Need advice on getting my external drive talking to Windows 7 again as it used to. Currently I have a blinking white light on the front of the drive enclosure but when I open the WD SmartWare application the Backup and Retrieve tabs are dim and unnaccessible. I see the Backup Source info displaying the drive to be backed up but the only thing appearing under Backup Target is a mention of Dropbox and a required login.
Also when I hover over the WD Quick View icon in the notification area I don’t see any stats like I used to which advises the status of the drive.
The WD Smartware only has a Dropbox (Login Required - Click the above drive image for access) and no hard drive listed… “Backup” and “Retrieve” is greyed out. (But the external drive does show up in “My Computer”).
WD Quick View does NOT work.
Here is the absolutely ludicus part… I restarted my computer (I have a desktop shortcut to MY Book)…
The computer restarted and there was a question mark over the shortcut and in “My Computer” the drive was not there. BUT the stupid Smartware worked… it just did not show the external drive, it only showed “C” drive and nothing to back up to.
So I restarted my computer again… now the My Book drive shows up in My Computer (and the desktop shortcut opens the drive)… BUT the stupid Smartware would not open!
I repeated this for OVER AN HOUR… If the drive was recognized by my computer then the Smartware would not work. If the drive was NOT recognized by my computer… then the Smartware would open but it would only show the “C” drive.
I finally gave up and uninstalled the Smartware programs, then reinstalled them. Now I have this stupid “Dropbox” and it doesn’t show my external drive. Although, at least now my computer AND the Smartware can both work at the same time… I just can’t back anything up.
Oh… by the way… I clicked on the “Dropbox” and got this…
Upgrade to WD Smartware Pro
To upgrade and enable backups to your WD Elements, non-WD devices, and the cloud via Dropbox, you need to buy an activation code.
Click the applicable button below to begin a free 30-day trial or activate with an activation code from WD.
[Try for Free] [Buy] [Activate] [Close]
Edit - WD support is helping me to get the drive recognized by my computer and the software at the same time (with all functionality intact). So far, so good. The software recognized the drive so I have more than just “Dropbox” available.
Reinstalling the software again and they are going to have me run a check on the external drive.
Glad to hear that you are being assisted by WD Support.
hankv, Make sure that the drive is properly attached to the computer and if possible test the unit with a different cable. If you are able to see the drive properly under my computer, then re-install the WD Smartware on your computer.
