Can't remove Smartware on Western Digital My Book Essential external drive

See this article.

I have no idea. I just Googled your problem and came across that article. Since i don't know what you did I don't know if you did anything wrong.

Stuart, I might consider returning the drive if you aren't happy with it. You shouldn't have to go through so much trouble with a brand new drive.

This is why I dislike some of the drives for sale now that come with this built in software that many of us don't want or need.

Regards,
Steve M.

The software is installed, so you should be able to remove it using the instruction provided in the website I found. However, if you continue to have a problem with it, then I suggest you try downloading a free utility called Easy Find - VersionTracker or MacUpdate. Use it to search for all items on your drive using the search term "smartware" and also "wd" or "western." Remove any files or folders discovered from your hard drive. Also open Accounts preferences and click on the Login Items tab. If you find an item for Smartware in the list, then select it and delete it.

Next, do the following:

Extended Hard Drive Preparation

1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

See if the above solves the problem.

There may very well be something hidden on the hard drive. I wouldn't be surprised as drive systems such as these are setup to be fairly automatic with regard to being used as backups via the manufacturer's software.

Were I you I would avoid using WD systems. Some are not well-suited to use with Macs while others are not compatible at all. Using these systems is not what you need for basic storage or for Time Machine backups. If you are even slightly mechanically inclined you might consider the following:

Basic Backup

Get an external Firewire or USB drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):

1. Synchronize! Pro X (Commercial)
2. Synk (Backup, Standard, or Pro)
3. Deja Vu (Shareware)
4. Carbon Copy Cloner (Donationware)
5. SuperDuper! (Commercial)
6. Intego Personal Backup (Commercial)
7. Data Backup (Commercial)
8. SilverKeeper 2.0 (Freeware)
9. MimMac (Commercial)
10. Tri-Backup (Commercial)

Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

Although you can buy a complete FireWire or USB drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.

Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;

Cool Drives
OWC
WiebeTech
Firewire Direct
California Drives
NewEgg

All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

If you plan to put one together yourself, then you could choose between Seagate and Hitachi. Their's are the best drives nowadays. The enclosure is not a big deal. It needs to support the size of drive you plan to install and should use one of the Oxford chipsets. They tend to be most compatible with OS X.

If you plan to buy another complete drive system like what you now have, then I would go with LaCie.

Another drive that people like here are the OWC drives. My 1 TB drive with FW 800 and USB 2 has performed well. And it has no hidden nuisance ware!

Regards,
Steve M.

Should be OK. Here's another from OWC which is also a good choice. OWC, like LaCie, are very Mac-oriented.

I have no idea since full specs are difficult to come by. I suspect the main differences will be the quality of the enclosure and the hard drive make and model.

OWC sells enclosures and drives separately. The enclosure they use in the one I linked has multi-port support - USB, Firewire 400 and 800, and eSata. I'm not sure about the LaCie enclosure. Don't know what drives each is using. The OWC model is a 2 TB drive.

If you want the best for the money I would purchase a separate enclosure and pick the best drive for it. If you don't wish to go this route then pick the OWC model I referenced.