Remove Password for My Passport Essential 500 GB portable hard drive

WD External and Portable SSD Portable SSD
1

Smartware doesn’t show the unlocked drive in the settings tab so I can’t select the security option to remove the password.  I can unlock the drive and see all the files.

The drive is displayed on the home tab.  Is there some software that I haven’t installed yet that I need to?

I have read the manual but it is no help here as it assumes the drive is displayed in the settings tab.  The computer the WD is connected to is displayed under settings but not the WD.

I want to remove the password so it doesnt stop my EaseUS automated backup from starting.

Any thoughts?

2

I would uninstall the Smartware and reformatt the drive and then start out clean.

Joe

3

I will give it a try unless there are some other suggestions.  I dont want to have to wipe the backups that have already been done - which will happen with a reformat!

Thx

4

I did it without reformatting.

These are the steps but I didn’t repeat to confirm as I was working on someone else’s computer.

  1. Connected WD drive but didn’t unlock

  2. Started Smartware

  3. In the Home tab clicked on WD drive

  4. Unlocked

  5. Settings tab

  6. Drive settings

  7. Security

  8. then I was able to remove the password.

I suspect not being able to display the  Drive Settings originally was due to unlocking the drive before starting up Smartware.  Maybe this is some type of security feature or just how it works but it is not highlighted anywhere NOT to unlock the drive before going into Smartware to remove password.  

Of course it doesn’t say to unlock it either but you are prompted quite a few times along the way.

Hopefully this is useful for someone in the future. 

1 Like
5

Hopefully people will read aussieD’s correct solution before seeing Joe_S since clearly reformatting the drive is the last option anyone wants.

Funny how this poor recommendation mentions clicking the Kudos Star LOL.

Sincerely,

Larry S. Peteet