Windows 11 won’t work with my WD External Hard Drive

Windows 11 changed some driver requirements. WD appears to be a company that prefers you to buy new hardware rather than updating its drivers. I also had this problem with the WD MyBookDuo a NAS server I use to back up all the house devices. THe software that worked well for this no longer works on Windows 11. This is poor business practice.

I have this same issue. I have WD My Book 6TB drive. Was working prior to upgrading my PC to the latest Win11 release. I hear a tone when I connect the drive which tells me Windows recognizes the connection, but it does not show up in File Explorer. This exact configuration was working previous to my Windows update.

It’s baffling, the WD My Passport Ultra DOES show up in the file explorer as drive D, and I can see some files in there, including the one to load the WD software. However, the process just ceases when I try to load the software, no error message or anything. I also went to WD website and tried to load the software from their portal as an alternative; I was able to download the file, but again, it just stalled and would not load/execute. I think I got an error message from that; I can go back and recreate if it would be enlightening? Thanks for your input. :) I’m beginning to regret the Windows 11 decision already, as I’ve seen many comments that it’s not compatible with a lot of things.

I cannot load the WD My Passport software on my Surface 8 computer running Windows 11. Is Windows 11 NOT compatible with the WD external hard drives?

Moderator note: Moved from Windows 11/Recovery and backup

I have just purchased a new PC. WD drives and Windows 11 do indeed have a problem. I have 2 external drives and they have severe driver problems that affect (Microsoft's view) the privacy and security of the OS. Added to my Windows NAS being discontinued as of last month (June 2023) I now have no WD backup capability AT ALL. Essentially bricked by Windows, although I could ostensibly use them with my old laptop. Symptoms of the problem are dead response to application exes and, strangely, affected the working of Microsoft Store.

The lack of information about this problem from WD essentially blacklists them in any future storage purchases. To restore all my data I have had to back up files back onto my old PC, transfer them to a Toshiba drive I keep in another address, transfer them from that onto my new PC. 2TB of data - it's been a minor pain but very annoying.

WD's silence - I can find no mention at all of this problem - is unforgiveable. Frankly I'm not much happier with Microsoft whose advice appears to be unplug the offending device.

Thanks, IT industry. Thanks a lot!

Similar experience with WD. My WD My Book Essential 2TB worked fine for years on Windows 10 Pro. However, on Windows 11 Pro I don't get any indication that is was even plugged in to a USB port that does work. The response I got from WD was it is no longer supported. That was it! I downloaded a driver and management software from WD for this unit but it was no help as it still couldn't detect a WD device. Still no indication that it was plugged into a USB port. I turned USB power on in power management. No help either. So, I'll take the WD unit to the shop and drill a hole in it.

My Amazon Basics 3TB external drive works fine on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Probably not quite as old as the WD unit but, as I recall, less expensive.

My backup going forward is a two-drive docking station. It took around 5 minutes to see the hard drive I put in it. Once found it seems to work without delay. Patience paid off here. These docking stations require careful use and so probably aren't recommended for novices. The drive is open to static shock and need to be closed out before removing. My opinion perhaps.