Safely Remove Hardware Shortcut - Create

How to Create a "Safely Remove Hardware" Shortcut in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8​

   Information

Safely Remove Hardware allows you 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.

This tutorial will show you how to create or download a Safely Remove Hardware shortcut that you can use where you like in Windows.

EXAMPLE: Safely Remove Hardware

OPTION ONE

To Download the "Safely Remove Hardware" Shortcut

1. Click/tap on the download button below to download the file below. Safely_Remove_Hardware.zip


Download


2. Save the .zip file to your desktop.

3. Open the .zip file and extract the Safely Remove Hardware shortcut to the desktop.

4. Unblock the Safely Remove Hardware shortcut.
5. If you would like a better custom 256x256 pixel icon instead of the default smaller icon, then go to step 8 in OPTION TWO below to download and use it instead.

6. In Vista and Windows 7, you can now Pin to Taskbar (Windows 7 only) or Pin to Start Menu, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.

7. In Windows 8, you can Pin to Taskbar on desktop, Pin to Start screen, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.

8. When done, you can delete the downloaded .zip file on the desktop if you like, or save it to use again.

OPTION TWO

To Manually Create the "Safely Remove Hardware" Shortcut

1. Right click or press and hold on an empty area on your desktop, and click/tap on New and Shortcut.

2. Copy and Paste the location below into the location area, and click/tap on the Next button. (see screenshot below) %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll



3. Type Safely Remove Hardware for the name, and click/tap on the Finish button. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You can name this anything you would like though.
4. Right click or press and hold on the new Safely Remove Hardware shortcut, and click/tap on Properties.

5. Click/tap on the Shortcut tab, then click/tap on the Change Icon button. (see screenshot below)
6. To Use the Default Icon A) In the line under "Look for icons in this file", type in the location below, press Enter, and go to step 8 below. (see left screenshot below step 8) %SystemRoot%\System32\hotplug.dll
7. To Download or Use a Custom Icon
NOTE: You can skip this step and go to step 6 if you do not want or need a better 256x256 pixel icon to use instead of the smaller default one. A) You could click/tap on the Download button below to download and use this custom 256x256 pixel Safely_Remove_Hardware.ico file in a ZIP file below as this shortcut's icon if you like.
NOTE: The icon will need to remain saved at the same location for the icon to continue to display on the shortcut.
Download




B) In the line under "Look for icons in this file", click/tap on Browse and navigate to the location of the saved 256x256 pixel icon you want to use. (see right screenshot below step 8)
8. Select the icon in blue below, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: Left sceeenshot for step 4, and right screenshot for step 5.
9. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
10. In Vista and Windows 7, you can now Pin to Taskbar (Windows 7 only) or Pin to Start Menu, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.

11. In Windows 8, you can Pin to Taskbar on desktop, Pin to Start screen, add to Quick Launch, assign a keyboard shortcut to it, or move this shortcut to where you like for easy use.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Enable or Disable Write-Caching for a Storage Device in Windows 7
• How to Use Safely Remove Hardware to Eject a Device in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Add "Safely Remove Hardware" to the Desktop Context Menu

 

[need4steer]

Thanks a lot for another great tutorial.

 

[Night Hawk]

With all these flash drives and other usb devices I need something besides a system tray icon to click on! Keep 'em coming! Shawn

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome guys. Thank you.

 

[Night Hawk]

You're most certainly Welcome! I prefer the larger screen for listing the devices presently in use over the small popup seen with the right click on the sys tray icon there. This should make things easier for anyone!

 

[need4steer]

Thanks to www7t2b I found out another command to type in step 2:

"control hotplug.dll"

It gives the same result as

"C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll"

You can also run both from the start --> run window.

www7t2b posted about it at: http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/60397-usb-hd-not-recognized-removable.html.

 

[1jiva1]

Thank You just really does not seem appropriate. I would like to extend my sincere 'Gratefulness and Gratitude' for your help. I have spent days just searching for
answers that may have worked but I am very very NEW at all this stuff.
And I STILL have not a clue as what I may have did wrong to make this all happen.

Many Many Thanks

1jiva1......................Gary



Nothing Real Is Threatened................Nothing Unreal exists
Herein lies the Peace.......of.......G...... heh heh heh.....a Great
Mentor

 

[Brink]

Hello Jiva, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[mkr10001]

Is there a way to add this to the context menu?

 

[Brink]

Mkr,

Yep, here you go.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/195984-safely-remove-hardware-add-desktop-context-menu.html

 

[mkr10001]

Cheers. Much better now. I don't need to wait for it to load the small window in the corner before doing something else.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[thomasblake222]

Well done!

Thanks! Your tutorials are the best!

PS: Great logo!

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Thomas, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[voiv]

Hi, I've just tried to safely unplug my USB flash drive using this method and sadly it doesn't work. The pop up notification I get is: The "LG USB Drive USB Device' device is not removable and cannot be ejected or unplugged"

However, if I go through "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the taskbar and simply click on my USB flash drive, it will work and a confirmation balloon appears: the 'USB Mass Storage Device' device can now be safely removed from the computer.

Any way to get a shortcut which does exactly/directly what the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the taskbar area does?

 

[Brink]

Hello voiv,

Does your USB have Quick removal enabled for it?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/10392-write-caching-enable-disable.html

 

[voiv]

Hello voiv,

Does your USB have Quick removal enabled for it?

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...e-disable.html

Hi Brink, I've just checked it and it's defaulted as Quick removal, tried both options and It's the same.. I get the "The "LG USB Drive USB Device' device is not removable and cannot be ejected or unplugged" However as I mentioned previously, when I try to remove it from my taskbar, it works just fine.

My system is Windows 7 Ultimate 64bits, I'm using this command in my objectbar menu: %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll

Thanks for your time!

 

[Brink]

You're welcome. Sounds like you are good to go. Just be sure that it's finished reading/writing to/from the USB before disconnecting it, and you should be fine.