How can I tell a WD Drive was not made to work with WD Software?

To determine whether a **Western Digital (WD) drive** is **not compatible** with WD software (like **WD Discovery**, **Acronis True Image WD Edition**, or **WD Backup**), here are key signs and checks:

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### ✅ 1. **Model Name Prefix**

Check your drive’s model number. Drives **not designed for WD software** often have different prefixes.

| Prefix | Meaning | WD Software Support? |

| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |

| `WDB` | WD Branded retail product (e.g., My Passport, Elements) | ✅ Yes, typically supported |

| `WD` only | Bare/internal drives (OEM or white-label) | 🚫 Usually **not** supported |

**Example:**

* `WDBYVG0020BBK-WESN` → My Passport → **Supported**

* `WD5000AAKX` → Blue 500 GB internal OEM → **Not supported**

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### ✅ 2. **Check Compatibility List**

Visit the [WD software support pages](https://support-en.wd.com/app/products) and look for:

* **WD Discovery compatible drives**

* **Acronis True Image WD Edition compatible drives**

* **SmartWare/WD Backup support**

If your drive isn't listed there, it’s likely **not officially supported**.

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### ✅ 3. **Retail Packaging vs. OEM**

* **Retail drives** (bought from official retailers) usually come with WD software support.

* **OEM or bulk drives** (purchased as internal HDDs/SSDs, often from third-party sellers or pre-installed in systems) **do not** include software licensing.

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### ✅ 4. **Software Won’t Detect Drive**

If WD software like **Acronis WD Edition** says:

> “A Western Digital drive was not found in your system.”

…it means the drive is not recognized as a licensed WD product. That usually happens with:

* Rebranded/white-label drives

* Enterprise/NAS-only drives

* OEM-distributed drives

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### ✅ 5. **Drive Type & Use Case**

| Drive Type | Software Support |

| --------------------------- | --------------------------- |

| **My Passport / Elements** | ✅ Yes |

| **My Cloud / My Book** | ✅ Yes |

| **WD Blue/Green/Black HDD** | 🚫 No |

| **WD Red Pro / Gold** | 🚫 No (enterprise/NAS only) |

| **WD\_BLACK SN770/NVMe** | 🚫 Limited to Game software |

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### ✅ 6. **Use WD Dashboard for SSDs**

For WD SSDs (like SN570, SN770), use [**Western Digital Dashboard**](https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?p=279), not WD Discovery. If Dashboard doesn't recognize the drive, it may be:

* A rebranded OEM unit

* Incompatible model

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### 🛠️ Final Tip: Use Serial Number Check

* Go to [WD Warranty Check](https://support.wdc.com/warranty/)

* Enter your serial number

* If it shows “**Out of Region**” or doesn’t match known retail models, it may be **OEM**.

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Let me know the **exact model number** of your drive (on the label or in Disk Management), and I can check its compatibility for you.