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WTF?

Just had a look at the software

Am looking for a simple to use backup device for a friend, so I decided to install WD Smartware. At first glance it looked like it was exactly what I was looking for, keeps multiple versions of files, continuous backup, etc. However I did notice the following issues:

Can't close the software once it's running. I had to kill WS*.exe from the Task Manager

Uses 100MB+ before I even plugged in a drive. I've written a .Net CRM system that uses far less than that.

Doesn't appear to let you choose which files to backup (I could be wrong, but I could find the option)

All new WD devices appear to have the software embedded in the firmware, so my previous comment about simply partitioning the disk may not hold. Be worth a try to use a linux box use fdisk, dd & mkfs to flatten the drive.

I think I'll stick with an older version, and find some kind of rsync app for Windows.

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