Javascript Disabled Detected

You currently have javascript disabled. Several functions may not work. Please re-enable javascript to access full functionality.

Safely Removing External Hard Drive

Started by Deb aka Resume Lady , May 16 2012 08:40 PM

Please log in to reply

3 replies to this topic

#1 Deb aka Resume Lady

Hopeless Addict

No Politics!
8,361 posts

Gender:Female
Location:Folsom
Interests:Sole proprietor: Tailored Resume Services
Volunteer: Court Appointed Special Advocate for a child in the foster care system

Posted 16 May 2012 - 08:40 PM

I've already placed seven calls to tech support for my new external hard drive and I'm still having a few issues. The main one is that I'm supposed to make sure it's safe to disconnect, but most of the time I get a message that says programs are still running... but task manager shows no programs still running. It's hit or miss; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I've been told that if I repeatedly pull the USB plug without getting the message that it's safe to do so I can damage the hard drive. So I sit and wait and check and sit and wait and check and eventually have to pull the plug. I'm DREADING calling tech support again and am hoping one of my techie friends has a quick solution.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer.

BTW the HD is a Western Digital Passport Essential, which is supposed to be easy to set up and use. UGH!

Job Search Consultant
Tailored Resume Services
(916) 984-0855

Volunteer, Court Appointed Special Advocate for Sacramento CASA * I Am for the Child
Making a Difference in the Life of Abused and Neglected Children in Foster Care
http://www.sacramentocasa.org/

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~ Edward Everett Hale

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~ Anne Frank

Back to top

#2 Walnut

Netizen

Registered Members
92 posts

Posted 16 May 2012 - 08:55 PM

Does this help?
http://wdc.custhelp....WQvY1BQYlNkQ2s=

Back to top

#3 SacKen

Lifer

Premium Member
2,286 posts

Gender:Male
Location:Cell Block D

Posted 17 May 2012 - 01:04 PM

By the way... I've never heard of a drive being damaged from disconnecting the USB without doing the safe disconnect thing. I think at worst a data corruption could happen, but I don't see how physical damage could happen (assuming you don't jar the drive while it is active... although modern drives handle that pretty well, too). The main reason you want to do the safe disconnect is because writing to the drive is typically buffered for performance reasons. So you or a background program (backup, for example) may have saved something to the drive and been told by Windows that the save is complete, but the data hasn't actually been physically written to disk yet. Doing the safe disconnect lets Windows flush the buffers to make sure everything is on the drive.

The same goes for doing a clean shutdown of the computer versus hitting the power button or yanking the power cable. Lots of chances for data corruption when that happens.

"Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!" -- George Carlin

Back to top

#4 Adamal

Web Geek

Premium Member
1,219 posts

Posted 20 May 2012 - 09:20 PM

SacKen is right, you will probably not damage the drive by disconnecting. The worst that will happen is some data would not be written to the drive, especially if it uses the default NTFS file system.

Windows 7 does not make it easy to disconnect a drive if some other program is reading or has locked a file. In fact just browsing a folder with Video or Pictures might cause Windows Explorer to lock a file. In each of these cases disconnecting the hard drive will not be an issue.

If you did recently write a file to the drive it is a good idea to wait a minute or two before disconnecting.