Software Update - WD SmartWare Version 1.6.0 for Windows (5/9/12) [ Edited ]

[Watchful]

A few further thoughts.

From looking at Windows Explorer my main PST file has now been backed up twice more.  I don’t know why it works some times but it takes a very long time ie hours with Outlook closed whereas it was minutes on SW 1.5.4.5.  I’ve tried disabling the anti virus and firewall but these don’t seem to make any difference.

SmartWare 1.5.4.5 started backing up files the moment the computer was switched on.  I presume this was the activity performed by WDFME.exe, with all the resource hogging problems.

It appears that with SW 1.6 the backing up is not commenced until SmartWare has been opened, eg from Quick View.  This is an important difference – the process is hardly automatic and continuous if you have to switch it on.

[EDIT 17 MAY 2012.  This morning WDBackupEngine.exe and WDRulesEngine.exe started when the computer was switched on, and did the same after a restart, so this may have been resolved.]

If I leave SmartWare open it seems to wait until it has completed the Categorisation phase and moved to Welcome before it starts any backing up. This may take some time – tens of minutes or more (I wonder if it’s stalled over the PST files).  However, if I exit SmartWare before Categorisation is complete it backs up the non-PST files immediately.

From checking Task Manager it appears that WDDMStatus.exe and WDDriveService.exe start when the computer is switched on but WDBackupEngine.exe, WDSmartWare.exe and WDRulesEngine.exe only start when the SmartWare is turned on.  Selecting Exit SmartWare closes WDSmartWare.exe, but leaves the other processes running so that backup will continue. WDSmartWare.exe is the main resource user for me during Categorisation (perhaps those PST files again), although it does allow other processes to run, but falls back to a low level when Categorisation has finished.  WDBackupEngine.exe drops back to 00 CPU and modest RAM when it has finished backing up.

On what might be a trivial point, has anyone else noticed that the names are missing from the Backup etc tabs from time to time?

[dcline]

I am not sure what you mean by Names in the Backup tab.

I only see the the drive I am backing up on the left side (my D drive) and the Passport drive on the right side.

Both sides show the Categories only.  If you click on the little arrow in the middle of the screen the the Advanced window opens up and allows you to check or unchecked Categories.

I still want to find out if this update still does File/Folder backups as the previous software did.

Western Digital.....Can this software do File/Folder backups? If so how?

[wojtekj]

For me it is no sense to try Smartware until it will be repaired. Now I am trying Genie Timline. I will write if the results will be good.

[Watchful]

Hi dcline,

If you open SmartWare from Quick View there should be five tabs labelled Home, Backup, Retrieve, Settings, and Help.  Sometimes I have found that some or all of these tabs are blank, ie they have no names displayed.

You will see from my post that I only have 5 services running including WDBackupEngine.exe which you don’t appear to have but excluding WDDMService.exe and WDSmartWareBackgroundService.exe.  I’m running XP and I presume you are running something else.

My Help tab says version 1.6.0.  My Settings tab says version 1.6.0 until I click the Passport icon to remove the greying from the Backup and Retrieve tabs.  It then says nothing about version number.

My Backup tab has a ‘switch to file backup’ button but I haven’t tried to use it.

[dcline]

Hello Watchful,

I am running XP SP3.   I have never seen a 5th tab called HELP.  I have a small blue box with the letter "i" in it on the far right.  If I click on it I get a screen that opens and says Help. There is an About button and when clicked it says WD SmartWare version 1.2.0.8.   I am amazed at the differences in screens between similar systems and we have no documentation to tell us anything.

I have just powered up my pc today and have not connected my Passport Essentials USB drive yet. My CPU is being consumed (90%) by WDSmartWare.exe.   When I look at Task manager I now have the previous 6 processes running I mentioned and the WDBackupEngine.exe is there now. Total of 7 processes. But only the WDSmartWare is consuming the CPU. I will wait a little while to see if SmartWare settles down before connecting my Passport Essentials drive.  Last time I tried to hook it up the SmartWare sw did not see it.

I used to have a "switch to file backup" as well.  Now it is gone.

[Lucky_Phil]

I've given up now.

Version 1.6.0 seemed to work OK with one user on my Windows 7 64 bit system.

However, once I logged out and logged in with a different user (both admin ids) the backup software ran at 50% constantly even after stopping the backup - after it had completed backing up.

I have uninstalled SmartWare and will use Retrospect instead.

Good luck everyone.

[Watchful]

Hello dcline,

There is some documentation at http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705054.pdf but it is out of date (Feb 2011).  The screenshot at Figure 7 sounds like the one you describe.  Mine has a fifth tab for Help as well as the small ‘i’ button.

It sounds as if your update to 1.6 has not taken place correctly.  ‘Update’ is a misleading word because it does not require any previous version and it is better to uninstall earlier versions completely before you start – see my post on page 1 of this string for what I did, and even then it still has faults.

I find WDSmartWare.exe uses a lot of resources when ‘categorising’ but, unlike WDFME, does allow other services to run.  I’ve found that if the overall SmartWare package is working correctly I can ‘Exit SmartWare’ (which closes WDSmartWare.exe) and leave the backup running in the background which saves resources.

[Wizer]

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dcline wrote:

I am not sure what you mean by Names in the Backup tab.

I only see the the drive I am backing up on the left side (my D drive) and the Passport drive on the right side.

Both sides show the Categories only.  If you click on the little arrow in the middle of the screen the the Advanced window opens up and allows you to check or unchecked Categories.

I still want to find out if this update still does File/Folder backups as the previous software did.

Western Digital.....Can this software do File/Folder backups? If so how?

---

Dude easy with the caps..

You are not running the latest version of Smartware and yes that version does allow for file/folder backup

If you want WD support you can contact them directly on their web

[dcline]

Sorry for the large yellow words,but this software deserves it.

When I see the problems that others are having and the problems that I am having - you sometimes have to vent your anger.

I had the ability to do File/Folder backup before the 1.6.0 upgrade.  Then it disappeared.  Then it would not even see my Passport Essential drive. And you tell me I am not on the latest SmartWare...!

An "Upgrade" should not do that. 

This is "Retrograde" software.

And I do not like being a beta tester for their non-primetime software.

I have uninstalled it.

Thank you.

[AzLady]

Not to rub salt into a wound, but I have done the same things you have and have also been terribly disapointed in the help received from the 'techs' who should know about these things and have either solutions, or at the very least an explanation as to why things aren't working and perhaps telling us that they know about these problems we are all complaining about and are working on solutions so we know help is on the way.