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Problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Device

Anonymous
2021-08-16T22:10:54+00:00

I have been a Windows user for my whole life... starting sometime around 20 years ago I noticed that occasionally when connecting an external HDD with USB, Windows will refuse to safely eject the device even though there are no programs using it (that I know of) and no open files. This issue has persisted for every version of Windows I have used ever since the year 2000 (XP, 7, and now 10). I am sick and tired of shutting down my computer EVERY TIME I want to eject a USB drive. In the past, sometimes it has even done this for flash drives or memory cards, but my current issue is now with an external HDD on Windows 10 Pro. I plug it in to use it, whether it be for opening files or copying files to the drive (which I use primarily as a backup drive), then I leave the drive connected for long enough... then Windows will refuse to eject. This happens with multiple external HDD connected to multiple USB ports. The most crucial deciding factor that I can figure out is that if I am quick enough, copy files and then eject and turn it off right away, then Windows doesn't have a chance to lock the drive and I can safely eject... If I wait too long, it won't eject at all, even after a reboot. Always gives the same error message (see image below).

I have tried searching Google for answers to no avail. Every solution I have tried does not work or simply does not exist anymore (with the exception of shutting down everything). I would really love to have an answer to this infamous dilemma, so I am posting here in hopes that someone can point me to a setting to change or some method to try that makes this less of an issue. Interrupting what I'm working on and shutting down my computer JUST to eject an external drive is ridiculous and shouldn't be necessary, especially in 2021. I've seen so many other posts complaining of similar issues, so why can't Microsoft fix this??

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-08-17T02:39:50+00:00

    Hi DaftCashew,

    Good day! This is Jhakesong and I will be happy to assist you with this.

    I am sorry to hear about the inconvenience. Does this happen regardless where USB port the device is plugged in? There could be an issue with the USB root hub drivers. I suggest resetting them and see if it makes a difference.

    1. Press Windows key + X
    2. Open Device Manager
    3. From Device Manager, Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers
    4. For every instance of USB root hub, right click and uninstall.
    5. Reboot your computer every uninstallation and proceed to the next ones, once you have uninstalled all the root hubs check device manager again to make sure they were reinstalled back by Windows properly.
    6. See if the issue still persists.

    Let me know how it goes. Have a great day!

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-08-20T21:48:46+00:00

    Hi DaftCashew,

    Good day! This is Jhakesong and I will be happy to assist you with this.

    I am sorry to hear about the inconvenience. Does this happen regardless where USB port the device is plugged in? There could be an issue with the USB root hub drivers. I suggest resetting them and see if it makes a difference.

    1. Press Windows key + X
    2. Open Device Manager
    3. From Device Manager, Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers
    4. For every instance of USB root hub, right click and uninstall.
    5. Reboot your computer every uninstallation and proceed to the next ones, once you have uninstalled all the root hubs check device manager again to make sure they were reinstalled back by Windows properly.
    6. See if the issue still persists.

    Let me know how it goes. Have a great day!

    Thank you for your reply! I tried your steps and uninstalled the only instance of USB root hub that I found in my device manager (which was 3.0). Apparently my computer is new enough that there aren't any 2.0 or lower ports in the system, or at the very least every last port is controlled by the same root hub even if a couple of them are 2.0 ports.

    Good news: I haven't been able to reproduce the HDD eject issue since the system rebooted! So I think the problem is fixed (for now). Thanks for the help!

    Bad news: You failed to warn me that after uninstalling the USB root hub, all my input devices stopped working! I tried all of the ports, both front and back, but none of them would accept my mouse or keyboard anymore after clicking uninstall... so there was no way for me to click "restart" on the dialog box that popped up after the uninstall began! Thankfully while frantically plugging and unplugging USB cables from the back of my PC, I noticed that I still got a device removal sound from Windows when disconnecting my LG monitor with built-in USB hub... this made me realize that Windows still recognized that hub somehow, even though it wasn't recognizing any of my other USB devices. So by plugging my mouse into the monitor's hub, I was finally able to restore input control and safely restart the machine. Everything worked fine again upon rebooting, but damn if I wasn't panicking for a few minutes there! If I had known that might happen ahead of time, I would have been a lot more careful... so maybe add that warning into your steps next time ;)

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