Share via

Can't safely remove USB Hard Drive in Windows 7 64-bit

Anonymous
2013-02-26T13:56:53+00:00

When I plug in my USB 3.0 hard drive and do nothing then try to safely remove it, it says it can't remove the drive as it's currently in use. I've tried using Unlocker on the drive but there's nothing listed so it seems like nothing is using it.

Any suggestions. I never used to have this problem before. In drive properties it's listed as Quick Removal.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

  1. Anonymous
    2013-02-27T04:37:15+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you posting the query in Microsoft Community forums.

    It seems that you receive error "can't remove the drive as it's currently in use" when you try to safely remove the drive.

    Did you make any changes on the computer prior to the issue?

    You may check if the issue occurs with the USB on a different computer.

    Method 1: ****You may run the hardware and device troubleshooter and check if the issue still persists.

    Open the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Open-the-Hardware-and-Devices-troubleshooter

    Method 2:

    You can check Task manager to stop any processes used by the device.

    a) Then open “Task Manager” (Use Ctrl+Alt+Del )

    b) Once the task manager is launched click the Processes tab.

    c) Examine the list of processes, if you find any process belonging to the drive or device, simply end all such processes.

    d) Try removing it now.

    Method 3: ****Perform a clean boot and check if the issue gets resolved.

    How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

    Note: After trouble shooting put the computer to start as usual by performing step 3 from the above Knowledge Base article.

    Method 4:

    You may run a Microsoft safety scanner to make sure computer is free from virus infection:

    http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx

    Disclaimer:

    If you run the virus scan the program that is infected with virus will get deleted. So you have to reinstall the program. Also if the files and folders are affected with virus then they might even get deleted

    Refer to the link:

    http://windows.microsoft.com/is-IS/windows7/Safely-remove-devices-from-your-computer

    Please let us know if you face any further issue with Windows. I would be glad to assist.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

6 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2014-04-23T16:00:55+00:00

    i had only recently bothered to investigate the problem and finally made some discoveries.

    the issue with drive being locked by a process is not entirely microsoft fault because it is the proprietary process by the ntfs group that was holding the disk. but that really was not the cause that prevent us from disconnecting the disk. service host.exe in this case is just a handler for ntfs so microsoft standard answer/solution falls outside the realm.

    the culprit is actually due to windows 8 certification, disk manufacturers now have to flag the disk as 'fixed disk'. thus in windows 7, there is no more eject option for the disk, and the ntfs file system service, [$extend] blurb, just carries on like it does on normal fixed disk. the manufacturer however said the disk's function is the same as before.

    the workaround? you have to run diskmgmt.msc and find the disk number, on the far left pane where you might see the word 'online' (not on the disk space), right click on it and choose 'offline'. the disk will be dismounted from the system and hopefully it is safe now to yank it out. you may have to repeat the procedure and choose 'online' again next time you plug it in.

    i also found that after the patch to windows 8.1 mid april 2014, the eject option is still missing but the USB disk ejector program now is able to eject the disk. (could not remember if it failed before).

    7 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2014-07-21T12:02:30+00:00

    the workaround? you have to run diskmgmt.msc and find the disk number, on the far left pane where you might see the word 'online' (not on the disk space), right click on it and choose 'offline'. the disk will be dismounted from the system and hopefully it is safe now to yank it out. you may have to repeat the procedure and choose 'online' again next time you plug it in.

    Thanks for this information Reizaal Abdul Aziz!

    This was the only way to safely disconnect my external USB3.0 drive.

    I tried everything I could think of to disconnect the drive, without success. Even rebooting windows and trying it first thing after the reboot (the only thing that ran was Avast) did not allow me to disconnect the drive. I figured there was no acceptable way to do this other than shutting the computer down and removing it, and that was what I did for months.

    Until your valuable information :) Thanks!

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2013-09-27T18:23:12+00:00

    The problem is Windows itself. The process that is continually causing the drive to be "unremovable": is svchost.exe. You can delete the System Volume Information file but svchost.exe immediately rebuilds it. I can't find a way around this other than just unplugging the darn thing anyway.

    How can there be no way to safely remove the drive?

    Jim

    2 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2013-09-29T08:22:27+00:00

    Jim,

    The message (This device is currently in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device and then try again) is usually the result of an application, file, open document, music or video file or any other application which is in use (running from the USB flash drive) when you try to remove it by clicking on the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area.

    The error can also be caused if your anti-virus is actively monitoring/scanning the USB drive. Normally, when removing a flash drive from a USB port, Windows should stop all the read-write operations on the drive so that it can be safely removed. If not, the flash drive can be damaged or data may be lost or corrupted. However, if Windows determines a file is in use, then it may provide a message which indicates the volume cannot be stopped right now.

    So, before ejecting or disconnecting any mass storage device, make sure none of the above activities are performed on the mass storage device before ejecting.

    Disconnecting a device

    Most USB devices can be removed and unplugged. When unplugging storage devices, such as USB flash drives, make sure that the computer has finished saving any information to the device before removing it. If the device has an activity light, wait for a few seconds after the light has finished flashing before unplugging it.

    If you see the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the notification area on the right side of the taskbar, you can use this as an indication that devices have finished all operations in progress and are ready to be removed. Click the icon and you'll see a list of devices. Click the device that you want to remove. Windows will display a notification telling you it's safe to remove the device.

    Hope this helps.

    0 comments