Solved 'Safe to remove USB stick' pop up notification

glasskuter · Oct 5, 2022

Haydon said:
the block persists and I wonder why.

System processes sometimes lock onto usb drives and hold them hostage. Signing out is not enough to release them. The only way to get whatever process to release them is a restart.
Others have mentioned that it is safe to remove if 'quick removal' is set in device properties of the drive. However, this is difficult to do when one uses a lot of different usb drives, many of which are generic and do not have static drive letters assigned to them. I agree that USB Safely Remove solves the problem.

I have used Usb Safely Remove for years. I bought it a long time ago when it was cheaper than it is now. My version has not been updated in years, but still works perfectly to force the system to release troublesome usb drives.

Haydon · Oct 5, 2022

glasskuter said:
System processes sometimes lock onto usb drives and hold them hostage. Signing out is not enough to release them. The only way to get whatever process to release them is a restart.

That makes perfect sense to me. It also appears to me a likely explanation why Macrium Reflect (which is a quite exacting app in terms of what it does and what it requires to do what it does) works better right after a restart, especially right after a change of backup medium (I rotate backup media)

So, restart it is (at least for me) I will mark this thread 'Solved'

Thanks to all who responded!

Edwin · Oct 5, 2022

Quick Removal is on by default..., just pull the damn thing out already!

If you're not modifying or transferring any items on the Drive, it's perfectly safe to do so.
If scanning is taking place, it will stop.
If indexing is taking place, it will resume at another time.

ertapenem · Jan 16, 2023

For safe eject notification missing:
• Press keyboard "win + R"
• Type "regedit"
• Search the value "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Notifications\Settings\Microsoft.Ex plor er.Notification.{...}"

The lack of notifications when ejecting an USB device from Windows 10-capture.png

For me it was this name !
• If you REG_DWORD 0x00000001(0) set "0" you can double click on value. Set the value data to "1"
• Click "OK"

johnlgalt · Jan 16, 2023

Chiming in here.

Defender scanning, and file managers not letting go of drives are the 2 main reasons I always use Safely Remove. I've lost plenty of things, and that Quick removal policy is *always* on for all my external drives - but Windows is not always doing what it says it is doing, so I play it safe.

@Haydon - 99% of the time when I get the same thing you're getting, it's an app somewhere that is access the drive for whatever stupid reason. Since I use 3rd party file managers, for me it is almost always one of them getting in the way. Every so often, though, it is Defender scanning something as a part of a Real Time scan.

delaw · Apr 1, 2024

Haydon said:
My W10 computer provides the pop up notification which I find reassuring, my W11 computer does not.

Is there an easy way for my W11 computer to provide the pop up notification?

TonyCzar · Sep 10, 2024

glasskuter said:
check settings-system-notifications-notifications from other apps and senders-make use USB is toggled ON

While at Notifications, go to 'Set Priority Notifications' then Apps,. Click on 'Add apps' and scroll to add 'Windows Explorer' to the list. That fixed it for me.

hsehestedt · Sep 10, 2024

johnlgalt said:
Chiming in here.

Defender scanning, and file managers not letting go of drives are the 2 main reasons I always use Safely Remove. I've lost plenty of things, and that Quick removal policy is *always* on for all my external drives - but Windows is not always doing what it says it is doing, so I play it safe.

@Haydon - 99% of the time when I get the same thing you're getting, it's an app somewhere that is access the drive for whatever stupid reason. Since I use 3rd party file managers, for me it is almost always one of them getting in the way. Every so often, though, it is Defender scanning something as a part of a Real Time scan.

John, Defender scanning should be no problem for removal without ejecting the drive. That's a read-only operation so the system could care less if the drive just goes away.

Heck, I have not used he eject button in a few years now and have yet to lose a single byte of data.

johnlgalt · Sep 10, 2024

Well, I have, and I prefer to use it. To each their own.

Winuser · Sep 10, 2024

Haydon said:
You are missing my exact point, in spite of no files open and all apps closed, sometimes (not always) file explorer pops up a 'device busy' notification (and hence the device, an external USB SSD as the case in point, cannot be safely removed) If that happens, my recourse is to shut down the (W10) computer to safely remove the device, but I think that there ought to be a better solution.

When that happens to me, I hit the remove device again. Usually on the second try I get the pop-up. On rare occasions I have had to do it three times.

Solved 'Safe to remove USB stick' pop up notification

aka Mama Glass

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computer

♦ ♦

My Computers

New member

My Computer

Antidisestablishmentarianist

My Computers

New member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

Antidisestablishmentarianist

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

Similar threads