Safely removing a USB device in OS Windows. What to do if the Safely Remove Hardware icon disappears
When using the safe removal of the flash drive function, I always received a message box indicating that it was safe to remove the flash drive. Recently, when you click on the flash drive icon in order to safely remove it, no message is received, and the flash drive icon disappears in the window. Therefore, I don’t know whether it is possible to safely remove the flash drive or not. Tell me what settings need to be made to restore the function of safely removing a flash drive. I prefer to make the appropriate settings in the registry or using the gpedit editor. Thanks in advance..
/ Vitaly Vladimirovich 08.28.2016, 11:05
Some strange behavior of the icon: it is still visible, but does not function. I would like to know if this behavior is only with this flash drive or with all? Try checking it for viruses. There are solutions on the Internet when the tray icon is completely missing. I can recommend the USB Safely Remove program. It has similar functionality and even more.
There is also an excellent utility that clears all traces of USB device connections in the registry and after it everything starts working as it should. This is a utility USBOblivion. designed to erase traces of connecting USB drives and CD-ROMs from the registry in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Wimdows 10, both 32 and 64-bit versions. The utility has a test mode of operation, i.e. . without actually deleting data from the registry, and, just in case, creates a .reg file to cancel all changes. There is also a fully automatic operating mode.
While the debate about safely removing devices (flash drives) continues to rage, I decided to describe my argument in favor of refusal from safely remove devices. Of course, I’m sure that there will be many critics who will not really object: “I didn’t remove it and my flash drive burned out!”, “I didn’t remove it and absolutely all the data on my flash drive was deleted,” etc... I hope that our reader , a prudent person and will be able to analyze and draw appropriate conclusions for himself. Of course, I do not encourage anyone to refuse to safely remove drives, but I do encourage them to safely remove them I won't. I will describe my point of view on the problem, and then let everyone decide for themselves.
First, a short introduction, read it - it will allow you to understand the essence...
Increased performance through caching
Caching- this is the accumulation of data in some storage for the purpose of quick subsequent access to it as needed. The caching process speeds up many data processing processes.
So, the Windows operating system (with which you are working), roughly speaking, has two policies working with storage devices (which is a flash drive).
1) ON advanced caching
2) OFF advanced caching.
When caching records included, data directly to disk are not recorded, but end up in the cache (some intermediary area). And the actual recording (physical recording) to the flash drive occurs after some time, this behavior is also commonly called - delayed write. This achieves increased productivity.
In some cases, it is more appropriate to record immediately, bypassing the cache. This prevents loss or data corruption in case of failures. In the case of a flash drive, the main failure is a power loss (when you simply unplug the flash drive).
So in case caching active and you having written down files to a portable usb drive turned it off(drive), then most likely it is will lead to loss currently recorded information. Because really data recording process Not completed to the end, and the so-called delayed write despite the fact that you saw how the copying of data to the flash drive was completed successfully.
Arguments for not safely removing a device
A short introduction to the topic of caching is necessary so that you understand the operating principles of the operating system in this aspect.
I think everyone has at least understood in general terms how the caching subsystem works. And now many have wondered, is caching enabled on my computer? And many will think that this is exactly the case, since they were advised to do a safe extraction...
In fact, by default (i.e. if specially do not change) the policy with cache DISABLED is enabled, this screenshot is proof
Figure 1. Removal Policy
Read the text carefully and you will see that Microsoft has already taken care of quickly removing the device.
Unnecessary fears
So what are you afraid of and so diligently trying to avoid, each time safely disconnecting the flash drive?
You've probably heard about terrible rumors when USB ports burn out, allegedly because the flash drive was not safely removed, that the drives themselves burn, that the information stored on the disk is damaged, and many other horror stories. The latter will probably be the most realistic, since after recording with caching enabled, if you quickly pull out the flash drive (without waiting for the recording to finish), the file you are writing will not be written completely, i.e. damaged - that's all!
This means that if you connected a flash drive for the purpose of copying from it (i.e., the operation of reading data from a flash drive), then you can safely not remove it.
Still think that your flash drive might burn out?
Then let's turn to USB interface specifications and common sense.
Here GND is the “case” circuit for powering peripheral devices, and VBus is +5 V, also for power circuits. Is data transmitted on the D+ and D wires? differentially (states 0 and 1 (in the terminology of the official documentation diff0 and diff1, respectively) are determined by the potential difference between the lines of more than 0.2 V and provided that on one of the lines (D? in the case of diff0 and D+ in the case of diff1) the potential is relative to GND above 2.8 V. The differential transmission method is the main one, but not the only one (for example, during initialization, the device informs the host about the mode supported by the device (Full-Speed or Low-Speed) by pulling one of the data lines to V_BUS through a 1.5 resistor kOhm (D? for Low-Speed mode and D+ for Full-Speed and High-Speed modes.).
I didn’t say anything new or shocking here, I just wanted to emphasize the fact that the USB interface is powered by a voltage of +5 V. The supply voltage is set by the official specification, and no safe removal of devices can affect the size of the supply voltage output.
I think that you understand that an electrical device (which is a flash drive) can and does burn out (by the way, quite often) only due to voltage surges, surges, or short circuits. The cause of which is a faulty or low-quality power supply, a loose computer USB connector, or conductive debris stuck in the port, but not the safe removal function of the device in the Windows operating system.
If any of the experts disagree, I will be glad if you correct me, I will definitely make your correction to the text of the article.
Today, digital gadgets are an integral part of our lives. There are fewer and fewer people who do not have a computer, laptop or tablet, and it is difficult to imagine studying at school and university without an electronic assistant. And, along with PCs, flash drives - tiny storage devices for huge amounts of information - are of great importance. Each of us knows how many documents, music and films such a device can hold, but few people think about its proper operation.
Along with the basic rules - do not get it wet, do not drop it, etc., there is one very important point - correctly remove it from the computer after finishing work. This is the key to the safety of files on the flash drive and its long operation. If you are used to pulling out the device without bothering with additional operations, you risk one day being left without it and the saved recordings.
How to properly remove a flash drive from a computer?
Before you remove the drive, make sure you have finished working with the files on it. Documents and folders must be closed, otherwise the work will not be completed. This, in turn, can lead to data loss, malfunction of the removable disk, and even “broken” files that cannot be recovered.
After you have saved and closed all the files, you need to properly remove the flash drive. There are three ways to do this.
First way
1. On the desktop or in the Start menu, find the “My Computer” shortcut. Click on it 2 times.
2. Having entered “My Computer”, we will see the system drives “C”, “D”, and below that a removable disk should appear - a flash drive. Different devices usually have different names - "I", "E", "G".
3 . Place the cursor over the removable disk shortcut and right-click on it once.
4. In the drop-down menu, select “Extract”. Right-click once. After a couple of seconds, the indicator light on the flash drive will light up - this means that data is being saved.
5. When the job is complete, a message will appear in the lower right corner of the screen indicating that the device can be removed. The removable disk icon will disappear. After this, the flash drive can be removed.
Second way
1 . When you insert a flash drive into a computer connector, the following icon appears in the lower right corner of the toolbar:
2. If you don't see it, it's hidden - perhaps due to the large number of icons on the panel. Then there is probably an arrow like this:
3. To see hidden icons, hover the cursor over this arrow, click on it once with the left button and in the pop-up window we see the icon we need.
4. To remove it safely, hover the cursor over this icon and right-click on it once.
5. In the drop-down menu, select “Extract Flash Voyager”.
6. After a couple of seconds, the indicator light on the flash drive will light up and a window will appear indicating that the device can be removed.
7. The flash drive can be removed.
Third way
If the first two methods are standard and do not require additional programs, then the third method requires the installation of additional software. This is the USB SafelyRemove program - a shareware program, one of the functions of which is to detect all USB devices connected to the PC. To remove a flash drive using this program:
1. We find the shortcut for this program in the bottom toolbar - there we looked for the removable disk icon when using the second method. The shortcut for this program is a green arrow.
2 . To extract, hover the cursor over the program shortcut - a window appears with a list of all detected USB devices.
This method will take you to a Safely Remove Hardware dialog from which you can select the USB device you want to remove. If you need to remove a specific USB drive, then go to the next section.
Press Win+R to bring up the Run dialog, type regedit and press Enter.
After logging into the registry, go to the section:
Right-click Shell and create a new partition called Safely Remove Hardware.
Once you've created the section, create a new string parameter and name it Icon.
Then double-click on the Icon string parameter and in the Value field enter:
Now right-click on the newly created Safely Remove Hardware section, and create another section called command.
Once you've created a new partition, select it to view its keys.
The key will be called “default”. Double click on it and in the value field enter:
C:\\Windows\\System32\\control.exe hotplug.dll
That's it! You will now see a new Safely Remove Hardware item in the desktop context menu.
Removing a specific USB drive
If you need to remove a drive with a specific name or drive letter, then this method is more suitable for you. Download a copy of the latest version of USB Disk Ejector utility.
Unzip the file somewhere (for example, we used the root of the C:\ drive), then right-click on the file, select Properties, then in the lower right corner of the dialog, click on the Unblock button.
Further actions practically repeat those already described above.
Press Win+R to bring up the Run dialog, type regedit in it and press Enter.
In the registry, go to the following section:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\
Right-click on the Shell partition and create a new partition called Safely Remove USB.
After creating a new section, create a new string parameter in it called Icon. Then double-click on the created parameter and in the Value field enter:
Now right-click on the Safely Remove USB section and create another section called command.
Once you've created a new partition, select it to view its keys. The key will be called “Default”. Double click on it to edit it.
But here there may already be options. Choose the one that suits you best.
Note: In the example below, be sure to replace the drive name or drive letter with the name or drive letter of YOUR USB DEVICE.
You can retrieve a USB device by its name by typing the following command in the Value field:
C:\usb_disk_eject /removename “Memorex USB”
You can also eject a USB device with a specific drive letter. In my case it's G.
C:\usb_disk_eject /removeletter G
This is all! A new item should now appear in the context menu of your desktop.
You can use it! Good luck to you!
How to use USB drives correctly? This question worries almost all owners of such devices.
Some users believe that they can limit themselves to simply removing USB drives and abandon unnecessary manipulations with the mouse, i.e. don't resort to safe removal of flash drives. Is this really true?
If you adhere to this opinion, sooner or later you may encounter two unpleasant things:
- Firstly, there is a possibility of losing valuable information contained on the flash drive.
- Secondly, the drive itself can be damaged and you don’t have to think about further work with it.
Data can be lost not only when removing the flash drive while copying or moving files, but also just like that. This sometimes comes as a complete surprise to many. It seems that no manipulations were performed, but the files and folders disappeared somewhere.
This situation especially occurs when using USB drives with the NTFS file system. For disks with this system, the OS creates a special area for storing copied data, i.e. Information is not written to the flash drive immediately. To avoid this situation, you must use “Safely Remove Hardware”.
Also, when simply (more precisely, dangerously) removing flash drives, an unexpected increased voltage pulse or simply a short circuit may occur. In this case, there is a high probability of damage to the electronic components of the drive; they simply burn out.
After the above, we come to the conclusion that it is necessary to safely remove the flash drive. It’s not for nothing that the operating system itself offers to carry out this manipulation, which takes a matter of seconds.
Using “Safely Remove Hardware” will help you keep your data and the drive itself safe and sound.
How to safely remove flash drives?
How to properly disconnect any external device for Windows XP, in particular a flash drive, is described in detail, with an analysis of “incomprehensible, strange” situations.
For Windows 10, can be used to safely remove an external device.
Below we will consider in general the safe removal of a flash drive for Windows 7, although there is no fundamental difference with Windows XP and Windows 10 in this matter.
First, close the program with which the flash drive was working. Then click on the small triangle on the right side, when you hover over it with the mouse pointer you can see the inscription “Show hidden icons” (in the screenshot this triangle is indicated by the number 1):
Although it may well be that the “Safely Remove Hardware and Disks” icon (number 2) is located directly on the Taskbar. By the way, if no device is connected to the computer via the USB port, then you will not see this icon (No. 2 in the screenshot) due to the fact that the computer understands that, in fact, you have nothing to extract - “no judgment.”
So, in order to properly disconnect the flash drive, just after closing the program with which the flash drive was working, click on the “Safely remove devices and disks” icon, after which a window something like this will appear:
By clicking on “Remove Mass Storage Device”, we will see a message that “The equipment can be removed”:
After this, you can remove the flash drive from the USB port.
Everything said above about safely removing a flash drive applies not only to a flash drive, but also to any other device that is connected to a computer via a USB port.