A:AnswerIt's software-based that comes pre-installed. Just don't run the Western Digital program if you don't want it, you'll be fine. I even put all of the pre-installed softwares in a newly created folder to get it out of the way when booting. Computer just sees the drive as an extension drive. I don't bother with the encryption as well. I hope that helps you.
A:AnswerYes. It's backward compatible. Even though this is rated USB 3.0 for faster speed/faster transfer, it will still work with USB 2.0 for a slower speed. I use it with a 6 year old gaming laptop with no USB 3.0. It works just fine, just slower than it should have been.
