USB Western Digital External HD Help

[JennB213]

This is the most aggravating thing in the world .. I can't eject my USB WD External Drive from my Windows 7 Laptop .. I don't have an issue at all when it's connected to my Windows XP desktop computer. It releases immediately. Also, absolutely NO ISSUE when using Flash Drives, they eject fine.

The drive is a USB Western Digital External Hard Drive that I use to save things I receive from the Groups I'm in to keep the clutter off my Laptop.

Whenever I try to eject via the Safely Remove Icon or go to the Open Devices and Printer and physically find the External Drive and select EJECT I get the same generic message that tells me this drive CAN NOT be closed as another program is using it.

DUH !! I'm sure it's a windows process but I can not locate what could possibly be holding onto the External Drive.

I've tried everything. I've run CC Cleaner to clear out possible offending files > I've shut down my Avast AntiVirus (until reboot) hoping if Avast was monitoring that drive somehow, this would release it.

I've opened TaskManager and NO PROGRAMS open that could be using it. Looked at the Process's Running NO CLUE what most of these are so kind of afraid to close something there.

The External Hard drive is my F:\ drive .. I know it's some kind of a windows process holding the drive because there are times I'll pull a graphic off of the external and use in an email but I never see anything in the Process's list that relate to an email program, which btw are closed because my Firefox browser is closed so that should end my Gmail accounts.

I do use the Windows search feature, not everytime the External is connected, but on occassion looking for something saved on that drive.

I am just baffled, without understanding those Windows process's I don't have a clue what I can shut that will help.

Is there a program that could be installed that would help me understand what is hanging onto that External Drive and if it's safe to end it.

Or is there a program that could stop the running process's without damage to the computer.

What I'm doing right now is shutting down the laptop .. I get a QUICK Screen saying something about a background program running, then about as fast as that disappears, windows shuts down. The LED light on the drive goes out so then I unplug the USB from the laptop and the adapter from the surge protector.

I could go on shutting down like that but I am so afraid I'm going to do something or corrupt the drive and lose all my documents.

Guess you can tell I'm not a techie person. I can move around a computer but with all the terminology I am at a total loss. I know only enough to make me dangerous.

I sincerely hope someone will read this and be able to help me.

I've read all the articles here I could find but although some of the issues were similiar they were not the same.

Thank You in advance for ANY help.

Jenn

 

[TVeblen]

I also get this issue from time to time. Too infrequently for me to worry about it.

So rather than spending a lot of time tracking it down I simply restart the computer. When you restart (or shut down) Windows closes all working processes and "ejects" the drive before powering off. It is a safe way to disconnect the external without risk of losing data or other negative effects as far as I know.

I have read that the issue can be due to Indexing - try turning indexing off for the external, issues with Libraries, thumbnails, and of course, poorly written software.
There are a number of small programs you can download and install to explore Windows processes and turn them on and off if you want to try and track your issue down.

Check this thread here fore some: http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/78742-cant-eject-external-usb-hdd.html

 

[mjf]

I get the problem but couldn't be bothered (or don't know how) to track down the root cause.

I agree a restart will always allow the USB device to be "safely Removed" for me - not a complete shutdown.

But first what often works for me is say it's a HDD - open explorer and browse into a folder then close explorer. Then a safe remove often works.

 

[truckinguy]

I don't see any icon or text on my new notebook for "safely removeing" like I had in XP. Is there a reason why some of us have it on Win7?

 

[TVeblen]

I don't see any icon or text on my new notebook for "safely removeing" like I had in XP. Is there a reason why some of us have it on Win7?

Right click on the Task Bar > Choose Properties > click Customize

Find the Windows Explorer listing and check the Notifications Settings.

 

[truckinguy]

I got it thanks. Wonder why it isn't defaulted? I have just been taking out and putting in and no error messages etc has happened. Lucky I found this post.

 

[mjf]

I got it thanks. Wonder why it isn't defaulted?

It should be usually.

 

[JennB213]

I also get this issue from time to time. Too infrequently for me to worry about it.

So rather than spending a lot of time tracking it down I simply restart the computer. When you restart (or shut down) Windows closes all working processes and "ejects" the drive before powering off. It is a safe way to disconnect the external without risk of losing data or other negative effects as far as I know.

I have read that the issue can be due to Indexing - try turning indexing off for the external, issues with Libraries, thumbnails, and of course, poorly written software.
There are a number of small programs you can download and install to explore Windows processes and turn them on and off if you want to try and track your issue down.

Check this thread here fore some: http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/78742-cant-eject-external-usb-hdd.html

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

I did find that thread too ..
It was one of the first ones I read and I've got it bookmarked ..
Guess I was hoping for a magic bullet or something.

Anyway, I do appreciate the time you took to share it with me.

Huggs :grouphug: Jenn​

 

[JennB213]

I get the problem but couldn't be bothered (or don't know how) to track down the root cause.

I agree a restart will always allow the USB device to be "safely Removed" for me - not a complete shutdown.

But first what often works for me is say it's a HDD - open explorer and browse into a folder then close explorer. Then a safe remove often works.

Hello mjf,

Well at this point I was willing to try anything ..
What an aggravation this is.
This same External Hard Drive ejects perfectly on Windows XP.

I tried your little tip went into Windows Explorer >
the External HD >
Browsed around in a folder >
Went to the Menu Bar and used the Close from there.

Went back to the little Remove Safely Icon ..
NO DICE, wouldn't work .. DURN, Durn, durn

Thanks so much for taking the time to try and help me ..

I did the restart last night and of course that works ..
So I guess in order to keep from corrupting any files
I'll have to do it that way.
It's a pain but hey, losing data is a bigger one.

Again, Thanks to everybody that tried to help.

Huggs :grouphug: Jenn
​

 

[Bill2]

You can optimize the usb drive for quick removal, that way you dont have to click on "Safely remove...".

Right-click your usb drive and go to properties. In the properties dialog box click on the Hardware tab and click to select your usb drive. Click on the properties button. The general tab will appear by default in the pop up dialog box. Now click on the policies tab and ensure that the radio button beside the option "Optimize for Quick Removal" is checked.

I use that on some of my usb drives but I do take care to close all open windows and finish copy/paste activities before yanking the drive out.

 

[johntkucz]

Don't Use WD hard drives.

My curt, possibly unhelpful, but honest comment is simply don't use WD hard drives; not using them will save you a lot of headache in the future.

I lost a small amount of data (most all was backed up) on one that fail and from experience find them inexpensive (their main and only allure, of why they're so common), but incredibly cheap and poor at their main functionality: actually holding, storing, and reliably retrieving data!

 

[mjf]

My curt, possibly unhelpful, but honest comment is simply don't use WD hard drives; not using them will save you a lot of headache in the future.

I lost a small amount of data (most all was backed up) on one that fail and from experience find them inexpensive (their main and only allure, of why they're so common), but incredibly cheap and poor at their main functionality: actually holding, storing, and reliably retrieving data!

What has the safely eject problem got to do with WD drives?
I've got a Seagate but mainly WD drives.
They are all high precision, mass produced cheap devices. They can all fail - the 3.5 inch drives can get too hot with heavy use etc.
My advice: NEVER have anything important stored on just one single external HDD never mind the brand. This includes system images.

 

[mjf]

Hello mjf,

Well at this point I was willing to try anything ..
What an aggravation this is.
This same External Hard Drive ejects perfectly on Windows XP.

I tried your little tip went into Windows Explorer >
the External HD >
Browsed around in a folder >
Went to the Menu Bar and used the Close from there.

Went back to the little Remove Safely Icon ..
NO DICE, wouldn't work .. DURN, Durn, durn

...................................
​

Thanks for the response Jenn. It only works occasionally for me a well. Restart always works.
I'd like the magic bullet as well. Safely ejecting without interrupting some unknown but maybe important process.