External Hard Drive not safely removable

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  1. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #21

    GrayGhost2 said:
    I had this problem too -- like you I freaked at the possible loss of data.
    As I understand it (ex Brink for memory) USB powered storage devices do not buffer in themselves where as self powered storage devices (power from an electrical connection) self buffer.
    If you have added, deleted, edited anything on the USB powered storage device -- writing onto the device is slower than self powered are faster at writing because they self buffer.

    I now use a commercial Program "USB Safely Remove".
    It gives considerable feedback as to where the "holdup" is
    eg, WinExp window still open that references the HD
    Files on the HD that are still open.
    My desktop gets rather busy and trying to view what is open (especially with Win7/8 Taskbar "stacking") -- USB Safley Remove saves me considerable time. (I have also implemented it in my small business)

    Prior to "USB Safely Remove" I corrupted a backup disc because I did not know about the buffering thing.
    "USB Safely Remove" has been worth the money for me. (Wife and staff now understand what is going on)

    Hope this helps :)
    --------

    ADDEND:
    Indexing: Others more knowledgeable than me might know if Indexing can be interfering.
    I also use "Everything" (file finder) - portable version, and have not had a single problem
    I don't really like using third party software though.
    I think that using third party software is questionable because it is not approved by Microsoft.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #22

    therealaitch said:
    If you have "Everything" search engine installed you will find that is the culprit. Similar software may act the same.
    Just exit "Everything" and "Safely Remove" will work.
    Always try the simple solution first. So much damage is caused by advice that is not appropriate.
    Ive never heard of that and I definitely not have that. But still, I don't get that it does work on different users but not this one. Anything else I plug does not do this and it seems to be happening on that usb port specifically.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #23

    Computer0304 said:
    therealaitch said:
    If you have "Everything" search engine installed you will find that is the culprit. Similar software may act the same.
    Just exit "Everything" and "Safely Remove" will work.
    Always try the simple solution first. So much damage is caused by advice that is not appropriate.
    Ive never heard of that and I definitely not have that. But still, I don't get that it does work on different users but not this one. Anything else I plug does not do this and it seems to be happening on that usb port specifically.
    Its just this computer!!! Why are you doing this to me computer?!?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #24

    Is it the computer's fault or the hard drive's fault?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #25

    Maybe it is because this computer is built for windows xp but it has windows 7 or maybe Im having problems with a drived... I JUST DONT KNOW!!!
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #26

    Computer0304 said:
    ...I don't really like using third party software though.
    I think that using third party software is questionable because it is not approved by Microsoft.
    If I didn't use third party software, I would be using hardly any at all. Just because Microsoft hasn't approved it is not an indication of if it's any good or not. Software recommended by longtime members here is usually going to be safe.

    Again, don't do anything with the HDD until you get another one and copy your photos to it. That way, if something goes wrong while trying to get a handle on the problem with the present HDD and the photos on it are lost, you will still have them on the other HDD. Until you get the other HDD, just be patient and leave this one turned off and disconnected from your computer. Let us know when you get the new HDD and we will walk you through getting your photos duplicated from the old drive to the new one, then we can tackle trying to figure out how to fix the problem. Until then, be patient and don't punch the panic button (I know, easier said than done).
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 5,092
    Windows 7 32 bit
       #27

    I used several USB 2.0 and 3.0 docking stations with external drives. I enabled the write caching to improve performance. But even with it disabled I noticed problems trying to safely remove the drive. What I did as a work-around was use sync.exe from SysInternals. If you want to try it, just wait until the drive activity light stops(if you have one on the drive) and then run sync.exe on that drive.

    On NT based systems it uses the Windows function to lock the drive. Windows will then automatically flush the buffers. This makes it pretty much fool proof. About the only way sync won't work as expected is if you run it in the middle of drive activity. It became3 a habit just to run sync before unplugging any USB drive or pulling a drive from the USB docking station. I don't recall every having file corruption. I've been using it since Win9x.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 1,002
    XP Pro (x86) | 7 HP (x86) & (x64) | 7 Pro (x64)
       #28

    Lady Fitzgerald +1 (post #26)
    Aggree 100%. I have been developing for AutoCad and Excel since ... too long now.
    I could not have done my job without trusting third party programs/downloads.
    (dinosaur .. punch-card main frames and 256kb Amstrad ... shudder)

    Computer0304 :)
    ... hang in there (we know it is frustrating)
    I have found this forum (especially) extremely helpful.
    ... life is all about risk. Every day we all make choices and we learn by our mistakes. Nothing (unfortunately) in life or PCs is perfect.
    Google the name of suggestions, read user comments (remembering one bad experience does not always mean the suggestion is a dud)..
    Nothing like homework/research and this forum to learn.
    (DuckDuckGo is another good search engine for research, I use google for shopping)
    Always check downloads with a good AV and Malwarebytes.
    Create a restore point before installing new stuff. If the install causes problems you can easilly reconfigure your PC back to before you installed the download. Restore Point tutorials (homework)
    LadyFitgerald is giving good "cool" advice. All is not lost. Hang in there and the helpers on this thread will work out a resolution and you will have learnt something new. And so will have I
    And when you get it figured ... write back here what you did.
    (As a personal tip .. write what you learn into a text (TXT) file. You will always have a record. I have 4,280 txt files at last count, and I use a third party program to search the contents of those files, because Win7/8 "find-contents" has been dumped by MS)

    MilesAhead #27 :)

    I downloaded "Sync" (... for "Computer0304" ... published by Microsoft Corporation)
    When I ran the extracted "sync.exe" a command window opened but I had to agree to terms and conditions first. As soon as I agreed, the cmd window was gone. Since then not a murmur of life from "sync.exe"
    Neither Search nor Run recognise Sync.exe.
    Authors site offers no "how to use" nor guidance.

    How do I use "Sync.exe" ? Command line? If so what is the parameter protocol exactly.?
    I gather from ""Computer0304" concerns he is not very familiar with geek talk. Nor am I always in the know.

    I am willing to try anything to resolve problems especially if they are simple.
    As a volunteer helping seniors to come to grips with PCs and the virtual world -- your promotion of "sync" could be a very handy tool if I can write a script that users can just click on.
    The paid version of "USB Safely Remove" provides access to a list of causes of the sticky USB-storage + a forced disconnection when I am desperate.
    I have found some ancient (5 yrs old) HDDs can be more problematic. Best binned (after retrieving the data) sometimes. :)
    Win-XP(32), Win-7(32/64), Win-8(32/64)
    Last edited by bawldiggle; 27 Aug 2013 at 18:11. Reason: corrections
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #29

    Lady Fitzgerald said:
    Computer0304 said:
    ...I don't really like using third party software though.
    I think that using third party software is questionable because it is not approved by Microsoft.
    If I didn't use third party software, I would be using hardly any at all. Just because Microsoft hasn't approved it is not an indication of if it's any good or not. Software recommended by longtime members here is usually going to be safe.

    Again, don't do anything with the HDD until you get another one and copy your photos to it. That way, if something goes wrong while trying to get a handle on the problem with the present HDD and the photos on it are lost, you will still have them on the other HDD. Until you get the other HDD, just be patient and leave this one turned off and disconnected from your computer. Let us know when you get the new HDD and we will walk you through getting your photos duplicated from the old drive to the new one, then we can tackle trying to figure out how to fix the problem. Until then, be patient and don't punch the panic button (I know, easier said than done).
    Ok ok I know I will get a new hard drive. What external hard drive do you recommend? I just want to know if theres a hard drive better than my current external hdd, a WD My Passport 1TB.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #30

    Well at least I would only lose 2 months of photos if it does fail. Because I have a old external hard drive that I used before this one. The only problem is that the old hard drive has only 10GB of memory left. Thats why I got another drive, the one I'm having this problem with. Oh well...
      My Computer


 
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