Safely Remove Hardware Problem

[Sam]

I have a Dell Dimension 8200 computer with windows XP Pro (SP2) installed.
I also have two external HDs that I use for image and data backups. One
external HD is USB and the other is Firewire (I installed a multi function
card in the computer).

As to the operational use of the external HDs, don't have any problems.
However, at various times, when I am ready to shut down these HDs, I have
difficulty in using the "Safely Remove Hardware" function." Most times if I
try twice to stop each HD, it finally says I can safely remove the HD.
However, yesterday, I could not get the safe to remove the HD message for
the firewire HD, even I went thru the function of clicking the stop button
five or six times, always getting the message that some program was still
accessing the HD. I finally rebooted the computer and then was able to
shutdown the HD. I should note that this has happened to the USB HD as
well. Also I have checked the Write caching and safe removal page, and the
selection is for Optimize for quick removal, for both external HDs.

Any help for solving this problem would be very much appreciated, Sam.

 

[Rock]

I have a Dell Dimension 8200 computer with windows XP Pro (SP2) installed.
I also have two external HDs that I use for image and data backups. One
external HD is USB and the other is Firewire (I installed a multi function
card in the computer).

As to the operational use of the external HDs, don't have any problems.
However, at various times, when I am ready to shut down these HDs, I have
difficulty in using the "Safely Remove Hardware" function." Most times if
I try twice to stop each HD, it finally says I can safely remove the HD.
However, yesterday, I could not get the safe to remove the HD message for
the firewire HD, even I went thru the function of clicking the stop button
five or six times, always getting the message that some program was still
accessing the HD. I finally rebooted the computer and then was able to
shutdown the HD. I should note that this has happened to the USB HD as
well. Also I have checked the Write caching and safe removal page, and the
selection is for Optimize for quick removal, for both external HDs.

Any help for solving this problem would be very much appreciated, Sam.

If Optimize for quick removal is checked then you don't have to use the
Safely Remove Hardware function.

 

[Uwe Sieber]

I have a Dell Dimension 8200 computer with windows XP Pro (SP2) installed.
I also have two external HDs that I use for image and data backups. One
external HD is USB and the other is Firewire (I installed a multi function
card in the computer).

As to the operational use of the external HDs, don't have any problems.
However, at various times, when I am ready to shut down these HDs, I have
difficulty in using the "Safely Remove Hardware" function." Most times if I
try twice to stop each HD, it finally says I can safely remove the HD.
However, yesterday, I could not get the safe to remove the HD message for
the firewire HD, even I went thru the function of clicking the stop button
five or six times, always getting the message that some program was still
accessing the HD. I finally rebooted the computer and then was able to
shutdown the HD. I should note that this has happened to the USB HD as
well. Also I have checked the Write caching and safe removal page, and the
selection is for Optimize for quick removal, for both external HDs.

Any help for solving this problem would be very much appreciated, Sam.

Try to discover which program or service is still accessing
the drive.

The ProcessExplorer is great for discovering which application
holds an open handle to a drive. Press Ctrl+F and enter the
drive letter like U:.
I've often seen that it cannot resolve drive letters, so you
have to search for the DOS device name of the drive, something
like \Device\Harddisk4\DP(1)0-0+11. A significant part like
'disk4' is good enough.

My commandline tool RemoveDrive can prepare drives for safe
removal:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/files/removedrive.zip
If it's started with parameter -L it also shows the DOS device
name to search for in the ProcessExplorer too.

But it happens that the ProcessExplorer cannot find open handles
because they are held by a process that is deeper in the system
than the ProcessExplorer can look. This is typical for anti virus,
anti spyware, anti anything software.

There are reports that a network share on an USB drive prevents
the removal. The share must be removed then.


Greetings from Germany

Uwe

 

[Sam]

Rock and Uwe, many thanks for your replies.

Since I use the two external HDs for my data and image backups, I really try
to treat them with great care!! Uwe, I do have ProcessExplorer program but
have not used it much, but will now get familiar with it and try to find out
what is giving me problems, and so I appreciate the information. Thanks
again to both, Sam.