Should I remove WD SmartWare?
What percent of users and experts removed it?
6% remove it94% keep it
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #698
United States Rank #578
Reach 0.9812%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 12.77 days
376.79 days >
Average installed length: 197.97 days
Versions
| Version | Distribution |
| 2.4.21.1 |
0.03% |
|
| 2.4.20.48 |
0.59% |
|
| 2.4.16.16 |
7.76% |
|
| 2.4.14.13 |
3.81% |
|
| 2.4.13.7 |
0.71% |
|
| 2.4.12.1 |
9.14% |
|
| 2.4.11.4 |
2.24% |
|
| 2.4.10.17 |
8.94% |
|
| 2.4.6.3 |
6.02% |
|
| 2.4.4.5 |
1.62% |
|
| 2.4.2.26 |
8.84% |
|
| 2.4.1.9 |
4.42% |
|
| 2.4.0.39 |
1.86% |
|
| 2.3.0.20 |
5.62% |
|
| 2.2.1.6 |
6.45% |
|
| 2.2.0.8 |
8.21% |
|
| 2.1.0.11 |
4.48% |
|
| 2.0.1.2 |
2.35% |
|
| 2.0.0.38 |
0.28% |
|
| 1.6.5.2 |
2.09% |
|
| 1.6.4.7 |
14.05% |
|
| 1.6.4.6 |
0.48% |
|
Typically installed together
Other programs by Western Digital Technologies
WD SmartWare
What is WD SmartWare? (from Western Digital Technologies)
WD SmartWare™ software is an easy-to-use backup application that gives you the power to protect your data automatically—Relax! Your data is safe. Automatic, continuous backup instantly makes a second copy whenever you add or change a file. Bring back lost files effortlessly—Retrieve your valuable data to its original l... Read more
Overview
WD SmartWare is a software program developed by Western Digital Technologies. The most common release is 1.6.4.7, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. During setup, the program creates a startup registration point in Windows in order to automatically start when any user boots the PC. Upon being installed, the software adds a Windows Service which is designed to run continuously in the background. Manually stopping the service has been seen to cause the program to stop functing properly. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). The software is designed to connect to the Internet and adds a Windows Firewall exception in order to do so without being interfered with. When installed, it will add a context menu handler to the Windows shell in order to provide quick access to the program. The primary executable is named WDSmartWare.exe. The setup package generally installs about 47 files and is usually about 22.44 MB (23,529,508 bytes). Relative to the overall usage of users who have this installed on their PCs, most are running Windows 7 (SP1) and Windows 10. While about 57% of users of WD SmartWare come from the United States, it is also popular in Germany and Canada.
Program details
URL: support.wdc.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\
Uninstaller: MsiExec.exe /X{6FE8A1DA-8CA6-4801-BF0F-0F2FED143FF4}
(The Windows Installer is used for the installation, maintenance, and removal.)
Estimated size: 22.44 MB
Language: English (United States)
Files installed by WD SmartWare
| Program executable: | WDSmartWare.exe |
| Name: | WD SmartWare |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\WDSmartWare.exe |
| MD5: | 90eb4a3bb08928142abb9955a0abc365 |
Additional files:
-
WDContextMenuHandler.dll - WD ContextMenu Handler
-
WDCollections.dll - WD Collections (64-bit)
-
WD Quick Formatter.exe - WDQuickFormatter.exe (WD Quick Drive Format)
-
WDActivation.dll - WD Shared Libraries (WD Activation)
-
WDEncrypt.dll - WD Encrypt
-
WDException.dll - WD Exception
-
WDFileWatcher.dll - WD File Watcher
-
WDGoogleAnalytics.dll - WD Google Analytics
-
WDHttpHelper.dll - WD Http Helper
-
WDIO.dll - WD IO (64-bit)
-
WDLocale.dll - WD Locale
-
WDLog.dll - WD Log
-
WDNet.dll - WD Network
-
WDRegistry.dll - WD Registry
-
WDSQLite.dll - WD SQLite
-
WDTransport.dll - WD Transport
-
WDUpdateUI.dll - WD Update UI
-
WDUPnP.dll - WD UPnP
-
WDUtilities.dll - WD Utilities
-
WDDMStatus.exe - WD Drive Manager Status
-
BackupTask.exe - WD SmartWare (WD Backup Task)
-
WDBackup.dll - WD Backup Library
-
WDBackupEngine.exe - WD Backup Engine
-
WDLockedFiles.exe - WD Locked Files
-
WDRulesEngine.exe - WD Rules Engine
-
WDShadow.5.1.dll - WD Shadow Copy (XP)
-
WDShadow.5.2.dll - WD Shadow Copy
-
WDSmartWare.Controls.dll - WD SmartWare Controls
-
WDSmartWare.exe
-
WDSmartWare.Themes.dll - WD SmartWare Themes
-
WDDM.dll - WDDM (WD Drive Utilities)
-
WDEngine.dll - WD Engine
Behaviors exhibited
Context Menu Handler
- WDContextMenuHandler.dll added to Windows Explorer under the name 'WDBackupMenuHandler' with a class of {C752BC82-C19A-4827-9C15-0996BA85C180}.
2 Scheduled Tasks
- BackupTask.exe is scheduled as a task named '____Volume_97c9e314_32dc_11e3_9f0b_806d6172696f______Volume_bcae41fe_330d_11e3_a62d_0015f2ea4726__' (runs weekly on Tuesdays at 11:30 PM).
- WDSmartWare.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{93B23497-A40D-48C1-9B5B-6A31B2D72ADB}' (runs on registration).
2 Services
- WDBackupEngine.exe runs as a service named 'WD Backup' (WDBackup) "WD SmartWare Backup Engine".
- WDRulesEngine.exe runs as a service named 'WD Rules' (WDRulesService) "WD SmartWare Rules Engine".
Startup File (User Run)
- BackupTask.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'Onboard' and executes as C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\BackupTask.exe /Onboard "C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\WDSmartWare.exe".
2 Startup Files (All Users Run)
- BackupTask.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'Onboard' which loads as C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\BackupTask.exe /Onboard "C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\WDSmartWare.exe".
- WDDMStatus.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'WD Quick View' which loads as C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\WDDMStatus.exe.
Windows Firewall Allowed Program
- WDSmartWare.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\Western Digital\WD SmartWare\WDSmartWare.exe'.
Resource utilization averages
Show technical details
| WDBackupEngine.exe |
| Memory: | 21.07 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0014907666% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00039371% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00109705% | |
| CPU cycles/sec: | 14,001,593 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 28.54 KB | |
| I/O writes/min: | 296.02 KB | |
| WDRulesEngine.exe |
| Memory: | 17.16 MB | |
| Total CPU: | 0.0013884083% | |
| Kernel CPU: | 0.00046908% | |
| User CPU: | 0.00091933% | |
| CPU cycles/sec: | 3,894,851 | |
| I/O reads/min: | 419 Bytes | |
| I/O writes/min: | 0 Bytes | |
How do I remove WD SmartWare?
You can uninstall WD SmartWare from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program WD SmartWare, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove WD SmartWare.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 49%
Win 10 0%
|
|
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
|
|
USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 6%
Keep it 94%
|
|
Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
50.14% |
|
| Windows 10 |
44.26% |
|
| Windows Vista |
3.38% |
|
| Windows XP |
2.21% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
29.80% |
|
| Windows 10 Home |
13.97% |
|
| Windows 8.1 |
12.42% |
|
| Windows 7 Professional |
10.81% |
|
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
7.95% |
|
| Windows 10 Pro |
5.77% |
|
Geography
57.12% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
57.12% |
| Germany |
6.32% |
| Canada |
6.18% |
| United Kingdom |
5.13% |
| France |
2.59% |
| Italy |
2.26% |
| Netherlands |
2.02% |
| Australia |
1.91% |
| Belgium |
0.94% |
| Sweden |
0.90% |
| India |
0.86% |
| Spain |
0.76% |
| Israel |
0.68% |
| Switzerland |
0.66% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Hewlett-Packard |
28.23% |
|
| Dell |
26.38% |
|
| Acer |
11.46% |
|
| ASUS |
11.10% |
|
| Toshiba |
6.72% |
|
| Lenovo |
4.69% |
|
| GIGABYTE |
4.39% |
|
| Samsung |
3.58% |
|
| Intel |
1.22% |
|
| Medion |
0.89% |
|
| MSI |
0.70% |
|
| Alienware |
0.65% |
|
Common models |
| HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... |
7.52% |
|
| HP Pavilion dv7 Notebook ... |
6.63% |
|
| ASUS All Series |
5.02% |
|
| Dell XPS 8700 |
3.32% |
|
| HP Pavilion g6 Notebook P... |
3.17% |
|
| Dell XPS 8300 |
2.62% |
|
About Western Digital Technologies
Western Digital is one of the largest hard disk drive manufacturers and has a long history in the electronics industry as an integrated circuit maker and a storage products company.
Publisher URL: www.wdc.com