My computer was acting glitchy, so I reinstalled windows on my main computer. Had the mybook drive secured with password I knew. Thought I unlocked it in preparation for the windows reinstall, but only managed to change password - and was an idiot, didn't write it down. I realized the problem when I tried to reconnect and get to my files after the reinstall. No dice. Brilliant, right?

So now all my legal, medical docs, resumes music, pics, and writings are safely beyond my reach. I've read some stuff on here and see there are some answers, but it's beyond. I read about dumping the bin (ok, stop laughing, it's something like that) and decoding the password from that, but beyond that, I’m lost. Can anyone help me by telling me in dumbspeak what to download to get the images I have seen here re dump, and help decipher this damn password so I can have my life back? And no, I will not take offense if you write as though I were a child and talk down to me. Normally, I’m not quite so stupid as I was in this case, but.... Thanks in advance. I'm never locking anything again; steal my data for all I care!

The password protection on the WD external drives (using their supplied Smartware utility) is completely different from the "usual" WD password protection (e.g. on the other thread where you posted the same question - that is just the usual ATA password functionality).

Can you confirm that you used the WD Smartware utility to change the password on your WD Mybook Essentials drive, so that readers can be sure what type of password you're talking about?

If you didn't create a hint when you created the password, you are out of luck, I'm afraid. The security is pretty robust.

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If it is SMARTWARE, 'some' professionals can deal with it. At a high cost, also. Better try to remember it first. Good luck.

Yup, used the wonderful WD smartware, and the process went so fast, didn't create a hint, skipped right past it, because I remember thinking, "Man, that's so easy, to remember..."

Thought I was UNlocking it, and wondered why it wanted a new password. Never pays to hurry through something...

I've been reading bits and pieces about MHDD 4.5 being able to unlock or at least detect password. Or getting it from a dump, but really have no idea what that means or how to go about it.

Now that you've confirmed that you've forgotten the Smartware password...

... what you've been reading about using MHDD is useless for your situation, as I explained in my previous posting.

IMHO you either have to remember the password, or find (and pay) one of the few companies who report that they can crack a lost Smartware password.

And it's not 10 neither 100 $ !