Western Digital Releases New Hard Drive Software After Mavericks Data Loss

NewImageWestern Digital has released a new version of its WD SmartWare hard drive software following extensive reports of data-loss on Western Digital drives after the installation of OS X Mavericks.

The MacRumors Forums, Western Digital's forums, and Apple's Support Communities all had threads about lost data after connecting Western Digital external hard drives to computers after updating to Mavericks.

WD is happy to announce the release of WD SmartWare Version 1.3.6 for Mac 10.5-10.9.

Fixed an issue related to reports of some customers, under certain conditions, experiencing data loss when updating to Apple's OS X Mavericks (10.9).

The WD SmartWare update is available for download from Western Digital's website.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...

Top Rated Comments

foobarbaz Avatar
158 months ago
Just don't use Western Digital. The quality of these drives is very bad. I've had 50 disks in my life and only ones that have failed are WD and same with colleagues and friends. Don't know how they get away with it. Reply to this will be someone saying they are brilliant.

The last sentence should be an indication to how pointless your post is.

No matter which manufacturer, you'll find thousands and thousands of stories like yours, and thousands of people who never had any problem. That's no contradiction given that there are millions of customers out there.

Your personal experience is not statistically significant. Sorry. You can all stop posting it. Thanks.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ingot Avatar
158 months ago
Just don't use Western Digital. The quality of these drives is very bad. I've had 50 disks in my life and only ones that have failed are WD and same with colleagues and friends. Don't know how they get away with it. Reply to this will be someone saying they are brilliant.

Go Seagate. Oh and in this pc I have an awesome 1TB Samsung drive that has been flawless for 4 years.

I have had many a seagate drive fail. It is coming to the point that I do not know what brand to trust anymore.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uaecasher Avatar
158 months ago
Just don't use crapware.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GoodWatch Avatar
158 months ago
Just don't use Western Digital. The quality of these drives is very bad. I've had 50 disks in my life and only ones that have failed are WD and same with colleagues and friends. Don't know how they get away with it. Reply to this will be someone saying they are brilliant.

Go Seagate. Oh and in this pc I have an awesome 1TB Samsung drive that has been flawless for 4 years.
Wow, 50 discs. I've been using computers since 1981 but still (even with several NAS) never came to 50 discs. Do you run a data centre? :rolleyes:
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZOZO Avatar
158 months ago
I have had many a seagate drive fail. It is coming to the point that I do not know what brand to trust anymore.

When it comes to hard drives, there really isn't a single company who has a perfect track record. They are complicated to build and operate, so they don't normally last long.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy James Avatar
158 months ago
This story is about WD software. Not hardware.

I don't see why you would use this over time machine.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)