WD Elements 500 GB unable to safely remove (Win10, tried everything)

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p3r02d3r0

p3r02d3r0

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Nov 19, 2015
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Hi all,

I just recently purchased my WD Elements 500 GB, and I noticed that I'm unable to remove it safely on my Windows 10 x64 PC. You know, when you go to taskbar and search for that "Safe to remove" icon.

I have tried everything.

Tried to update firmware
Tried to download USB Disk Ejector (suggestion on some other forum)
Tried to turn off my Antivirus
Nothing.

As you can see, there is no option to safely remove the device:

JgWyAP2.jpg


USB Disk Ejector says

kj5jMTp.jpg


Oh yeah, I also tried to remove it via WD Smartware, but I couldn't find the option there either.

I'm out of ideas.

Any kind of suggestion would really be helpful.

Thank you.
 
Solution
SuperSoph_WD
Hey there again, @p3r02d3r0

Unfortunately, @Emerald has a great point here! If this happens only on your Windows 10 computer, the source of the issue is within the Windows 10 itself. I did some research and it seems like it's a rather common issue after the latest updates. So far you've done some pretty awesome troubleshooting, so I can suggest you a couple of other methods that could help you with the 'Safely Remove'.
Go to This PC and try to remove the WD Elements by right-clicking on it and selecting 'Eject' (in any other Windows version, you should be given the option).
Another thing you can do to remove it safely is to uninstall the WD Elements from Device Manager. ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725782.aspx )...
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Welcome to the community, p3r02d3r0!

I'm really sorry to hear about your WD Elements. :( Good job with the troubleshooting so far, though. I'd recommend you to check this article from our knowledge base for a couple of more methods you could try to resolve this: http://products.wdc.com/support/kb.ashx?id=S4SO86
Another thing you could try is go to Devices and Printers from the Control Panel, where you should be able to find the WD Elements. When you right-click on it, you should be given the option to Eject the external.

If these steps don't work with the drive, here's an article that explains how to enable quick removal without using the safely remove command: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/quickly-remove-usb-devices-without-using-safe-removal/

Hope it helps. Keep me posted.
SuperSoph_WD
 
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p3r02d3r0

p3r02d3r0

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Nov 19, 2015
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Hi SuperSoph_WD, hi Phillip. Thank you for your suggestions.

I knew I forgot to mention something, and that is the thing i forgot to mention.

I don't have "quick removal" option in the Device Manager, at all.

GOB8Wn9.jpg


I also tried to disable Indexing on my drive, but that didn't change anything. USB Disk Ejector still says the drive is in use, and I still don't have an option to remove the drive safely. :(

I have no idea why is this happening, but I did find unanswered questions regarding that issue on the web. And I'd really want to get an answer for mine :)
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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This seems very unfortunate, p3r02d3r0!

I'd recommend you to backup your data from the WD Elements HDD and unplug it. Once you do that, you can try using a different USB cable with the external and see if you'd be given the option to safely remove it then. Another thing you should do is plug the WD Elements in another computer and try safely removing the drive from there. This way we'd be able to find the source of the issue and troubleshoot from there.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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Emerald

Emerald

Titan
Aug 28, 2005
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I think, it has to do with Windows10.

I just saw the same issue with the My Passport drive. I can Safely eject it from Win7 and Win8.x by clicking on the drive model above the drive letter; however, under Win10 it only shows the drive letter but not the drive model.
 
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p3r02d3r0

p3r02d3r0

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Nov 19, 2015
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Darn. Is there a possible workaround?
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

Glorious
Jul 30, 2014
6,758
3
45,960
Hey there again, @p3r02d3r0

Unfortunately, @Emerald has a great point here! If this happens only on your Windows 10 computer, the source of the issue is within the Windows 10 itself. I did some research and it seems like it's a rather common issue after the latest updates. So far you've done some pretty awesome troubleshooting, so I can suggest you a couple of other methods that could help you with the 'Safely Remove'.
Go to This PC and try to remove the WD Elements by right-clicking on it and selecting 'Eject' (in any other Windows version, you should be given the option).
Another thing you can do to remove it safely is to uninstall the WD Elements from Device Manager. ( http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725782.aspx ) This will uninstall the external from the system, so you should be able to remove it safely. Once you plug it back in, it will automatically install again.

Give these a try and let us know how it goes!
Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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