Question

I recently got a Western Digital MyBook external hard drive to enable Time Machine. It has it's software installed on a "virtual CD" called "WD SmartWare" which shows up on the desktop any time the drive is plugged in. Since I will use this virtual drive only very rarely, how can I hide it from the desktop, while allowing other CDs to show up?

Answer 1

WD has posted the steps to remove the Smartware and its VCD, Mac or Windows...

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdsmartwareutilities

Answer 2

On Mac OS X you can unmount the SmartWare partition for good by editing /etc/fstab and adding a line:

UUID=your_smartware_partitions_uuid_here none hfs rw,noauto 0 0

You'll get the UUID by typing diskutil info /Volumes/WD\ SmartWare within Terminal.app.

A one liner for this:

sudo sh -c "echo UUID=`diskutil info /Volumes/WD\ SmartWare/ | grep 'UUID' | awk '{print $NF}'` none hfs rw,noauto 0 0 >> /etc/fstab"

Answer 3

The instructions at this link will allow you to disable the VCD firmware: http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdsmartwareutilities

Answer 4

For OSX it looks like the only way to unmount the VCD is to have their crap...ah..er smartware installed.

1) Run the WD Smartware.app in the smartware VCD
2) Select the big blue button labeled "Back Up Files"
3) Select Install
4) Accept the license agreement
5) Select continue to backup
6) Select continue
7) At prompt to label, secure or register select continue
8) At prompt to secure or register drive select continue
9) Quit smartware
10) Restart your Mac
11) A menubar dropdown icon, like the airport icon, should now be installed. Click on this and select My Book Essential.
12) Select Unmount CD

The VCD should be gone.

However, if you uninstall the smartware or just restart your computer, it comes back.

This is really annoying.

Answer 5

I was told this by Western Digital today...will give it a shot tonight..

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std%5Fadp.php?p%5Ffaqid=3779

Answer 6

I just plugged it in to one of my system. Then I booted that system up to an Xp install CD and then when given the option from the CD as to what hard-drive I wanted to install to I chose the MyBook and deleted the partition and then formatted it using the Install cd. Once tha formatting was done, I then canceled the CD boot and restarted my system. Now I have a clean MyBook with nothing on it at all, just like the darn thing is supposed to be.

Also this works for any USB.

Answer 7

For windows users:

• right click "my computer";
• Select Properties;
• Select Device Manager; (tab on windows xp, or on the left hand side of vista)
• Click the + sign to expand your "DVD/CD-ROM Drives"
• Right click "WD Virtual CD..."
• Select Disable.
• Restart your Computer. it should not appear again.. at least on this computer. you will have to repeat the process to every computer you use.

Western Digital really messed this one up. they stole almost 500MB to use to something stupid that you might not want to use ever!! and on top of that they put a proprietary usb cable.

what a dumb move!

But hope this help... sorry for the rant.

Peace

Answer 8

I just got this answer from WD support.

"The Virtual CD is the build into the firmware of the drive. There is no option to remove the virtual CD."

I am not happy about this. I have bought Three 1Tb My Books before and expected this one to be the same as the others. I cannot see anywhere on the box that it says you will be forced to have a VCD or that the drivelock program is in the firmware and cannot be removed.

I have had the experience of losing data because a backup program had the provision to used a password. Even though I had not opted for the password protection, when I needed to recover data the program wanted a password that did not exist. So I don't want a drivelock that might do the same. I don't trust it.

I am going to return the drive.

Answer 9

For Mac OS X I followed the instructions already posted above: http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdsmartwareutilitiesmac

but VCD didn't work until I changed the security preferences, which I had to do with the smartware to get rid of the password. Then after VCD worked, the My Book was still read only, so I used the smartware which was still installed to erase everything already on the drive, and then it finally worked like an external hard drive is supposed to and was read and writable (and then I deleted the smartware software I had installed on my computer)

...this hard drive was a pain in the neck

Answer 10

If you only want to use Time Machine, I'd go into the drive in Finder and delete the software.

Answer 11

Is formatting the drive an option...

Answer 12

Seems the current version (1.1.1.4 firmware) wont work with the Mac Versions of the firmware updater or the VDC disable tool.

Formatting on the Mac using Disk Utility doesn't remove the VCD either. There's no way (other than taking the disk out and formatting - warranty issues beware) of removing VCD at present. Best option is the vote with your wallet.

As for me, well the drive is going back to Apple in the morning (I have 14 days to return it, no worries about restocking fees in the UK).

So the search for a decent priced fw800 1Tb hdd continues. Seagate Freeagent 'looks' o.k. ;)

Bye bye WD until you sort your woeful applications out.

Answer 13

Hi all.

I managed to get rid of any trace of the vcd, but unfortunately before I could copy the smartware software or install it. The only reason I need the software is to change the e-label. Can anyone send me the contenets of the vcd?

by the way, I got it off by entering this one line in terminal and then formatting using diskutil:

sudo sh -c "echo UUID=diskutil info /Volumes/WD\ SmartWare/ | grep 'UUID' | awk '{print $NF}' none hfs rw,noauto 0 0 >> /etc/fstab"

Answer 14

Hi,

to clarify, the link mentioned does not work in general for MyBoook drives, though the page of WesternDigital does not mention this limitation.

I was looking for a solution to disable this crappy WD SmartWare drive for a MyBook Studio. This is the more expensive version with FireWire built in.

Following the suggestions from above, I've found out that the page mentioned above refers to MyBook drives in general. This page actually is also linked to from the product page for the MyBook Studio http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=121&lang=en (which is the exact match for the MyBook on my shelf). However, if you download and execute the Firmware update, it blames to find no Essential and Elite Edition WD MyBook. This is the case regardless with MyBook Studio connected over FireWire neither USB, have tested both, none worked. Seems like the update (including the option to get rid of this annoying-only SmartWare) is valid for Elite and Essential only, but not for the fully MyBook line.

WD support is a great disappointment here by providing dysfunctional tools. A clear no-go to me now. As I do have trouble with multiple MyBook drives to be connected, I'm going to return this drive. Thanks for the pointer on the Seagate Freeagent, which has FireWire and eSata as well.

Answer 15

You silly Windows and Mac users... victims of corporate computing companies...

The guy above with the windows install routine was close, here's a better solution from the linux open-source community.

Go here and download the live cd for the latest stable version of GPartEd:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/gparted/files/gparted-live-stable/0.5.1-1/gparted-live-0.5.1-1.zip/download

Write to ISO to a disk. With the pc set to boot from the CD and with the usb drive attached, turn on your computer. After that... RTFS!

Enjoy!

Answer 16

Gparted is a great utility, but it will not delete the VCD partition. That was the first thing I tried. I had to install their crapware to disable it.

Answer 17

With Linux, I don't find a way to delete this virtual CD. Get http://www.sysresccd.org/Main_Page burn it and boot on it.

The virtual CD of the WD USB harddrive is recognize as /dev/scd1. The data part is recognize as /dev/sdb1.

Try to use fdisk or gparted but no chance to change something on it even delete

Answer 18

Just bought this drive from costco.

Got it home to find this smartware software canot be uninstalled. I now have to take it back :(

Don't WD realise some of us need to be able to remove this to create bare drive because we use our own encryption such as pgp desktop.

very frustrating