safely remove hardware

[anotheoldgit]

Can anyone please tell me the correct way to remove a USB memory stick, from the computer?

I have a multi card reader on my computer, and if I use the safely remove hardware icon on the bottom menu bar, it also makes all the icons for the multi card reader disappear.

They only return if I switch my computer off and then switch it back on again.

[Ethel]

I simply physically remove it. That's all.

[plowter]

A USB device is provided with power from the USB cable. If you unplug a USB device while the device is being used (the light is flashing) you could lose data or you could banjo the memory stick.

A USB memory stick is basically a memory chip. You could damage the memory chip and lose all the data. Better safe than sorry.

Best advice is to safely remove the memory stick. In the Windows Tray (bottom right) you'll see the USB icon of a green arrow above a grey square. Double-click it and you'll be presented with the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box.

You'll see something like USB Mass Storage Device. Click the Stop button. You'll then be given a list of all the devices on the Stop a Hardware Device dialog box. Look for and single-click your memory stick (eg. Kingston Data Traveler) and click OK.

You should hear a pop and the Safely Remove Hardware dialog box should then empty.

[Wix]

I broke a memory stick by pulling it out and not using the safley remove hardware option.
Don't do what i did, i ended up spending 3 hours with a data recovery specialist recovering important documents from the memory stick. It cost me over �100 to get the stuff back. Always use "safley remove hardware".

[fo3nix]

For flash drives, click the remove hardware icon in the taskbar (bottom-right) once with your left mouse button. A little menu will appear. Click the item you want to eject. It'll tell you it's safe, and now you can pull it out.

For multi card readers, when you want to take out a card, go into My Computer, find the drive you want to take out, right-click the icon and click eject. If your card reader has a LED, it might flash a bit to show it being unmounted. Pull your card out. The reader itself should still work and be shown in My Computer.

[rojash]

Assuming you have XP, you don't need to use "Safely remove" if you do the following:

Insert the stick or disk drive connection
Click Open Control Panel
Run Computer Management
Under Storage, select disk management
Right-click the stick or removable drive and select properties
Go to the Policies tab
Select "Optimize for quick removal"

Windows will remember this setting for this specific device.
You still need to check that the "In use" light is not lit before removing.

[ACtheTROLL]

I'd say easier than that

just make sure that the stick isn't in use
then pull it out

in my exp most problems are caused by pulling the stick half way through a save

[IT-Fairy]

I have been using a USB memory stick for about 2 years and now on my 5th one which is a 4gb. I have never used safely remove hardware before removing my device and have never had any problem. This is a huge debate, some say you should and some say you shouldn't. Surely if all files and folders have been closed down first that should be sufficient? I do not think I would be able to get into the habit of going to 'safely remove hardware' now anyway!

I am an IT Tutor and would love to know the correct way to pass this on to my students. I thought Windows XP was able to cope with the removal of USB memory sticks without any fuss!