Solved External Hard Drive not safely removable

[Computer0304]

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.
:huh: I think that using third party software is questionable because it is not approved by Microsoft.

 

[Computer0304]

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.

 

[Computer0304]

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?!?

 

[Computer0304]

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

 

[Computer0304]

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!!!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...I don't really like using third party software though.
:huh: 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).

 

[MilesAhead]

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.

 

[bawldiggle]

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)​

 

[Computer0304]

...I don't really like using third party software though.
:huh: 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.

 

[Computer0304]

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...

 

[Computer0304]

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)​

I do have antivirus and I ran it on both system and external hard drive. But this is annoying me so much. Maybe I should use my laptop to copy files instead because of this problem.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...But this is annoying me so much. Maybe I should use my laptop to copy files instead because of this problem.

I understand your frustration but, again, until you get another HDD to backup your photos to, the beat thing right now is to do nothing and leave the problem drive turned off and disconnected from your computer.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...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.

Actually, the WD My Passports are good drives; you may have just been unlucky with this one or we may be able to help you fix it once you get your photos onto another HDD.

Take a look at this one. It gets good reviews and should be a solid drive. It's also USB powered so you won't have to horse around with a separate power supply for it and is compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Even if all you have on your computer now is USB 2.0, being USB 3.0 compatible will future proof the drive for you.

I selected a 2TB drive because you mentioned you had another drive with photos on it and I'll wager you don't have that one backed up, either.

 

[bawldiggle]

I do have antivirus and I ran it on both system and external hard drive. But this is annoying me so much. Maybe I should use my laptop to copy files instead because of this problem.

Sorry I might have mislead you. Now that I re-read my post.
I was "hinting" at how to ensure third party down loads can be installed/utilized with a minimum of risk.

Do you recall how much space you have used on the "1TB WD MyPassport" ?
I would suggest you look at the WD forum
I have never used it but you might get some specific feedback on your problem "1TB WD MyPassport".
On the wd-forum there is a sub-forum "WD External Drives" and beneath that entry is a string/list of sub-sub forums. External Drives for Mac .. and... External Drives for PC
Are you running a PC or Mac ?

I agree with Lady Fitzgerald future proofing.
And you might (or not!) have a faulty "1TB WD MyPassport" too.

Further down the track when your current dilemma is resolved and your stress levels are not so high, you might consider a NAS drive.
Let me explain ...

One copy of anything is extremely risky.

My wife would never backup. Her PC HDD spat its dummy and she lost everything.
Years of baby photos, weddings etc.​

WD make a small 2 bay (2 HDDs) model. Your data is stored on both drives. If one drive fails the second HDD still has all your data until you replace the dud HDD. Although lower end WD multi-drives are semi sealed (the HDD are soldered inside the unit)
I personally use a 5 HDD NAS (slight overkill at the moment)- if one disc fails the other 4 make my data available. We have decades of music we do not want to lose + I have decades of work related stuff on it too. All part of a home network, so any PC/laptop/tablet can access the NAS.
The discs slide/click into each bay, so changing a disc/HD is like inserting a DVD into your DVD player.
NAS units start at 2 discs upto a lot of discs. eg, 2,4,5,6,8 ... 12 + etc.

But first to get your current problem sorted.

Hope my contribution has not been to much "overload" for you.

Regards ...

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I do have antivirus and I ran it on both system and external hard drive. But this is annoying me so much. Maybe I should use my laptop to copy files instead because of this problem.

Sorry I might have mislead you. Now that I re-read my post.
I was "hinting" at how to ensure third party down loads can be installed/utilized with a minimum of risk.

Do you recall how much space you have used on the "1TB WD MyPassport" ?
I would suggest you look at the WD forum
I have never used it but you might get some specific feedback on your problem "1TB WD MyPassport".
On the wd-forum there is a sub-forum "WD External Drives" and beneath that entry is a string/list of sub-sub forums. External Drives for Mac .. and... External Drives for PC
Are you running a PC or Mac ?

I agree with Lady Fitzgerald future proofing.
And you might (or not!) have a faulty "1TB WD MyPassport" too.

Further down the track when your current dilemma is resolved and your stress levels are not so high, you might consider a NAS drive.
Let me explain ...

One copy of anything is extremely risky.

My wife would never backup. Her PC HDD spat its dummy and she lost everything.
Years of baby photos, weddings etc.
​

WD make a small 2 bay (2 HDDs) model. Your data is stored on both drives. If one drive fails the second HDD still has all your data until you replace the dud HDD. Although lower end WD multi-drives are semi sealed (the HDD are soldered inside the unit)
I personally use a 5 HDD NAS (slight overkill at the moment)- if one disc fails the other 4 make my data available. We have decades of music we do not want to lose + I have decades of work related stuff on it too. All part of a home network, so any PC/laptop/tablet can access the NAS.
The discs slide/click into each bay, so changing a disc/HD is like inserting a DVD into your DVD player.
NAS units start at 2 discs upto a lot of discs. eg, 2,4,5,6,8 ... 12 + etc.

But first to get your current problem sorted.

Hope my contribution has not been to much "overload" for you.

Regards ...

If a NAS is used to backup data that is also on another drive, it would be a good idea. However, if the NAS is the only place data will be stored, then it would be a bad idea. The parity of RAID will protect data if one or more HDDs should fail (depending on the kind of RAID), allowing continuous operation (as long as no more drives than what are redundant fail: I've heard of RAID 5 arrays failing because a second drive failed before the first failed one could be replaced), but if something takes out the entire NAS (blown PSU, virus, user error, fire, theft, etc.), then the data is gone forever. Data is not backed up unless it is in a bare minimum of two places: the original location and a second, separate location. Even better than one backup is two: one onsite and one offsite.

I'm not anti-RAID. Far from it. RAID has it uses but serving as a backup to the data stored on it is not one of them.

In the case of the OP, it would be easier and cheaper to just have one backup drive for each drive with data stored on it.

 

[bawldiggle]

Hi "Lady Fitgerald"

I do back up my NAS onto separate external HDs.
I didn't want to dazzle "Computer0304" with too much info ... and in hindsight maybe I did.

Computer0304 appears to be under a lot of stress and I just wanted to reassure Computer0304 that all is not lost and maybe if Computer0304 has a lot of data (that we don't know about) a NAS might be a long term solution.
Personally I have: 16TB, RAID-5 and the unit is on UPS
. . . . Personal stuff + consultancy engineering stuff -- a lot of it!

No way would I suggest that NAS is a backup. If mains power supply is hit by lightning neither the PC, UPS or NAS will survive. So backup, backup, backup is my mantra and has been for over 30 years.

Thanks for your pointers
Regards
Russell

 

[Computer0304]

...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.

Actually, the WD My Passports are good drives; you may have just been unlucky with this one or we may be able to help you fix it once you get your photos onto another HDD.

Take a look at this one. It gets good reviews and should be a solid drive. It's also USB powered so you won't have to horse around with a separate power supply for it and is compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Even if all you have on your computer now is USB 2.0, being USB 3.0 compatible will future proof the drive for you.

I selected a 2TB drive because you mentioned you had another drive with photos on it and I'll wager you don't have that one backed up, either.

What's the difference of My Passport and My Passport Essential? The other old drive I have is the one I backed uped on this one.

 

[Computer0304]

Hi "Lady Fitgerald"

I do back up my NAS onto separate external HDs.
I didn't want to dazzle "Computer0304" with too much info ... and in hindsight maybe I did.

Computer0304 appears to be under a lot of stress and I just wanted to reassure Computer0304 that all is not lost and maybe if Computer0304 has a lot of data (that we don't know about) a NAS might be a long term solution.
Personally I have: 16TB, RAID-5 and the unit is on UPS
. . . . Personal stuff + consultancy engineering stuff -- a lot of it!

No way would I suggest that NAS is a backup. If mains power supply is hit by lightning neither the PC, UPS or NAS will survive. So backup, backup, backup is my mantra and has been for over 30 years.

Thanks for your pointers
Regards
Russell

No I currently have only 100GB of data. Most of them are photos and videos. But thank you for the idea. But I don't want to have to get anything but the two drives.

 

[Computer0304]

And no Lady Fitzgerald, by not using third party software, I mean I don't like to use third party software that will change settings on my system or do anything to my external hdd unless it is made by a positive company or the maker of the system parts or Microsoft.

 

[bawldiggle]

Hi "Computer0304"
Have you looked at -OR- posted a thread on the WD forum ??

As has been suggested if your drive is faulty, you are putting yourself through a lot of stress for nothing.
Lady Fitzgerald can help you recover your data.

I totally agree with Lady Fitzgerald
Her suggested new drive is a good one, she is well qualified to help you.

When you are logged in -- if you look at Lady Fitzgerald posts, in the left side panel -- her credentials are impeccable.

Those Gold Member, Supporter, Seven Guru bars are not awarded lightly. She is extremely well qualified.​

If you keep rejecting suggestions on any forum, helpers with drop out and you will be left with the problem and ignored.

If you only trust Microsoft, phone them and pay (about $80/$100 per hour, last I heard) to solve your problem.
... there is no guarantee that they will be prepared to help you either​

On this forum you can have help for nothing $0.

One of the many lessons in life is learning to juggle "trust" and "discernment"

Lady Fitzgerald is giving you good advice. Trust her.