Need other options on how to SAFELY remove Passport

I have a Passports Essential portable EHD. What other options does a person have when they want to safely remove a storage device other than the common way of going down to the icon near the clock to remove it? We need other alternatives other than the common way because the aformentioned option does not always work in that many times we get a message that states the device is still being used. This message occurs even when we closed down all the programs we were using and went to desktop and it occurs when we waited seemingly an eternity to try and shut it down a 3rd and 4th time. After repeated attempts to try and remove the unit the ‘Device is still being used’ message keeps coming back in redundant fashion. We need a work around for something like this.

Hi,

Try going under “my computer” and do a right click on the driev, and select safely remove, or another option would be to actually turning off the computer, and then unplugging it.

“Try going under “my computer” and do a right click on the driev, and select safely remove…”

>>>Sorry, but that statement is incomplete and  ambiguous. You see if you right click on My Computer a drop down menu appears. It is impossible to select Safely Remove as that option doesn’t exist in the drop down menu. I have Windows XP.

you just install the wd smartware. then, you must click at wdsmartware to disconnect. once its install, it will be at startup

In Windows, this is the only way to safely unplug the drive from the computer. The alternate way is used to Shut the computer and then unplug the drive.

Most of the time when you are trying to eject the drive using the Safely Remove Hardware on the System Tray, you get the message as “Device cannot be stopped its in use”, this is due to the system files are trying to access the USB device connected to the computer.

You can resolve this by following the steps below.

  1. Connect the external drive to the computer (Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7)

  2. Right Click on MyComputer / Computer, and then click on Manage.

  3. On the Computer Management screen, Click on Device Manager, then Click on Disk Drives.

  4. Right Click on the External drive, and click on properties.

  5. On the New Screen, Click on the Tab “Policies” and then select “Optimise for Performance”. Click on OK.

System will ask to restart to make the necessary changes.

Restart the system and then use the icon on the system try, it will work.

It doesn’t affect your system nor the performance.

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