cannot eject


Bikeit

Bikeit

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Im trying to eject an external drive from my laptop but keep getting the pop up message below, anyone offer any help please?
1671374209948.png
 

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Bikeit said:
Im trying to eject an external drive from my laptop but keep getting the pop up message below, anyone offer any help please?
View attachment 47861
Click to expand...

I get that occasionally. For an external drive Disk Write Caching is normally disabled by default, so it may be safe to remove it any way. But to be really sure it's safe you want to be able to eject it.

First close any apps you have running, even if you don't think they would be using the drive. Sometimes it takes a while for all processes that may be using it to close, so try again after waiting for a bit. If you still can't eject, try signing out then back in, this closes all process you may have had running in the background.

Once in a while even that doesn't help. To be really sure it's safe to remove your only option is to shut down the PC.
 

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    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

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Well, I have the same problem my WD My Book external HDD. The easiest way I've found to "eject" this drive is to put PC to "sleep" and turn off the drive after the drive heads "park". This saves me from the aggravation of fiddling with the Device and/or Managers in Windows. You can also try: "OpenCloseDrive" app at: OpenCloseDriveEject 3.11 Safely remove drives and open close DVD, USB (Be advised, that it doesn't always work as advertised.) Good Luck.

GCG
 

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Another method I have found works is to install or use the portable HWInfo64, when run it flushes all buffers, so any pending disk activity should be forced to complete allowing the disk to be ejected.
 

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Scan 3XS Custom 1700
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Bikeit said:
Im trying to eject an external drive from my laptop but keep getting the pop up message below, anyone offer any help please?
View attachment 47861
Click to expand...
Visit the link below for useful information regarding the message you are receiving. I was having the same problem and solved it with the solution provided in the link.


If you read the article, it is extremely insightful and easy to understand.
 

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Microcenter B677
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ASRock H310CM-HDV/M.2
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32GB
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Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630
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LG Model: GSM59F1
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2560x1080
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Lian Li 205M
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Hi,
Often explorer is just fudged up
Other times it's a music playing app attempting to access the device

Quickest way is often restarting the machine or winkey+x and type uu to really shut down.
 

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Acer 17" Nitro 7840sn/ 2x16gb 5600c40/ 4060/ stock 1tb-os/ 4tb sn850x
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10900k & 9940x & 5930k
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z490-Apex & x299-Apex & x99-Sabertooth
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Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
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Onboard Realtek x3
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1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
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1920-1080 not sure what the t.v is besides 43" class scales from 1920-1080 perfectly
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Custom water loops x3 with 2x mora 360mm rads only 980ti gaming air cooled
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G710+x3
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System processes sometimes lock onto usb drives and hold them hostage. Signing out is not enough. The only way to get whatever process to release them is a restart . This happened a lot with me and I found an excellent little program called USB Safely Remove that I've used for years in place of Explorer's safely remove. This program does what explorer's does, but has the added option of letting you force the release of the process holding it hostage thereby eliminating the need for a restart. It is a paid app, though. But here's the deal. For $19.90 you can buy it and get its updates for a year. After that time, it will no longer get updates, but it will continue to work forever. I bought mine many years ago for $5.99 and still use it though it hasn't been updated in a long time.
 

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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
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    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
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    Dell Optiplex 7080
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    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
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    DELL 0J37VM
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    Benq 27
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    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
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    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
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    Beelink Mini PC SER5
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    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
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    32 gb
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    integrated
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    integrated
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    Benq 27
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    2560x1440
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    1TB Crucial nvme
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    Logitech wired
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    Logitech wireless
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    still too embarrassed to tell
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    Firefox
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    Defender
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    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
Hi,
Yikes 20.us
You can use this to restart explorer for free and don't have to change anything just run as admin and use restart explorer.

WinPaletter: customize Windows theme colors to your liking

I've never tried this program. But I've seen a LOT of posts asking how to change this or that color, etc., of the Windows GUI. This may come in handy. https://www.ghacks.net/2022/06/10/winpaletter-unlocks-more-windows-theme-color-customization-options/ Let me know how it works. If I get...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Win-7-10-11Pro's10900k & 9940x & 5930kTrident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb & Trident-Z 36...Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
OS
Win-7-10-11Pro's
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer 17" Nitro 7840sn/ 2x16gb 5600c40/ 4060/ stock 1tb-os/ 4tb sn850x
CPU
10900k & 9940x & 5930k
Motherboard
z490-Apex & x299-Apex & x99-Sabertooth
Memory
Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb & Trident-Z 3600c16 4x8gb & 3200c14 4x8gb
Graphics Card(s)
Titan Xp & 1080ti FTW3 & evga 980ti gaming
Sound Card
Onboard Realtek x3
Monitor(s) Displays
1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Screen Resolution
1920-1080 not sure what the t.v is besides 43" class scales from 1920-1080 perfectly
Hard Drives
2-WD-sn850x 4tb/ 970evo+500gb/ 980 pro 2tb.
PSU
1000p2 & 1200p2 & 850p2
Case
D450 x2 & 1 Test bench in cherry Entertainment center
Cooling
Custom water loops x3 with 2x mora 360mm rads only 980ti gaming air cooled
Keyboard
G710+x3
Mouse
Redragon x3
Internet Speed
xfinity gigabyte
Browser
Firefox
Antivirus
mbam pro
Sir_George said:
Visit the link below for useful information regarding the message you are receiving. I was having the same problem and solved it with the solution provided in the link.


If you read the article, it is extremely insightful and easy to understand.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for this! I bought a new laptop a couple of weeks ago and I've gone crazy trying to find a solution to the "device is in use" problem. What a relief to find out that in Windows 11 it's as simple as selecting the "Quick removal" policy by default, thanks to your link.
 

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Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 15" 16Gb
Internet Speed
600 Mb
Merry said:
Thanks a lot for this! I bought a new laptop a couple of weeks ago and I've gone crazy trying to find a solution to the "device is in use" problem. What a relief to find out that in Windows 11 it's as simple as selecting the "Quick removal" policy by default, thanks to your link.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 ProfessionalIntel Core i5-940032GBIntegrated Intel UHD Graphics 630
OS
Windows 11 Professional
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Microcenter B677
CPU
Intel Core i5-9400
Motherboard
ASRock H310CM-HDV/M.2
Memory
32GB
Graphics Card(s)
Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630
Sound Card
Intel Kaby Lake - High Definition Audio / cAVS (Audio, Voice, Speech) [A0]
Monitor(s) Displays
LG Model: GSM59F1
Screen Resolution
2560x1080
Case
Lian Li 205M
Antivirus
Kaspersky AV
I can see where the quick remove policy would work for most people but it's not a practical solution for me. I have over 20 flash drives used for various purposes so the same drive letter is never assigned each time I use them. I also have 4 external hard drives with up to 5 partitions each, each partition assigned a static drive letter. (Yeah, I know it's overkill) The external hard drives are recognized as local disks so there is no option for quick removal in properties nor any eject option in Windows. Only my third party app recognizes them as usb and lets me remove them safely.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655i9-10900 10 core 20 threads32 gbnone-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2x1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+2tb Kingston m2.nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457AMD Ryzen 7 6800U32 gbintegrated
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26200.8457
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC SER5
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Crucial nvme
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    System 3 is non compliant Dell 9020 i7-4770/24gb ram Win11 PRO 26200.8457
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