Creating a Password

The WD SmartWare™ software provides a security feature that lets you set a password to protect all the data on your drive. WD SmartWare uses powerful hardware encryption to secure the data on your drive, so even if your drive is lost or stolen, there is no way for any file retrieval software to access your information without your personal password.

Important: WD SmartWare uses your password to electronically lock and unlock your drive. If you forget your password, you cannot access data on your drive or write new data on it. If you forget your password, you must erase your drive before you can use it again. For this reason, it's a good idea to write your password and keep it in a secure location away from your computer.

To create a password:

1. Type a password in the Choose a Password field.
2. Retype the password in the Verify Password field.
3. If desired, use the Password Hint field to type a hint to help you remember your password.
4. Review the message regarding password retrieval; then click I Understand.
5. Click Save Security Settings to set your password.

Important: Your new password does not become active until you either shut down and restart your computer, or disconnect and reconnect your WD drive. After this, the next time you start WD SmartWare, you will be prompted to type your new password to unlock your drive.