Western Digital drives lose directory in Mavericks

Just don't install WD's SmartWare or Drive Utility software. Many drive manufacturers include utilities like that but they are not required and are a common cause of problems.

Such utilities are not Apple's responsibility. Any future update OS X update isn't going to fix Western Digital's software, or anyone else's. Developers have had many months to prepare for Mavericks. If Western Digital lacked the motivation or competence to test their software for compatibility that's their problem. Don't make it yours.

... I am looking for solutions other than the one that what WD digital provided. Your post did not address that.

The solution is to not use WD's software: "Just don't install WD's SmartWare or Drive Utility software."

That recommendation will stand even after WD fixes it. If and when they ever get around to doing that, the 10.9.1 release of Mavericks or some future update may result in losing your data all over again. That was one option for which you were soliciting opinions, and that's my answer.

28 years Apple?!?! I'm 33+ and I've never seen such brilliance.

Great! It's never too late to learn.

Your disappointment is misdirected. John has nothing to do with Apple or how it sells or services its products. He's just another user like you or I who's trying to help you. Drive manufacturers software have always created problems and the best advice has always been to reformat a drive before using on a Mac. Reformatting removes all the manufacturers installed software and ensures you don't run into problems.

WD has been a source of problems long before Mavericks, you just didn't run into it. Unfortunately, Apple sells many products that are not so great. They're in the business of making money.

Also, RAID is not well suited for backup purposes. So when you get back, you may want to reconsider your backup solution. That should be TM, or a clone on a separate drive.

If you want to talk directly to Apple you can file feedback here.The more who file the more chance it will get done.

... Thought the RAID was doing that for my data.

No! A RAID is a not backup.

WD are not troublesome. I've been using them for years with no problems. However, I do keep up with firmware updates, and always check with your drive vendor before doing an OS update. And I recommend maintaining three copies of your data, with one copy stored off-site, and that is in addition to your production data (the data that is connected and available to your computer.)

Lastly, never install the initial release of an OS, at least until it's been out there for a couple of weeks and you've done your research. Best to wait for the first update.

WD is not any more or less reliable than anything else. At one point or another, every drive manufacturer has had problems resulting in thousands of "that's the last time I buy a ________ drive ever again" type complaints.

No drive manufacturer makes a consumer grade product superior to any other. It's the "free" utilities they include that are the problem. They're all equally useless. The first thing you should do with any external HD is format it using Disk Utility thereby erasing whatever junk they include.

To minimize the possibility of catastrophic data loss, maintain redundant backups, preferably created using two different techniques (Time Machine and bootable "clones" for example), and kept in separate geographic locations.

I would shop for one from a vendor known to support Macs, such as OWC / MacSales. They support everything they sell and will provide competent technical assistance. Their prices are as good as you are likely to find anywhere else, and will be much cheaper than Apple. The manufacturer of the particular disk drive mechanism used will be described on each product's specifications page, so you'll know exactly what you're buying.