Safely Remove...

User avatar
Bigaldoc
PlatinumLounger
Posts: 3757
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 11:00
Location: Lexington, KY, USA

Safely Remove...

Post by Bigaldoc »

I don't think this is a hardware question since it's never happened before and it did happen this morning in Win XP.

My weekly backup procedure starts on Sunday afternoon with a full image. I alternate destinations each week between TWO USB external drives. What I do on Sunday morning, since the last nightly incremental took place at 3 am Saturday:

1) Turn the power on for the alternate USB that's been turned off all week.
2) Open the Shadow Protect GUI and edit my backup job to change to the "other" USB drive. Exit SP.
3) Use the "Safely Remove" app to prepare the "old" USB drive for powering off.
4) Turn off the power on the above drive to (hopefully) extend its useful life.

Not today!!! I tried three times and Safely Remove (step 3 above) tells me the drive can't be turned off just now, try again later. I waited an hour and tried again, and then again after a reboot to see if that would "turn loose" whatever had "ahold" on that drive. Finally, I powered the computer down, turned off the USB's power and rebooted, so I hope the drive is OK.

The only thing "different" in my long-time procedure is that I made a full image backup to that drive, across my two-computer LAN, from my newly acquired laptop, using Macrium Reflect. The laptop is Win7 HP64 but it's long since shutdown and disconnected from the "LAN."

I was really surprised when a reboot didn't "free" the drive. I sure wish I knew where to go looking when these kinds of things happen, usually with deleting files. This is a first for me with Safely Remove...

User avatar
Roderunner
5StarLounger
Posts: 1021
Joined: 23 Jan 2011, 01:52
Location: Witness Protection Program.

Re: Safely Remove...

Post by Roderunner »

Hi Al, try powering on the USB your intending to use then reboot, it might find better drivers.
Windows 11 Home 22H2

Regards,
George.

User avatar
Doc Watson
4StarLounger
Posts: 412
Joined: 25 Jan 2010, 06:46
Location: New Jersey

Re: Safely Remove...

Post by Doc Watson »

Al, my experience with "Safely Remove" is that it really doesn't matter what that function says. Common sense tells me that if a data transfer has had sufficient time to complete and the lights on the external drive are not blinking and it is showing no other signs of activity, it's "safe" to pull the USB plug or turn off power to that drive. I've never lost a bit of data doing this. YMMV.
If life gives you melons,
You may be dyslexic.

User avatar
Bigaldoc
PlatinumLounger
Posts: 3757
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 11:00
Location: Lexington, KY, USA

Re: Safely Remove...

Post by Bigaldoc »

Doc Watson wrote:Al, my experience with "Safely Remove" is that it really doesn't matter what that function says. Common sense tells me that if a data transfer has had sufficient time to complete and the lights on the external drive are not blinking and it is showing no other signs of activity, it's "safe" to pull the USB plug or turn off power to that drive. I've never lost a bit of data doing this. YMMV.
I guess (next week) I'm gonna give that a try, Doc, 'cause I'm preparing for this afternoon's full image and the other USB is still being blocked by "Safely Remove." I shutdown the PC and powered off, but next week I'll get gutsy and just shut the @#$%^&* off and see if it gets clobbered.

Since this is fairly new and I don't know of ANYTHING I did that could have caused this change in behavior, I think that maybe a Windows update, or MSE, or who knows what brought about this change.

Jim Cone
StarLounger
Posts: 78
Joined: 18 Feb 2010, 01:44

Re: Safely Remove...

Post by Jim Cone »

What usually works for me when that occurs is to select a file on another drive.

You might also consider optimising the drive for quick removal...
In Windows Explorer, Right-click the drive and choose properties
On the Hardware tab, click the Properties button
On the Policies tab, checkmark "Optimize for quick removal"
(depending on the drive? that option may not be available)
'---
Jim Cone
Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.mediafire.com/PrimitiveSoftware
(List Files XL add-in: finds and lists files/folders with hyperlinks)

ChrisJakarta
StarLounger
Posts: 97
Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 11:06
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Re: Safely Remove...

Post by ChrisJakarta »

Have you tried right-clicking the drive in My Computer, and clicking 'Eject'? No sure this will help, but maybe worth a try...

Chris

User avatar
StuartR
Administrator
Posts: 12577
Joined: 16 Jan 2010, 15:49
Location: London, Europe

Re: Safely Remove...

Post by StuartR »

ChrisJakarta wrote:Have you tried right-clicking the drive in My Computer, and clicking 'Eject'?...
When you do this it is important that the contents of the drive are not displayed in any explorer window. Even if you have a different drive selected but the folders for this drive expanded in the left pane it will fail.
StuartR


User avatar
Bigaldoc
PlatinumLounger
Posts: 3757
Joined: 24 Jan 2010, 11:00
Location: Lexington, KY, USA

Re: Safely Remove...

Post by Bigaldoc »

Thanks Chris, but I don't have an eject function anywhere.