Camera flash cards and Safely Remove Hardware

P

Paul Randall

Hi,
My problem is with my sister's computer, which has slots at the front of the
computer to insert flash memory cards to transfer data/pictures to or from
the card. On booting up, each slot shows up as a removable drive letter.
with a total size of zero bytes in 'My Computer'. On inserting a flash
memory card, the card's 'drive label' shows up in 'My Computer', just as it
should, and stuff can be read from and written to the flash card the same as
with any other drive. Prior to removing the flash card, we go through the
procedure of right clicking the 'safely remove drive' icon it the tray and
left click the 'Safely Remove Hardware' text that pops up. This causees a
'Safely Remove Hardware' window to open which displays one USB Mass Storage
Device in its list of USB Mass Storage Devices list. (To me, this means
that the flash card slots are configured similarly to external USB
multi-flash card readers). We highlight that USB device and click the stop
button. This pops up a 'Stop a Hardware device' window with a list of
things including specific drive letters assigned to the flash card slots.
We highlight the specific drive letter for the flash card we want to remove
and click OK, and a 'Safe to remove hardware' text message pops up, at which
time we remove the flash card. At this time the drive letters for each of
the card reader slots disappear from the 'My Computer' window.

Our problem is that all the flash card slots are maybe powered off when we
click that last OK. None of the flash card slots will read any flash cards
we plug in until we reboot the computer. Device manager shows a yellow
exclaimation mark in that USB device. Right clicking, it's property window
shows "Windows cannot use this hardware device because it has been prepared
for "safe removal", but it has not been removed from the computer. (Code 47)
To fix this problem, unplug this device from your computer and then plug it
in again."

Since the reader slots together are one USB device hardwired into the
computer, it cannot be unplugged and then plugged in again.

With an external multislot flash card reader, the USB port is 'reset' or
something when we unplug the reader, so it is relatively easy to read one
card after another. With the built-in card reader slots, we have to reboot
each time we want to read another card.

Question: How can we 'safely' read a bunch of flash cards without rebooting
between each one?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

-Paul Randall
 
D

David H. Lipman

From: "Paul Randall" <[email protected]>

| Hi,
| My problem is with my sister's computer, which has slots at the front of the
| computer to insert flash memory cards to transfer data/pictures to or from
| the card. On booting up, each slot shows up as a removable drive letter.
| with a total size of zero bytes in 'My Computer'. On inserting a flash
| memory card, the card's 'drive label' shows up in 'My Computer', just as it
| should, and stuff can be read from and written to the flash card the same as
| with any other drive. Prior to removing the flash card, we go through the
| procedure of right clicking the 'safely remove drive' icon it the tray and
| left click the 'Safely Remove Hardware' text that pops up. This causees a
| 'Safely Remove Hardware' window to open which displays one USB Mass Storage
| Device in its list of USB Mass Storage Devices list. (To me, this means
| that the flash card slots are configured similarly to external USB
| multi-flash card readers). We highlight that USB device and click the stop
| button. This pops up a 'Stop a Hardware device' window with a list of
| things including specific drive letters assigned to the flash card slots.
| We highlight the specific drive letter for the flash card we want to remove
| and click OK, and a 'Safe to remove hardware' text message pops up, at which
| time we remove the flash card. At this time the drive letters for each of
| the card reader slots disappear from the 'My Computer' window.
|
| Our problem is that all the flash card slots are maybe powered off when we
| click that last OK. None of the flash card slots will read any flash cards
| we plug in until we reboot the computer. Device manager shows a yellow
| exclaimation mark in that USB device. Right clicking, it's property window
| shows "Windows cannot use this hardware device because it has been prepared
| for "safe removal", but it has not been removed from the computer. (Code 47)
| To fix this problem, unplug this device from your computer and then plug it
| in again."
|
| Since the reader slots together are one USB device hardwired into the
| computer, it cannot be unplugged and then plugged in again.
|
| With an external multislot flash card reader, the USB port is 'reset' or
| something when we unplug the reader, so it is relatively easy to read one
| card after another. With the built-in card reader slots, we have to reboot
| each time we want to read another card.
|
| Question: How can we 'safely' read a bunch of flash cards without rebooting
| between each one?
|
| Thanks for any help you can give me.
|
| -Paul Randall
|

I believe you only have to use the "Safely Remove" function if you remove the Memory Card
reader, not the Memory card in the slot.
 
P

Poprivet

Don't use the Safely Remove Hardware for that; that's for actually removing
the card reader, not the cards that go in it. That's why it stays turned
off after you "remove" it from the system.
Just treat it like a drive and don't remove it while it's being written
to. When it's done, just take it out. You might want to wait 5 seconds
after you know it's done, just in case there are buffers to flush out.

Pop`
 
L

Larry(LJL269)

USB drives should be set for 'fast removal' so just remove card from
drive. I do this with CF cards from my camera.U r removing the drive
from thr system so u gotta reboot.

HTH-Larry

Hi,
My problem is with my sister's computer, which has slots at the front of the
computer to insert flash memory cards to transfer data/pictures to or from
the card. On booting up, each slot shows up as a removable drive letter.
with a total size of zero bytes in 'My Computer'. On inserting a flash
memory card, the card's 'drive label' shows up in 'My Computer', just as it
should, and stuff can be read from and written to the flash card the same as
with any other drive. Prior to removing the flash card, we go through the
procedure of right clicking the 'safely remove drive' icon it the tray and
left click the 'Safely Remove Hardware' text that pops up. This causees a
'Safely Remove Hardware' window to open which displays one USB Mass Storage
Device in its list of USB Mass Storage Devices list. (To me, this means
that the flash card slots are configured similarly to external USB
multi-flash card readers). We highlight that USB device and click the stop
button. This pops up a 'Stop a Hardware device' window with a list of
things including specific drive letters assigned to the flash card slots.
We highlight the specific drive letter for the flash card we want to remove
and click OK, and a 'Safe to remove hardware' text message pops up, at which
time we remove the flash card. At this time the drive letters for each of
the card reader slots disappear from the 'My Computer' window.

Our problem is that all the flash card slots are maybe powered off when we
click that last OK. None of the flash card slots will read any flash cards
we plug in until we reboot the computer. Device manager shows a yellow
exclaimation mark in that USB device. Right clicking, it's property window
shows "Windows cannot use this hardware device because it has been prepared
for "safe removal", but it has not been removed from the computer. (Code 47)
To fix this problem, unplug this device from your computer and then plug it
in again."

Since the reader slots together are one USB device hardwired into the
computer, it cannot be unplugged and then plugged in again.

With an external multislot flash card reader, the USB port is 'reset' or
something when we unplug the reader, so it is relatively easy to read one
card after another. With the built-in card reader slots, we have to reboot
each time we want to read another card.

Question: How can we 'safely' read a bunch of flash cards without rebooting
between each one?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

-Paul Randall

Any advice is my attempt to contribute more than I have received but I can only assure you that it works on my PC. GOOD LUCK.
 
P

Paul Randall

Larry(LJL269) said:
USB drives should be set for 'fast removal' so just remove card from
drive. I do this with CF cards from my camera.U r removing the drive
from thr system so u gotta reboot.

HTH-Larry

Thanks David, Poprivet, and Larry

I think I want to do more than just wait a while and hope all I/O with the
flash card is done before I unplug it. With W98, I just right click on the
drive in 'My Computer' that represents the flashcard I want to remove, and
select 'eject'. This seems to work just as well in WXP. The label for that
drive reverts to 'Removable Disk', the same as it is after the flash card is
removed, so I'm hoping this doesn't happen until I/O has been completed.

-Paul Randall
 
L

Larry(LJL269)

I do that somrtimes when running tests with cam so I'm taking 3-4
shots & swapping CF's fast & editing pics on CF. If I'm just reading
from CF then their existance on my PC confirms reads r done so I can
just pull CF. Main idea is to ensure any buffers r emptied which is
only applicable when drive is set to 'optimixe speed'.

Its a good idea that I forgot about since I dont do it that often.

My 256MB CF I never pull or disconnect.

HTH-Larry

Thanks David, Poprivet, and Larry

I think I want to do more than just wait a while and hope all I/O with the
flash card is done before I unplug it. With W98, I just right click on the
drive in 'My Computer' that represents the flashcard I want to remove, and
select 'eject'. This seems to work just as well in WXP. The label for that
drive reverts to 'Removable Disk', the same as it is after the flash card is
removed, so I'm hoping this doesn't happen until I/O has been completed.

-Paul Randall

Any advice is my attempt to contribute more than I have received but I can only assure you that it works on my PC. GOOD LUCK.
 
U

Uwe Sieber

Paul said:
I think I want to do more than just wait a while and hope all I/O with the
flash card is done before I unplug it. With W98, I just right click on the
drive in 'My Computer' that represents the flashcard I want to remove, and
select 'eject'. This seems to work just as well in WXP. The label for that
drive reverts to 'Removable Disk', the same as it is after the flash card is
removed, so I'm hoping this doesn't happen until I/O has been completed.


Using 'Eject' is the right choice. If a program is still accessing
the card, you will get an error message. If everything is ok, then
the file buffers are flushed before the ejecting takes effect.

BTW: The policies 'Optimize for quick removal' or 'Optimize for
performance' have absolutely no effect on FAT formatted removeable
USB drives.


Greetings from Germany

Uwe
 

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