However, sometimes after finishing working with (all files, folders and programs are closed)operating system Windows“does not give up” it, that is, some program continues to work with it in the background, for example, an antivirus (or virus!), or Windows Explorer, or another file manager...

However, when you try to extract using the icon (located in the notification area Taskbars) a window appears "Problem when removing "USB Mass Storage Device" with the corresponding message:

There are various ones, the creators of which swear that with the help of their immortal creations the problem with extraction is solved in one click. Alas, it is often impossible to extract even with the help of these.

Meanwhile, the simplest way to extract something that “doesn’t want to give up” Windows, is always at hand (the algorithm of actions for , for operating systems and + there will be minor differences):

– close all programs and files that you launched and opened;

– run Windows Task Manager(in any way, for example, using Ctrl + Alt + Delete, or using Start -> Run... -> taskmgr –> OK);

- in the window Windows Task Manager open the tab Processes;

– highlight explorer.exe, press the button End the process;

– authorize the completion of the process – in the window Task Manager Warning with a message "ATTENTION! Terminating the process may lead to undesirable results, including data loss or system instability. Are you sure you want to complete the process? click Yes;

- in the window Windows Task Manager select menu File -> New task (Run...);

– in the text field Open window Create a new task enter explorer –> OK;

– will start Windows Explorer;

– try extracting using the icon Safely Removing Your Device.

Notes

1. It is not recommended to work with your files only on . The ideal case is to work with files on . When finished, copy them to . By connecting a flash drive to another(on which you need to work), copy files on . Having finished work, again copy files on . That is, use it for its intended purpose - for transferring and temporary file storage.

2. If all the files, folders and programs that were opened are closed, but extract it through the icon Safely Removing Your Device still fails, then you can disable it without using this icon (or turn off

Most computer and laptop users know that a USB drive must not only be pulled out of the port to end its use in the system, but also a special procedure called safe removal must be launched. If a flash drive is removed without safe removal, the consequences can be catastrophic (data loss, file system errors, and even failure of the device itself). Let's look at several simple methods that allow you to carry out such a procedure, as well as restore such a Windows tool if for some reason it disappeared or became inaccessible.

Safely removing a flash drive: why is this necessary?

When removing a USB drive from the corresponding slot on a computer terminal, it is important to understand one thing. Safely removing a USB flash drive in Windos 10 or any other system is akin to the standard procedure for shutting down the computer itself.

In this case, all processes associated with the device are terminated and power is cut off. In this way, the drive can be protected from many problems. An analogue could be turning off a running computer from the network. Many people have noticed that after this the system recovery begins. It’s the same here, but you’ll have to do it manually, which can be much more complicated than automated processes in Windows.

Basic Methods for Safely Removing USB Devices

So, you can safely remove a flash drive using several of the simplest methods that are provided in Windows systems.

The easiest way is to left-click on the USB icon in the system tray and select the corresponding line. If the icon is not displayed for some reason, you need to click on the up arrow to show hidden icons.

The second method that allows you to safely remove a flash drive is to use “Explorer” or double-click on the computer icon where the USB device is selected, and right-click to select the extraction option in the menu. Most people have no questions about this.

Safely removing a flash drive: USB Safely Remove program

In some cases, if someone does not like the standard method, you can use a small program called USB Safely Remove (this can be useful in cases where the system reports that access to the device cannot be terminated, or the device icon is missing in the tray) .

After installation, the program creates its own tray icon in the form of clicking on which, you can see all the USB devices currently connected to the computer system. There is also a section for hidden devices (USB camera, external network cards, disks, etc.). Just select your drive and indicate how to safely remove the flash drive.

Terminating processes using the drive

Sometimes, however, the system produces an error. In this case, you should close all files open from the device and applications that are currently using the drive, go to the “Task Manager” and forcefully terminate all USB-related processes.

In this case, you should first use displaying all user processes, then hiding Microsoft services. After this, the extraction can be repeated.

What should I do if I no longer have access to Safe Retrieval?

Now let's see what to do if it is no longer possible to safely remove the flash drive both from the system tray and from the device properties in the computer or Explorer section.

In the simplest case, you need to open the properties of the drive in any of the above sections or in the corresponding manager and go to the hardware tab. In the window, you need to select your device and click on the properties button located below. Next, click the change properties button and go to the policy tab, where you can see a hyperlink to safe extraction. Click on it, and the flash drive can be removed. At the same time, by the way, the operation of the drive will also speed up.

Alternative technique for restoring safe extraction

There is another way that allows you to restore the original settings so that you can then safely remove the flash drive.

This option is somewhat more complicated, but it provides an almost one hundred percent guarantee of restoring access to the procedure. To do this, use the “Run” console call with administrator rights.

It needs to include the following:

• (necessarily exactly as specified in the original command given).

After executing the command, a new dialog box will appear in which you must first select the device you are looking for, and then click the “Stop” button at the bottom.

Instead of a total

In principle, these are the main methods that allow you to safely remove any USB device from the corresponding port, as well as eliminate some possible problems associated with the inability to perform such a procedure due to lack of access. In the simplest case, you can simply remove the device from the port and reinsert it. Perhaps the system will see it.

However, such methods are only suitable for standard situations and are the simplest for users. If the drive initially has physical damage or file system failures, you will have to use completely different methods related to restoring the functionality of the drive, the information stored on it, or even re-flashing its microcontroller. But this is a separate topic.

In Microsoft operating systems: Windows XP, Win 7 and Win 8, there is an option to safely or securely remove the device. It is customary to use it in cases when you have already completed work with any USB drive, flash drive or external hard drive, and you need to disconnect it without harming the computer and the media. But there are times when (bottom Windows function line).
In such a situation, many simply pull out the drive, but this is a fundamentally wrong decision, it is important to get the missing “safe removal” icon back, and you will now learn how to do this

Please note: if you take into account any media devices, such as smartphones or cameras, when they are connected to your computer, Windows may not show the safe removal icon at all. This is explained by the fact that in order to correctly disconnect such media, you need to either turn it off (cameras) or perform manipulations on its display (in the case of a tablet or phone), that is, the safe removal of the USB device is carried out on it itself.

So, to safely remove a device in Windows 7, Win8 or WinXP versions, you move the cursor to the famous icon in the lower right corner of the screen and right-click on it, selecting the desired media. You need to do such manipulations because in this way you make it clear to the operating system that work with the media is finished and you are going to safely remove the flash drive. In this case, all operations with this device are completed and the risk of information loss disappears, and often the power to your flash drive or hard drive even stops. As a result, they cannot be used.

If you do not use the option to safely remove the device and remove the flash drive from the laptop, the flash drive will simply burn out or the information you wrote to it will be damaged. Don't forget to safely remove the flash drive! Of course, this happens really rarely, but a certain risk is always present. If the flash drive cannot be safely removed, then read on.

How to get the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon back

A problem occurs when removing a USB storage device, associated with the disappearance of the corresponding secure removal icon, if the flash drive is inserted into the connector and is functioning correctly. In such situations, do not despair, because there are a number of actions to solve this problem. Flash drive not ejected safely?

Fig.1. The first thing you can fix is ​​to call up the address bar using the simplest keyboard shortcut "Win+R"

And in the line of the window that appears, write the following combination of characters: RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll

Note: To avoid mistakes, just copy the above line.

This directory is applicable to Windows systems versions XP, 7, and 8.

Fig.2. By clicking the “OK” button, a window will pop up, as required

This dialog box is the full version of the little sign that will appear after you click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the taskbar, so all connected media will be displayed here. You can easily select a flash drive or hard drive that should be disabled by selecting it with one click and clicking the “Stop” button.

After performing all the manipulations described above and successfully (correctly) disconnecting the USB drive, if the “safely remove device” icon on the panel disappeared before, the desired icon will return to its rightful place, in the corner of the screen near the clock.

If the treasured icon still continues to disappear from the corner with the clock and volume mixer, do the following:

1. Right-click (RMB) on the desktop and find the “New” function and then “Shortcut” in the menu that appears.
2. Copy the command mentioned earlier into the window that opens.
3. Now, by clicking the “Next” button at the bottom of the window, you can name the shortcut whatever you want. This way, you will always have the opportunity to quickly safely remove the flash drive and be sure that everything is in order with the drive.

Another way to safely remove your device in Windows

You can safely remove a flash drive from a computer if the icon of the same name is missing using another simple method, which we will divide into two points to make it easier to understand:

You are required to go to “My Computer” and right-click on the media that you are going to disconnect. Now, select the “Properties” function and open the “Hardware” tab in the window that appears.

Fig.1. Now you just need to select the media you need to extract, click on “Properties” and activate the “Change settings” option in the window that just pops up

• In the dialog box shown in the screenshot below, open the “Policies” tab. It is here that the line we need is displayed in highlighted font.

Fig.2. By clicking on the highlighted text, you can correctly remove a flash drive or other USB storage device from your computer

Thus, if Safely Removing Hardware does not work for you in Windows 7 or another version of the operating system, you can always overcome this problem by following the very simple instructions outlined in this text.

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When using the safe removal of the flash drive function, I always received a window with a message indicating that it was safe to remove the flash drive. Recently, when you click on the flash drive icon in order to safely remove it, no message is received, and the flash drive icon disappears in the window. Therefore, I don’t know whether it is possible to safely remove the flash drive or not. Tell me what settings need to be made to restore the function of safely removing a flash drive. I prefer to make the appropriate settings in the registry or using the gpedit editor. Thank you in advance..

/ Vitaly Vladimirovich 08.28.2016, 11:05

Some strange behavior of the icon: it is still visible, but does not function. I would like to know if this behavior is only with this flash drive or with all? Try checking it for viruses. There are solutions on the Internet when the tray icon is completely missing. I can recommend the USB Safely Remove program. It has similar functionality and even more.

There is also an excellent utility that clears all traces of USB device connections in the registry and after it everything starts working as it should. This is a utility USBOblivion. designed to erase traces of connecting USB drives and CD-ROMs from the registry in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Wimdows 10, both 32 and 64-bit versions. The utility has a test mode of operation, i.e. .without actually deleting data from the registry, and, just in case, creates a .reg file to cancel all changes.It also has a fully automatic operating mode.