Windows 7 - Safely Remove Hardware - Eject Device

**Brink**

How to Eject a Device with Windows 7 Safely Remove Hardware

Information

This will show you how to use Safely Remove Hardware in Windows 7 to safely shutdown and eject a storage device before just unplugging or disconnecting it to help prevent accidental data loss if data were still being copied or saved to or from the device. For example, if you have write caching enable on the device.

Tip

To have access to an external drive (ex: USB key) again after you have already ejected it using Safely Remove Hardware, you will just need to unplug it and plug it back in.

Available Hotfix:

USB Port Remains Active for Disabled or Safely Removed USB Device

Warning

It is not recommended to eject an internal drive. If you do, then restarting the computer will allow you to have access to it again.

Here's How:

1. Make sure that anything that is being copied or saved to or from the storage device that you want to eject has finished.

2. Click on the Safely Remove Hardware notification area icon, and click on the Eject drive option for the listed drive that you want to eject. (see screenshot below)

A) Go to step 4.

OR

3. Open Devices and Printers.
A) Right click on the storage device that you want to eject, then click on Eject. (see screenshot below)

OR

B) Right click on your computer device (ex: WINDOWS7-PC), select Eject, then click on a listed storage device that you want to eject. (see screenshot below)

C) You will notice that your device will have a warning/alert overlay icon it now. This only indicates that you will not be able to use this device again unless you unplug it and then plug it in again. (see screenshot below)

4. When you see this notification message below, you can now safely remove the device from the computer. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Some devices (ex: USB flash drives) may still have their light on even after you ejected it. As long as you got this Safe to remove hardware message below, it will be safe to disconnect your device even though the light is still on.

Tip

If you do not get the Safe to remove hardware notification message above, then for next time uncheck Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar (click on link) box and click on OK. Afterwards check the Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar box and click on OK. This will toggle these settings off an on to have it work again.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

**manoj** · 11-27-2009

Hi Shawn
i am surprised that in my windows 7 professional i am not able to safely remove my external hdd or pen drive. in the safely remove and eject media icon i am getting only open device and printers. not any other things which i alrady conected to my usb. what could be the issue??? can u suggest me something pl???

**Brink** · 11-27-2009

Hello Manoj, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you have previously ejected them, then it may take a restart of the computer for them to show back up in "Safely Remove Hardware". Is it connected to a USB hub or to a USB port on the back if the computer? If to the computer, then you might try a differen USB port to see if that may be the issue.

If you open "Devices and Printers", do you have it's drive icon listed there, and can you right click on it and click on Eject?

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**manoj** · 11-29-2009

hi
i tried all the usb ports. it opens the contents, but it is not showing the icon in safely remove hardware. whether it is external hdd, pen drive, mobile or anything. i dont know what is the actual reason for this.

**Brink** · 11-29-2009

Manoj,

How about in "Devices and Printers" as described above?

I'm not sure why they are not showing up in "Safely Remove Hardware". You might see if running a sfc /scannow command may help. If not, then perhaps a repair install may.

**simonbt** · 01-05-2010

Manoj, you probably fixed it by now. I had the exact same issue right now (only "Open Devices and Printers" showed up. What worked for me was the sfc /scannow, as Brink pointed to.

Below a printout of running that command:
C:\Windows\system32>sfc /scannow
Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.
Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 100% complete.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired
them. Details are included in the CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For
example C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

I didn't bother looking at the details in CBS.log, but those might hold the answer.

thanks Brink! and thanks manoj for posting so detailed making it easy to search for this resolution.

**Brink** · 01-05-2010

You're welcome Simon, and welcome to Seven Forums.

**nate42nd** · 01-05-2010

I have found something odd.

I did a CLEAN install of Windows 7 Pro (I have done many)

On one of them the icon is like the old XP icon to "safely remove hardware" I cannot figure out why it would not be the same as all the rest of the installs I have done. Let me know why this particular install would have a different icon?

**Brink** · 01-05-2010

Hello Nate,

Could you post a screenshot of this?

Strange, are you using a Aero theme, or a classic theme?

**nate42nd** · 01-05-2010

Aero, it's on my Mom's machine. I set it up the same as all the rest of my installs. I have never seen it before. I will get a screenshot of it, but it may take a couple of days. It's the same icon as XP as I remember. Very odd. Everything works fine, but it looks funny.

Windows 7 - Safely Remove Hardware - Eject Device

Safely Remove Hardware - Eject Device

Safely Remove Hardware - Eject Device problems?