time user Pissed beyond belief

WD External and Portable SSD External SSD for Windows
1

Hey, Always hated the idea of these drives cause All i ever hear is that they fail and that all stuff gets lost. But since I figured I needed to finally backup my RAW files I should get the WD My Book Essential 1TB 3.0/2.0

So I was surprised by the fact there was no manual or CD or anything in the box. It said to just plug it in and everything would be OK, no drivers no nothing. Plugged it in, I see the little hardware icon moving about and then it asks for drivers. Figures, so then I check “My Computer” and I see it there “My book (F:)” I click on it and there is a bunch of folders in there, Extras/User Manuals/WD Smartware/WD Smartware for Mac/WD Quick Formatter/ and WD SmartWare. So now the big question is why does the little " InstallingHardware Icon"  down on the taskbar say it never installed properly when I can clearly see it here, does that mean everything is fine?? Well if it is then where do I go next, which freakin thing am I supposed to click, course they don’t tell me. 

So now I go to the Support section of their website, I try to log in, it says the password is wrong, So I try again but with caps on the first part of my password (maybe I used caps without thinking about it) and it works, good , first hurdle cleared, go to the FAQ and read nothing but stuff saying “no drivers needed” and to tell you the truth I am so tired of these support question things, they never really answer my question neatly. So I go to the Contact us page and it asks me to log in, once again the password fails with Caps and without, so I ask for a new password and says it will email me a page to change it, I wait and wait and nothing, I keep trying and it says the account might be disabled, Now I am pissed, it’s 9:00 PM and their call center is closed. 

Soooo…

Is my drive installed even though “New hardware icon” says it didn’t install correctly??

What am I supposed to do next after seeing all the folders??

Do I have to use smartware to copy my files to the drive??

Should I delete the Folders on the drive??

Why is my account suddenly disabled when I need it most??

I am using a Dell Inspiron 530 from like 2008 (I think) on Vista. Not connected to the internet. Photographer-don’t need internet ruining my comp and Security software UPdates slowing it down.

Someone please help me out.

2

You might be lacking drivers if Windows is not up to date. If you don’t have SP2 I would suggest installing it. You can download the standalone version on a different PC and burn it to disk and update the one not online.

Joe

1 Like
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Yea well I took a look at the User manual on the drive and it had a line that interested me. Its said when the “New hardware” Tab comes up close it and go to the WD smartware on the drive, it has the drivers needed. So i’m trying the way the user manual is telling me.

I also clicked on the “New hardware Icon” that had said it hadn’t installed correctly. Up came a more detail list, the first two installed successfully but the last one didn’t, I can’t find it now but I think it said “SES USB Drive” in it, thats the one that failed.

We’ll see in a few minutes if it all works, still going to call the center tomorrow and check if things are done right.

4

seems to be stuck on 25 seconds till completion. I hate waiting for this kind of stuff.

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STILL STUCK AT 25 seconds til completion. I’ll eat my left shoe if this all works. Might just take it back and invest in DVD’s for backup at this rate.

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Windows asked to restart to do updates while it was still installing, said postpone, installation finished after being stuck on 25 second till done for 15 minutes. Now to figure out this whole password stuff, don’t want to have a password and I don’t want it to automatically backup, had to skip the backup cause it was trying to. Oh the wonders of computer technology. 

7

You don’t need to install Smartware or use a password that is optional. You can uninstall the Smartware if you don’t want to use it it.

Joe

1 Like
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Thanks joe I might just do that if the software is a large program and hogs memory.

Seems to be working now, shut off security, Discarded using Smartware to back up data cause I couldn’t find a way to choose which files I wanted besides generic Pictures/Music/Videos. So I’m just gonna put the files in there manually and create my own timelines for backing up. So far severely disappointed with ease of use, the complete lack of step by step guidance is just stupid of their part, I chose WD over Seagate because of the price and ratings I saw, I probably wouldn’t recommend WD for ease of use so far, but there is some hope as long as this thing works for the next few days with no signs of problems. Probably will get a Seagate for a mirror so that I don’t have to go through this again. Get your act together WD.

Still no word on my new password E-mail and I still can’t contact them, still says user name or password is incorrect or the account has been disabled. 

9

You would have been better off with a drive like Elements it’s simply plug and play nothing to install.

Joe