Important:
WD Smartware End of Support Notice!
WD Smartware has reached its end of support life cycle.
Need more help?
- Answer ID 30039: WD Smartware End of Support
- Answer ID 28740: Western Digital Product Lifecycle Support Policy
Acronis True Image for Western Digital can be used instead.
Answer ID 6550: Install and Uninstall Acronis True Image for Western Digital on Windows.
Description
Files backed up with WD SmartWare that have long filenames (more than 256 characters) will not open properly from the backup destination.
This is due to Microsoft Windows having a 256 character limitation in file/folder path names. This limit includes spaces and special characters.
Resolution
Do not attempt to open files from the Smartware.wdstor folder on the backup drive. WD Smartware is able to handle file/folder paths up to 32,767 characters, but the Operating System (OS) can't handle more than 256. Instead, restore the files to the desired location on the computer and then open them from that location.