I have searched this forum and the knowledge base, but without result.
I recently purchased a Seagate 1TB external HDD to replace my 500GB WD unit, which was in service elsewhere. I uninstalled WD Smartware via Control Panel, Programs and features. (Windows 7 64-bit).
After installing and using the new Seagate backup successfully for a few days, it began to throw errors, eg the drive letter dropping off “My Computer”, a message appearing saying “you need to format this drive before use…”, etc, plus the Seagate backup software seemed flaky.
After about a week the new backup unit died (constant clicking, aka click of death). I obtained a replacement under warranty.
The new unit started misbehaving also. On a hunch, I went looking for traces of WD, and I found 3 services that were still enabled, and a start up program, I disabled all of them, andthe new unit is now functioning perfectly.
The lesson is, if you are replacing a backup unit from another manufacturer, uninstall it AND check for running services (services.exe) and programs in the system configuration start-up (msconfig).
