I'm on Windows 2000, all updates installed.

Ok, I have used more then one USB key so I'm pretty sure
its not them.
I plug them in, use them or don't use them, does not
matter. Click on the icon in the system try to eject, it
tells me to try again later or that a program is still
using it. I close everything, end processes which I don't
recognize, still won't eject.

Is it really important to eject them? What can happen if
you don't. On the computers at school, the feature is
disabled. Its stupid but what are you going to do.

But it should work at home. I don't get it, any ideas?

Safe removal of the device is only meant to ensure that the write cache has
been flushed and that all pending writes to that particular USB device have
been accomplished.

If you can be absolutely certain that all pending writes have, indeed, been
committed then by all means go ahead an unplug the device.

Windows will whine and complain, but if you're SURE then go ahead an do it.

If Windows is still writing to the device when you unceremoniously rip it
out of the machine, it may NEVER work again. That's just the chance you
take.

"Adam" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:007701c3d73b$869fae80$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm on Windows 2000, all updates installed.
>
> Ok, I have used more then one USB key so I'm pretty sure
> its not them.
> I plug them in, use them or don't use them, does not
> matter. Click on the icon in the system try to eject, it
> tells me to try again later or that a program is still
> using it. I close everything, end processes which I don't
> recognize, still won't eject.
>
> Is it really important to eject them? What can happen if
> you don't. On the computers at school, the feature is
> disabled. Its stupid but what are you going to do.
>
> But it should work at home. I don't get it, any ideas?

One of my USB keys (old M-system model) under win2000 SP4, often won't eject from 1st time
But on second time, eject always works. On XP it almost always ejects from first try.
(of course, when nobody has open files on it, etc, and no file copy in progress. Also, this behavior
does not seem to depend on whether explorer window was open on the flash disk.)

So if you try again 2-3 seconds later, will it eject?

- PA


"Adam" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:007701c3d73b$869fae80$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm on Windows 2000, all updates installed.
>
> Ok, I have used more then one USB key so I'm pretty sure
> its not them.
> I plug them in, use them or don't use them, does not
> matter. Click on the icon in the system try to eject, it
> tells me to try again later or that a program is still
> using it. I close everything, end processes which I don't
> recognize, still won't eject.
>
> Is it really important to eject them? What can happen if
> you don't. On the computers at school, the feature is
> disabled. Its stupid but what are you going to do.
>
> But it should work at home. I don't get it, any ideas?