You can't get a wd cloud drive working...and had no clue what you bought. Don't be mad at me. You bought a computer you aren't willing to learn how to operate. User error.
I was unwilling to learn how to operate it? Did you happen to read the entire thread? Aside from gently trying to school you on technical things - this whole time has been spent trying to learn how to get this drive working.
Try aiming for a different spot on your "Jump to Conclusions" mat.
You aren't logging in to anything other than the cloud device sitting right next to you via your home's network. The idea that you think it's being relayed across the web and back to your local network is HILARIOUS.
I didn't say my data was going through their servers. I said my personal data
access was going through their server. There is no physical or logical reason to require a person to authenticate their own hard drive, sitting in their own home or office, via a third party.
https://support.wdc.com/knowledgebase/answer.aspx?ID=19625&lang=en
"My Cloud Home devices must be connected to the Internet."
https://support.wdc.com/knowledgebase/answer.aspx?ID=18896
"The initial setup process for any My Cloud Home device requires an Internet browser and Internet access as outlined in the
Requirements section."
"Create a My Cloud account or login with an existing My Cloud account..."
"....Allow the My Cloud website to find your My Cloud Home device...."
And here's one that deserves special consideration:
"...The One More Thing dialog box opens, select Continue...."
Whats in the "One More Thing dialog box"?
Note, it doesn't say "click on the link and see what the "product improvement program" is, it says "Select Continue" despite there being a nice link there for people to investigate. Not that it would really matter much because they've been notoriously vague, almost Google-like, about what information they're collecting through the "Product Improvement Program". But its still very revealing that they would tell people to click right past it. Is that because they don't want people thinking about what that program really does? Or is it because they know there's really no information there that explains the program? Many questions are posted about it on the WD forums, and all the responses from WD staff say it allows "WD to improve future updates by collecting information such as product serial number during a firmware upgrade". Their answers are what's known as "stock responses", aka "the company line".
But really? Thats all they collect, the serial number? No, its not. They said "such as", which in legalese means "includes, but not limited to". Repeated requests for more information about the program generate no responses from WD reps past that single statement about collecting the serial number. Device firmware updates for many electronic devices already respond to serial information as that is the only way that the vendor can be certain they are providing the firmware update to an eligible device, and not potentially bricking an non-eligible device. Do you want to know what they're collecting? Here's a more correct, legal explanation. Note the absence of the weasel words, "such as":
https://www.wdc.com/about-wd/legal/privacy-statement.html#products
"Information about use of our services and products: When you visit our websites or cloud environment, we may collect information about the type of device you use, your device’s unique identifier, the IP address of your device, your operating system, the type of Internet browser that you use, usage information, diagnostic information, browsing information, session summary information, file attributes (including attributes for photos, videos, music, and documents), and location information from or about the computers, phones, or other devices on which you install or access our products or services. We may gather some of this information automatically. Where available, our services may use GPS, your IP address, and other technologies to determine a device’s approximate location to allow us to improve our products and services."
They're pulling metadata, along with location info. Metadata can actually be more revealing than actual file contents. Its one reason why initial investigations leading to indictments often rely strictly on metadata, not content. We're drifting off course here, but if you want me to get into forensics and law, I'd be glad to oblige you via PMs.
Suffice it to say that a vast amount of information about a person can be derived from metadata. It can be likened to the difference between bit-mapped and vector-based images. The first gives you nearly every bit necessary to complete a precise image, whereas the second gives you the
instructions on how to draw the image. Its a vast oversimplification, but perfectly adequate for our needs. Metadata gathering is just as much an invasion of privacy as if someone was staring in your window and watching you work on your computer.
BTW: When I say "computer", I'm talking about the kind with a display, input devices such as keyboards and trackpads/mice, output devices such as displays and printers. I'm not talking about embedded systems, which can have quite sophisticated processors, RAM, and storage, yet lack meaningful I/O. Automotive ECUs, kitchen appliances, surveillance DVRs, game consoles - these all have quite a lot of processing and storage, but I can't think of a single person who would call them a "computer".
Oh wait, there you are again:
Hey look!
https://support.wdc.com/knowledgebase/answer.aspx?ID=18909
It contains 256mb ram and a dual core 650mhz processor and has 4tb of drive space...but...I guess that's not a computer! lololol
The first generation Xbox was a pretty serious machine, but no one called it a computer, it was a gaming console. Then people found out you could wipe it and install Linux. People still do that up to the current generation, don't they?
https://itstillworks.com/12230981/how-to-turn-your-xbox-into-a-pc
"It is possible to convert your Microsoft Xbox video game console into a fully functioning computer... Turning the Xbox into a computer requires installing some outside software directly into the Xbox console with the right accessories."
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/89978-turning-an-xbox-into-a-computer/
"So I was bored one night, and totally took apart my Xbox 360 because I am a PC gamer. Its an old Xbox 360 white console. Nothing special. So within my boredom. I decided to look into a project of turning it into a computer."
There are hundreds of articles and posts like this. Someone figured out how to attach a display and keyboard, and install a user-facing OS. It
was a game console. It
became a computer. Yet the hardware specs didn't change.
People have done the same with all sorts of devices, and one guy actually got a minimal install of Linux to go to a boot screen on an old iPod. If he ever finished that project, he'd have a computer. Conditions need to be met. This is reality, not semantics.
Until someone takes a NAS and installs a user-facing OS on it (not QTP or some other embedded Linux), and adds meaningful I/O, its still a NAS, despite you doing a component count on it.
Anyways, stop taking forum users for granted and start learning about what you buy before you buy it. Maybe watch some install videos on youtube before you plonk down 180 bucks on a computer you can't be bothered to learn how to use.
Maybe you should pay attention to the world around you and not get so focused on proving someone wrong that you end up embarrassing yourself.
