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External hard disk safely remove problem

Forum Windows Vista : Vista General Discussion - External hard disk safely remove problem

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TimesTwo   04-07-2009 at 11:05:39 AM

i am using an external hard disk on vista64 in a Vantec enclosure and whenever i safely remove it, the computer will say it is safe to remove but then the hard disk keeps on running..... but when i use it on the other computer that runs windows xp and i safely remove it, the hard disk stops on running..... can anyone tell why vista is acting like that....

thanks

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4ryan6   04-07-2009 at 01:51:56 PM
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All my enclosures have a power switch to shut down the unit, when I finish with transferring data and get Vistas OK I turn off the unit, the Vantec Enclosure doesn't have a power switch?

 

If the unit is powered by the computer, You can always unplug the USB cable thats what the safely remove feature is for anyway.


Message edited by 4ryan6 on 04-07-2009 at 01:55:08 PM
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TimesTwo   04-08-2009 at 03:20:21 AM
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Yes it has a power switch. but my concern is when i safely remove it, vista will say it is safe to remove BUT when i touch the hard disk, it's still running.... when i plug it into my windows xp and i safely remove it, the hard disk stops on working/running... why is it acting like that on vista?

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pat mcgroin   04-08-2009 at 08:02:48 PM
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I will still run it is just saying that it doesnt have anything left in the buffer to write.
Then when you turn it off the heads will park. Just give it a minute after you turn it off to stop spinning.

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wdfdo1986   07-20-2009 at 11:05:33 AM
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I have the same problem. When the hard disk removed also its working
And turning off directly isnt a good way cause it is not good for the hard disk.
If some one know the way pls post it here.

Reply to wdfdo1986
soundefx   07-27-2009 at 07:26:57 AM
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It is a small difference between how vista and xp works.

If a usb flash drive with a on light indicator is placed in a xp computer and is 'ready to be ejected', you will notice that the light is turned off. XP actually stops all power and data transfer to the usb device.

Vista does not do this, therefore you will notice that there is still hard drive activity, but it should be safe to unplugged it from the computer.
After that, the hard drive should stop and then you could use the power switch and power off the external hard drive.

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stef2503   08-21-2009 at 10:33:23 PM
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I have the same problem and I can tell you I don't feel it's safe to use my hard drive with Vista because I can hear the heads scratching the disk whenever I unplug the USB cable. And that happens every time, no matter how long I wait after the OS tells me it's safe to remove it. XP seems to do a totally different job as it's not just turning the power off, but also parking the heads where they should be. Shutting down the computer isn't a solution either, as it basically cuts the power from the USB ports and the heads hit again the disk's surface. I haven't found any solution to this issue yet, but I will keep researching on it. I'll keep in touch if I find something useful.

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stef2503   08-21-2009 at 10:34:53 PM
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Ah, I found the solution. I've waited for 20 minutes this time and it finally stopped. Still, XP does it better when it comes to removing it.

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Anonymous   09-14-2009 at 04:17:40 AM
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Hi, does anyone encounter this issue with win 7 too?

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Anonymous   10-20-2009 at 11:16:14 PM
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I had the same problem. It's usually a piece of software accessing the drive still. Try this program out.
[url=http://en.kioskea.net/telecharger/telecharger-2586-unlocker]
http://en.kioskea.net/telecharger/ [...] 6-unlocker[/url]
Its called unlocker and it will add an option to your right click when you right click any device or file and tell you which processes are accessing it and will enable you to stop those processes so you can properly run the "Safely Remove USB storage device" utility under windows. It will even tell you how to create a bat file to automate it for say a drive everytime.

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