WD Black2 WD1001X06XWD Firmware Update Setup Instructions

Western Digital always recommends backing up your data before performing a firmware update.

BY USING THE TOOL, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS IN THESE INSTRUCTIONS, WHICH ARE CONDITIONS TO YOUR USE OF THE TOOL. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS DESCRIBED IN THESE INSTRUCTIONS, DO NOT USE THE TOOL. THE TOOL IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WD DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THIS TOOL INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL WD BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS TOOL.

Required material before starting

  1. WD Black
  2. Blank USB Flash Drive
  3. Firmware update software

Creating a Bootable USB

For illustration purposes, WD has downloaded the latest version of Rufus, a third party utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, and is subject to Rufus's terms and conditions. We have found this to be a viable solution, but there are many methods out there and you can use any installer you prefer.

Note: WD provides limited support via these instructions for creating your USB flash drive. Please contact Rufus or a third party for any assistance creating your USB flash drive.

*WARNING* The USB flash drive will be formatted and any previous data will be permanently erased from the USB flash drive.

Plug the USB flash drive in and wait for the system to recognize the USB flash drive. (Please note that your USB flash drive may show up as a different name and drive letter) See Figure 1.

wd bootable usb
Figure 1

After downloading the software, double-click to run Rufus. It may ask for permission to run. If so, click RUN. See Figure 2.

open file security warning
Figure 2

Make sure the correct USB flash drive is selected. The default options and FreeDOS are used in Figure 3 which should be fine to create the bootable USB flash drive.

rufus start
Figure 3

Click START. A warning about data being deleted will be displayed. See Figure 4. Click OK if the USB flash drive is safe to have all the data erased from it.

rufus warning window
Figure 4

Rufus should take less than 30 seconds to complete. When Rufus is complete, click Close. See Figure 5.

rufus close
Figure 5

After downloading the firmware update from WD Support, extract or double-click to open the folder and copy wd5865.exe (Figure 6) to the bootable USB flash drive. Do not put the file in a folder. (Figure 7).

run wd5865.exe
Figure 6

copy wd5865 to usb drive
Figure 7

Safely eject the bootable USB flash drive by right-clicking on the drive and choosing Eject, or use the Safely Remove Hardware wizard. See Figure 8.

eject usb drive
Figure 8

Make sure that the system with the WD Black2 drive is powered off and plug the USB flash drive that was created above into an available USB port. Do not plug the USB flash drive into a hub or other USB device, make sure it is plugged directly into the computer system's USB port. After booting the system from the USB flash drive, you will come up to a command prompt (C:\). Type wd5865.exe (Figure 9) and press the Enter key to start the firmware update. The firmware update should take less than 5 minutes.

Note: You may need to adjust the boot sequence in the computer BIOS so that it will boot from the USB flash drive. Please check your system documentation or contact the manufacturer on how to adjust the boot priority on the computer so that it will boot from the USB.

type wd5865.exe and run
Figure 9

The screen will display Updating this drive while the update is occurring. When the upgrade is complete it will display the new firmware version 01.01A02 and Drive has been successfully updated.

Once the update is complete, shut down the system, remove the USB flash drive and power the system back on.

Return WD Black2 WD1001X06XWD Dual Drive Firmware Update Ver 5865