Unable to safely eject usb flash drive


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win11freak

Well-known member
Member
Local time
7:26 PM
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Windows 11 Pro 22H2
Every time I insert my usb flash drive into my laptop and make slight changes to a text file for example I am unable to safely eject it after when I completed modifications in the usb drive.

This isn't normal. Especially after inserting it for a even a few minutes.

My system is clean from malware.

The only resolution that I always need to do is shut down the laptop then take out the usb.

No other programs or apps running in the background. Nothing at all. Only the File Explorer when I open the contents from the usb flash drive.

Any ideas?

1752691991631.webp
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2
I get that with a 256GB drive that is formatted as NTFS. With smaller drives, no.

I just remove the drive from the PC, without shutting down Windows. I make sure to do it when files are not being written or read. It has caused no issues so far. YMMV.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 26200.8116
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D Rev. 1.0
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) G.Skill DDR5 6400 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Innocn 32" OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    BeQuiet! Straight Power 12 1500W
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    SilverStone Technology XE360-TR5, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Cherry KC 500 MX LP (mechanical)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    2000/250 Mbps (down/up)
    Other Info
    xFinity gateway
  • Operating System
    windows 11 26200.8116
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 27" OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Cherry Streaming (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
Try a simple fix first, open a administrative command prompt and run SFC /SCANNOW.

If you want to find what process or program is holding on to the drive, here's what Google AI says, and it works for me.

Use Sysinternals Process Explorer:
  1. Download and Install Process Explorer: Download Process Explorer from the Microsoft website.
  2. Open Process Explorer: Launch the application.
  3. Find Handles or DLLs: Go to the "Find" menu and select "Find Handle or DLL".
  4. Enter the drive letter: Type the drive letter of the USB drive into the search box (e.g., "E:").
  5. View results: The search results will display all files and folders open on the USB drive, along with the process using them.
I tried it for my G: drive...

1752698380540.webp
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
Even easier: By default, USB flash drives require no eject operation. Check the removal policy to verify this:

To check the policy:

Right-click the device in File Explorer, select Properties, select the correct device in the hardware tab and select Properties again, on the General tab click on Change settings, go to the Policies tab.

If you have "Quick removal" selected, then there is no need for an Eject operation. I NEVER use eject and I plug in and remove flash drives at least 20 times a day.

Image1.webp
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
If you click on the date, bottom right of your computer screen, and look at the top where it says notifications - in the right corner is a little bell icon - is that on or off? That is "do not disturb". If it's on - it doesn't tell you you can remove the device safely. If it's off, it does!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home 25H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 14-ce3606sa
    CPU
    Core i5-1035G1
    Memory
    32gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 870 evo sata ssd
    Cooling
    Could be better
    Internet Speed
    50 mbps Starlink
    Browser
    Firefox
    Other Info
    Originally came installed with a 500gb H10 Optane ssd
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion ce3606sa
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-1035G1
    Memory
    16gb
    Hard Drives
    Hynix Gold P31 2TB
    Internet Speed
    200mbps Starlink
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
Depends what’s running in the background. I, for example have the Everything service running. This it scans drives when connected. You can use the portable app HotSwap to eject anything.

Safely remove hardware not working

This took me awhile to figure out. Thought this would help other people. Open event viewer. Select Windows Logs on the left. Select system also on the left. You are likely to have a lot error messages. Select filter current log on the right. On the line above task category type 225 for the...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
If you have Samsung Magician installed, disable the “CMigrationService” service. This service is only for cloning SSD content with the Samsung Magician app, but it causes problems with the extraction of the drives.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    13700K
    Motherboard
    MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI (7D91vHH - 0x12F)
    Memory
    32GB DDR5 Kingston Fury Renegade @6400
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming X Slim White 12G
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z SE
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VA24DQ
    Hard Drives
    WD Black SN850X 2TB (main)
    SAMSUNG SSD 990 Pro 2TB
    WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm
    PSU
    Corsair RM1000x SHIFT
    Case
    DeepCool CH560 WH
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15S
    Keyboard
    Ducky One 3 Pro Nazca Line
    Mouse
    Logitech G403 HERO
dacrone said:
Depends what’s running in the background. I, for example have the Everything service running. This it scans drives when connected. You can use the portable app HotSwap to eject anything.

Safely remove hardware not working

This took me awhile to figure out. Thought this would help other people. Open event viewer. Select Windows Logs on the left. Select system also on the left. You are likely to have a lot error messages. Select filter current log on the right. On the line above task category type 225 for the...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
Click to expand...
The Everything service only scans removable drives if you configure it to. I've never felt the need to have it scanning removable drives, so that doesn't affect my use. However, I do have to say, Everything is a must-have utility on my systems! :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8524
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
Try RemoveDrive


Flash drive with Rufus:
RemoveDrive.exe 'CCSA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9' -dbg

USB HDD
RemoveDrive\RemoveDrive.exe '\Device\HarddiskVolume7'
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI MS-7D98
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-13490F
    Motherboard
    MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI
    Memory
    2 x 16 Patriot Memory (PDP Systems) PSD516G560081 6400MT (32-37-37-74); 1.35V)
    Graphics Card(s)
    GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G (GV-N4070WF3OC-12GD)
    Sound Card
    Bluetooth Аудио
    Monitor(s) Displays
    INNOCN 15K1F
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    WD_BLACK SN770 250GB
    KINGSTON SNV2S1000G (ELFK0S.6)
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 1000W
    Case
    CG560 - DeepCool
    Cooling
    ID-COOLING SE-224-XTS / 2 x 140Mm Fan - rear and top; 3 x 120Mm - front
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 RGB TKL
    Mouse
    Corsair KATAR PRO XT
    Internet Speed
    100 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender Antivirus
    Other Info
    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/66553205
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