Systray Connected Devices

[hlewton]

In the attached screenshots you can see the systray and what devices are active. What you do not see is there is also an iPhone connected to the computer using an USB connection and the iPhone can be accessed using Windows File Explorer. I am not sure what happened since I rarely connect my iPhone to the computer. This is the first time doing that since Microsoft’s Windows 10 June’s updates were installed. What I do know is before the iPhone always showed as a connected device in the first attachment. Now that isn’t happening. Any ideas on how to fix this so the iPhone once again is displayed as a connected as a Portable Device as it used to?

Thanks

Taskbar 1-6-28.jpg

Taskbar6-28.jpg

[JoeP]

Have you rebooted and tried again?
Can you still see it in File Explorer?
Have you tried a different USB port?

[hlewton]

Have you rebooted and tried again?
Can you still see it in File Explorer?
Have you tried a different USB port?

I have rebooted the computer many times and also turned the iPhone off multiple times. I have used 3 different USB cables and 4 USB ports. All have the same results. Yes the phone always appears in Windows File Explorer and it an be navigated. It just does not appear in tthe systray anywhere. I used to use that Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media option you can see at the bottom of my first attachment to safely unhook my iPhone. But I no longer get that option because the phone is not listed as being attached. Any other USB device I attach to any of my USB ports shows up but not the phone.

[HansV]

If you right-click the iPhone in the left-hand pane of File Explorer, is there an Eject item (or similar) in the context menu?

[StuartR]

I think that you get this behaviour if write caching is disabled for the device. Try this...

Run device manager
Right click the iPhone and select properties
Look in the properties tab and see if write caching is enabled for the device.

Here is how that appears for an SSD on my laptop

[hlewton]

I think you are probably correct but my iPhone does not show up in the Device manager either. I will attach a screen shot of what is there with or without the phone attached.

DiskDrives.jpg

[HansV]

Look under Universal Serial Bus controllers (i.e. USB devices)

[hlewton]

Look under Universal Serial Bus controllers (i.e. USB devices)

Thanks. It is not there either. I did find it under Universal Serial Bus Devices. But after right clicking on it there the option of Policies was not one of the tabs. The tabs were General, Driver, Details, and Event.

[hlewton]

I just did a little more experimenting. It works the same way on my other computers, I can access the iPhone using Windows File Explorer but the safely remove icon does not show up. The only things I know for sure is I used to do this for the last 5 years, ever since using an iPhone. It worked then, the safely remove icon was always available. The two things that could have changed is Windows 10 updates and iPhone's IOS updates.

Before even starting this thread, I worked with Apple support to try and resolve this issue. They were of no help at all. They, of course, said it had to be a Windows issue. I am not at all sure what the problem is but was hoping someone else may have had the same experience.

[StuartR]

My guess is that the device driver used to support write caching, but that it is now set to never cache writes because it led to so many problems.

[hlewton]

My guess is that the device driver used to support write caching, but that it is now set to never cache writes because it led to so many problems.

I have no reason to doubt that is the case. However, I wish it still worked as it did.