Reformatting to fresh start without software? Hi,I was just wondering, is it possible to reformat this particular drive, (leaving no traces of western digital software on the drive) and still have plug-n-play ability?I hope it doesn't require software to actually work..Otherwise, it's a sure buy. Reformatting to fresh start without software? Hi,I was just wondering, is it possible to reformat this particular drive, (leaving no traces of western digital software on the drive) and... » Read More Reformatting to fresh start without software? Hi,I was just wondering, is it possible to reformat this particular drive, (leaving no traces of western digital software on the drive) and still have plug-n-play ability?I hope it doesn't require software to actually work..Otherwise, it's a sure buy. « Show Less
587481
I reformatted using just my MacBook Pro -no software needed. Also, u can call WD and their tech person will walk u thru it. No charge, very easy & fast.
587482
yep, format it and delete all WD crap, mine has 3 partitioni use gparted live cd
374227
If you still need the help, you may can use the "Disk Management" program in windows 7. Once you find the program that lets you reformat the volume, it should be simple to follow the rest of the instructions.
542383
Sorry, no. It's rare nowadays for any supplier to provide installation media. They almost always do, however, create a small protected partition on the hard-drive which the operating system can use to restore the computer to it's "as-delivered" condition in the event of a "hard fault" failure to start. The best thing you can do yourself is create an image of your system on an external storage drive as it is when you are satisfied with it. That way you can restore it to the original drive, or to a newer/faster/bigger or solid state drive when you want better performance or more storage space. Sorry, no. It's rare nowadays for any supplier to provide installation media. They almost always do, however, create a small protected partition on the hard-drive which the operating system can use to restore the computer to it's "as-delivered" condition in the event of a "hard fault" failure to start. The best thing you can do yourself is create an image of your system on an external storage drive as it is when you are satisfied with it. That way you can restore it to the original drive, or to a newer/faster/bigger or solid state drive when you want better performance... » Read More Sorry, no. It's rare nowadays for any supplier to provide installation media. They almost always do, however, create a small protected partition on the hard-drive which the operating system can use to restore the computer to it's "as-delivered" condition in the event of a "hard fault" failure to start. The best thing you can do yourself is create an image of your system on an external storage drive as it is when you are satisfied with it. That way you can restore it to the original drive, or to a newer/faster/bigger or solid state drive when you want better performance or more storage space. « Show Less
2202175
Here is a quick tutorial for reformatting this drive to work on a Mac. Very easy and helpfulhttp://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/291/#exfatmac
541888
It's definitely OEM with no media. There is a recovery partition which contains everything you need should you need to rebuild, etc...and as a side note, the drive is partitioned C: and D: by default. I was able to delete D: and extend C:, since I prefer one contiguous space...cheers
1339935
@Book WitchI should think that it is. You may be able to use Western Digital's software included on the drive to aid you in your backup. If, however, you do not want to use their software, preferring to use another backup program, it is easy to delete the WD software (the easiest way to delete all of it is to merely reformat the drive in NTFS format).
1944111
I honestly can't remember if it came with a disc or a software because I didn't use any. It worked right out of the box (I recommend formatting it first though). Do you need a software? If you do, you can probably download it from their website.
1343732
".......with Windows 8.1?"&gt;&gt;Don't see any reason why not. It's an electro-mechanical switch. It doesn't know what your running nor does it care. "Can same copy of Windows be loaded on each drive?"&gt;&gt;Anytime you install a Windows OS from a disk to a drive as a new install you are risking key number and activation issues. It reads the HDD serial number and MB type etc and thinks it's a new machine. Clone your existing HDD's. You shouldn't have any issues. I cloned my primary HDD to another HDD of the same brand and specs (bought them both at the same time) and I have had zero issues with activation etc when I boot to the clone. I don't like "back-ups". I do a full blown clone at least once a month or even less. So far, so good. The other 4 channels on the Orico are devoted to Linux OS's. Hope this helps.
2112567
I haven't used the software that came with the device. But you should be able to right click on the drive and select "Format" to wipe the HD.
1456291
Can't say, other than the onekey recovery system. I've not really had any issues to have to reformat.
2054819
Yes, it comes from the factory formatted with FAT32 but you can reformat it with NTFS if desired or most any other system.
401691
My drive does have software with it, on the drive and not on a separate CD. However, my Windows Vista and Windows 7 computers found the drive without difficulty when I hooked it up with the USB cable. I often have to use the Windows fix: shut off everything, unplug it, wait a minute, plug everything in, and turn it on.
624648
I've would suggest not installing a previously used drive (assuming you have an old 5400rpm drive lying around, hence your question). When I installed a used drive (not formatted) it crashed the system. It only seems to like new, formatted drives. Mine does happen to be a 7200rpm WD
2234027
No u have to format.. partition.. and load Windows 7..if it's a new drive u have to do a fresh install..
101317
As with Most (99.9%) the software is loaded on the Hard Drive and not In the Firmware.It can be deleted of but the easiest way is to copy it else where and re-format the HDD.That way if you want to sell it later you have the original Software to put back.
1577305
I installed the drive for a friend. Most PCs with an accompanying drive which won't write to a particular disc are suffering from some type of file corruption. In the past, when installing a drive to replace an original drive, I've always synced the installation with a reformat to assure proper operation. Unless you're one who maintains a corrupt free operating system (I haven't met many), it's a good rule to follow.
1029925
I installed Windows Vista on this drive, and did not have to separately format it. I just followed the instructions to install Windows, and the installation wizard did the rest. Whether or not the install application formatted the drive before actually doing the install of Windows, I don't know, and it didn't concern me one way or the other.
576187
As commenter Super Geek suggests, if you're using a PC, then you will need to reformat it as Fat32. If you have any data on it, you will need to back it up elsewhere in order to reformat the drive for PC.