It has its software installed on a virtual cd called wd smartware which. Wd smartware for windows supports the following operating. How to remove hidden virtual cd vcd partitions on your. It is needed in order to unlock the drive if you have it locked. On this youll find a tiny utility called wd unlocker, which as.
Solved how to unlock forgotten wd hdd smartware password. It only carries the software that allows you to password protect your drive. How to run mac os x in windows 10 with vmware unlocker. Whenever i plug this device into a computer, there is a virtual cd unit that pops up called wd unlocker, and im trying to remove it physically, instead of just hiding it i found many guides on. Unable to disable virtual cd wd unlocker on 1to hd my. Today, western digitals headquarters are located in san jose. This video covers how to disable the virtual cd on the wd passportelements drive on windows 7vista. Hi ive just bought an 1 to my passport essentials hard drive wdbabm0010bbk and although following all steps to disable the virtual cd called wd unlocker with this program. On your new my passport or my book hard drive is a small portion of drive space which has been used to create a virtual cd. Using your computers file management utility to open the wd unlocker virtual cd and doubleclicking the unlock. At that time, im expecting to see the bulk of the disk reformatted but the virtual cd unchanged.
Download wd smartware virtual cd manager accessible, small and simple software application that was created to act as a virtual cd. The vcd contains the wd smartware installation software, the encryption and password protection application, user manuals, and other resource files. Open vmware workstation and select open a virtual machine. A workaround for removing western digitals smartware virtual cd. Windows users click here a small portion of drive space on your new my passport or my book hard drive has been used to create a virtual cd vcd.
Click disk drives and check if there is a yellow exclamation mark with wd hard drive disk device. However the wd unlocker from the drive should be working fine, are you experiencing any issues. Or, you can use either the wd security or the wd drive utilities software to unlock the drive. They remain, even after erasing or reformatting the drive. A workaround for removing western digitals smartware. Western digital was formed in 1970, originally as a manufacturer of semiconductors. But this would take, as mentioned in the wd kb link you provided, about. Wd smartware unlock utility admin access windows forum.
There is some way to disable it ont eh wd support site, but it is a nightmare to do, requiring jumping between several windows. When the drive is connected to a pc, a virtual cd vcd partition runs via autorun an unlocker utility wd drive unlock. This post will cover how to remove wd smartware virtual driver from wds mybook. How do i remove a mybooks wd smartware virtual cd from my. Hopefully wd will release a removal tool in the near future. Western digitals security software allows a password to be set on the external drive, encrypting it. Page 27 knowledge base answer id 6743 for information about downloading and restoring the wd software and disk image on your my passport drive.
After installing the wd my book software to manage the external drive i noticed there was an additional drive letter. I just bought a my passport and set it up with a password. We ended up asking the user to split work data from personal data and provided them with a more mobile work device to facilitate working on the data at home. It appears that western digital has released a firmware update and a utility called vcd manager, which will prevent the virtual cd from mounting. In each case, the wd security software replaces the desktop icon for your my passport drive with the wd unlocker virtual cd vcd icon. Depending on your model of drive the content ddvice the vcd will vary, however it will always contain the wd unlocker application, and it appears on the screen each time you connect your wd drive to the computer. Giving an example with the new wd my passport ultra, and quoting its user manual p. Then, you can restart computer to see whether the wd hard drive is recognized by windows 10. It only pops up when you password protect your unit as a way to unlock it. There are various utils one is the hp format virtual cd tool and im using it now but its going to be several hours before the format is finished. Western digital is a technology company that mainly produces storage products. Ive contacted western digital and asked if they have plans to publish a firmware update with the ability to remove this software. Downloads download software and updates for your wd product at. Accessing the digital media stored on your wd external hard drives directly from your windows 8 start screen is now easier than ever.
How to remove disable hide wd smartware virtual cd vcd for. Here, you will find more information on how to erase the drive and unlock it. The silly thing is that apart from this, the drive is amazing. I searched around the internet and couldnt find a solution. A small portion of drive space on your new my passport or my book hard drive. Western digital 40mb shareware wd smartware is a backup and restore software that, boots with your machine.
If your product is not listed above, please visit the product page. How to remove wd smartware virtual drive jared heinrichs. To unlock the drive without the wd smartware software installed. How to unlock wd smart unlock of wd passport external. How to unlock a wd external drive without a password ccm. A small portion of drive space on your new my passport or my book hard drive has been used to create a virtual cd vcd. It will patch vmware workstation so it will load mac os x. Wd smartware is another great tool for recuperating access to your hard drive.
It comes installed on western digital external hard drives. Accessible, small and simple software application that was created to act as a virtual cd manager for your western digital external drive wd smartware virtual cd manager is an application developed. Thanks for the heads up but your solution is not really new. The hard disk has a software called wd smart unlock. This is not a dell hardware issue nor a dell issue. Both pieces of software are windows only, and are available here. Wd smartware virtual cd manager for windows web releasev1. Western digital drivers download for windows 10, 8, 7, xp. Start the wd smartware drive unlock utility by either. My passport ultra portable hard drive user manual western digital. Wd unlocker is just a virtual cd that is included with your drive.
Download vmware unlocker, extract it somewhere and install it. Western digital my passport user manual pdf download. How to delete wd unlocker udf partition so far i have not been successful or am i able to find any information showing how to remove a western digital wd unlocker partition. I have a wd my book 3tb storage, usb 3, and just like many other enthusiast owners of this external drive, im trying to get rid of their crapware. Free wd drive unlock software download wd drive unlock. Unlock western digital hdd using master password techno krat. I bought a wd passport essential external hard disk, copied all the stuff into it in windows 7 and got rid of windows 7. Wd smartware is a backup and restore software that, boots with your machine. Doubleclick the wd unlocker virtual cd icon on your desktop. How do you remove the wd smartware virtual cd drive from.
Hi, i just bought a my passport and set it up with a password xxxxx using wd unlocker, which works fine, but i have changed my mind and now want use it as part of an automatic backup system. Click on preferences and there is a checkbox for open wd smartware when drive is. The wd unlocker vcd provides the wd drive unlock utility that you can use to unlock the drive. The smartware virtual cd manager is a tool that lets you hide the vcd on your drive. The system interprets unlocker as a virtual cd rom which doesnt make sense to me. I went to the wd knowledge base site to find out how to get rid of the thing and read that wd did not know how to get rid of it, but was. Western digital does advertise a virtual cd utility on their site, which can disable the virtual cd device. It is all documented in the wd smartware software user manual as 1 of 3 options under using the drive unlock utility shown on page 44. I cant understand why wd would include such an obviously annoying feature with such a good. The wd passport drives have 2 drive letters because there is a partition that acts like a read only cd. It installed a pointless virtual cd drive on my system. Erasing your drive does not erase the wd drive unlock utility password protection software files that are on the drives virtual cd.
Accessible, small and simple software application that was created to act as a virtual cd manager for your western digital external drive. If your drive has the wd unlocker and not the wd smartware vcd, then just dont lock your drive and you should never see the wd unlocker. The vcd contains the wd smartware installation software, drive lock application, user manuals, and other resources, and it appears on the screen each time. How to delete wd unlocker udf partition microsoft community. Check off i understand that reformatting my drive will delete all of my data, that should ungrey format 7. If it is, right click wd hard drive, choose properties and click update driver under driver tab or click on uninstall. In the 1980s, the company shifted to the storage market and began producing many successful storage products.
Western digital wd my passport 2 tb external hard drive. June 21, 20 june 14, 2016 posted in nerdy tagged boot cd, hdd master password, hdd test, hiren boot cd 15. The program runs as a virtual cdrom drive on your system. If the my passport ssd is locked, it will show up on different host pcs as a readonly virtual cd. Even if i eject this virtual cd disk, it pops back again instantly. Select the mac os x vmx file you downloaded and open it. Although it is saved on the drive it will only occupy a very small portion of it. The wd security is a software that need to be installed on windows. A lowlevel format into a single partition did not make the vcd go. I have killed the my passport partition, which shows as unallocated disk 5, but the extra cd rom is there. With just one click of our new wd app, all your content is instantly displayed and organized so you can easily browse your photos, watch your videos, play your music and share it all with friends and family.
Using your computers file management utility and doubleclicking the wd unlocker virtual cd drive listing clicking start my computer and doubleclicking the wd unlocker virtual cd icon under devices with removable storage 2. How to disable the western digital vcd smartware on. Clicking start computer and doubleclicking the wd unlocker virtual cd icon under. Wd smartware virtual cd manager download, this software is a virtual cd manager for your wd external drive. Using your computers file management utility to open the wd unlocker virtual cd and doubleclicking the wd drive unlock. Wd passport smartdrive unlock software free download wd. Wd passport or elements usb hdd disable virtual cd vcd. Using the wd drive unlock utility to erase your my passport when the drive is locked and you have forgotten or lost your password. I never was able to find another software that did not require admin credentials at each unlock, and the smartware software is baked into the drives firmware, so it isnt easy to disable. How to solve my wd hard drive not recognized in windows 10. I recently got a western digital mybook external hard drive to enable time machine.
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