Tip: Avoid Having To "safely Remove" Your Usb Flash Drive - Computer Support Forums

petef · 11-01-2008, 07:56 AM

TIP: AVOID HAVING TO "SAFELY REMOVE" YOUR USB FLASH DRIVE

Overview
~~~~~~~~
Normally by default, Write Caching is enabled when you use your USB FLASH drive
on a Windows XP computer. With Write Caching ENABLED you need to safely remove
the flash drive to avoid corrupting or losing data on the flash drive. However, if you
set the properties in Windows to DISABLE Write Caching for the drive letter that is
always assigned to your flash drive, then you can remove the flash drive without
having to go through the safely remove process.

Once you set the properties to DISABLE write caching on a specific drive letter
in Windows XP, it holds that setting and you can avoid having to safely remove
any flash drive on that computer that uses that particular drive letter.

How to Disable Write Caching for a specific drive letter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.) Plug in your USB flash drive and note which drive letter is assigned
by viewing it in My Computer.

2.) In My Computer, right-click the flash drive and select..
Properties -> Hardware -> Properties -> Policies,
and then uncheck "Enable write caching on the disk" to disable write caching.

Now any USB flash drive that you use on this computer that comes up as
this same drive letter does not need to be "safely removed". Just make sure
there is no data being written at the moment you remove it.

**AdvancedSetup** · 11-01-2008, 08:26 AM

Maybe a good tip for the little 512MB or smaller thumb drives for many home users
but I would keep caching enabled on large 500GB, Terabyte USB drives.
A bit too slow writing data with it disabled on large drives.

Monkey_Puncher · 08-04-2008, 06:13 PM

Very useful - i'm always forgetting to stop my USB stick, generally when in a hurry, and get really ticked off waiting for my knackered laptop to install its windows updates and actually shut down. thanks.

colinm345 · 12-04-2008, 04:08 PM

Yes ,very useful,thanks

iwillbekingin2030 · 02-11-2008, 04:10 AM

good tip...i always just pull things out without doing the safely remove thing.

**struggling** · 29-12-2008, 12:27 AM

Just ran across this thread and trying to decide how it applies to my circumstances. I've been using little 2GB thumb drives for several years and never knew about "safely removing". The thumb drives have worked just great. Then I read something about how important it is to use safely remove.

I just bought a 250 GB external drive and have been safely removing it and the thumb drives ever since I read that.

Kind of nuisance, if I don't really need to. Opinion please?

**BeeCeeBee** · 29-12-2008, 12:42 AM

Quote:

I just bought a 250 GB external drive

Glad to see you did that.

Now get all of your data stored onto it as it is far more reliable then the little flash drive you have been using. As far as the add or remove is concerned, it really depends on how you are using the drive.

If you are simply using it as storage and moving file over manually there probably is no great danger in simply removing the usb cable. If, however, you become more sophisticated in its use you need to be sure it is not being accessed when you remove it.

If you are into "better safe then sorry" the few seconds it takes will be of little bother. On the other hand if you should happen to pull the thing without the safely remove utility I would not be particularly concerned.

**bob12a** · 29-12-2008, 07:24 AM

An interesting subject Thanks

**Plastic Nev** · 29-12-2008, 12:33 PM

Most of the better quality flash drives do have an indicator LED lit when data is being transferred, providing that light is not lit, and give it a second to be sure, then it is usually OK to pull it out. However if pulled while the light is lit, it can damage not just the data, but also the drive.

11-01-2008, 08:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
AdvancedSetup Status: Free PC Help Long Term Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 34° 12' 35" N, 118° 29' 21" W Posts: 819 Operating System: Server 2003 Enterprise PC Experience: Systems Engineer	Maybe a good tip for the little 512MB or smaller thumb drives for many home users but I would keep caching enabled on large 500GB, Terabyte USB drives. A bit too slow writing data with it disabled on large drives. __________________ Need help with your computer problems? Then why not join Free PC Help. Register here If Free PC Help has helped you then please consider a donation. Click here Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware \| Malwarebytes' Products \| SUPERAntispyware \| HijackThis \| Spybot Search & Destroy \| hpHosts \| SpywareBlaster \| WinPatrol \| SiteHound \| FireFox \| NoScript \| Adblock Plus \| Sandboxie \| Acronis True Image \| ThreatFire \| ESET Online Scanner \| Kaspersky Online Scanner \| Panda Online Scanner \| Trend Online Scanner \| Avira AntiVir Personal \| Avast Free AV \| CCleaner \| ATF-Cleaner \| Online Armor Firewall \| Outpost Firewall Free \| DirectX \| Office Compatibility Pack \| Office 2003 (SP3) \| SubInACL \| Windows Defender \| Windows Installer 3.1 \| IE7 XP \| XP SP3 for IT \| Sysinternals \| Virtual PC 2007 \| Returnil We are all members helping other members. Please return here where you may be able to help someone else. After all, no one knows everything and you may have the answer that someone needs.

02-11-2008, 04:10 AM	#5 (permalink)
iwillbekingin2030 Status: Free PC Help Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: in the middle of the black sea on the last island to be inhabited by medieval knights Posts: 118 Operating System: Windows Vista - Home Premium PC Experience: i'd say low to medium, closer to the low	good tip good tip...i always just pull things out without doing the safely remove thing. __________________ I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me -Noel Coward

29-12-2008, 07:24 AM	#8 (permalink)
bob12a Status: Free PC Help Contributor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Essex UK Posts: 263 Operating System: Windows XP - Home Edition PC Experience: Some Experience	An interesting subject Thanks __________________ Bob (bob12a) Medion MD8800,Win XP (vista ult ltop) , Firefox/3, ZAPro , AVGpro,spybot S&D, Canon ixus 860is (two),Canon Scan8800f,MS office 2007.Roboform,Gmail,SecuniaPSI,Mailwasher Pro,openoffice.org 3

29-12-2008, 12:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
Plastic Nev Status: Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Lancashire Posts: 1,718 Operating System: Windows XP plus Windows 7 Pro PC Experience: Sounds and music man	Most of the better quality flash drives do have an indicator LED lit when data is being transferred, providing that light is not lit, and give it a second to be sure, then it is usually OK to pull it out. However if pulled while the light is lit, it can damage not just the data, but also the drive. __________________ Need help with your computer problems? Then why not join Free PC Help. Register here If Free PC Help has helped you then please consider a donation. Click here We are all members helping other members. Please return here where you may be able to help someone else. After all, no one knows everything and you may have the answer that someone needs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- God gave us the bad bits to test us. Then gave us beer to help. I installed Windows!! Should I install curtains as well? Why the fuss over Windows 7? I have three at the front and four at the back of my house all the time.

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11-01-2008, 07:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
petef Status: Free PC Help Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA, NJ Posts: 184 Operating System: Windows Vista - Ultimate PC Experience: PC Expert	TIP: AVOID HAVING TO "SAFELY REMOVE" YOUR USB FLASH DRIVE Overview ~~~~~~~~ Normally by default, Write Caching is enabled when you use your USB FLASH drive on a Windows XP computer. With Write Caching ENABLED you need to safely remove the flash drive to avoid corrupting or losing data on the flash drive. However, if you set the properties in Windows to DISABLE Write Caching for the drive letter that is always assigned to your flash drive, then you can remove the flash drive without having to go through the safely remove process. Once you set the properties to DISABLE write caching on a specific drive letter in Windows XP, it holds that setting and you can avoid having to safely remove any flash drive on that computer that uses that particular drive letter. How to Disable Write Caching for a specific drive letter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1.) Plug in your USB flash drive and note which drive letter is assigned by viewing it in My Computer. 2.) In My Computer, right-click the flash drive and select.. Properties -> Hardware -> Properties -> Policies, and then uncheck "Enable write caching on the disk" to disable write caching. Now any USB flash drive that you use on this computer that comes up as this same drive letter does not need to be "safely removed". Just make sure there is no data being written at the moment you remove it.

08-04-2008, 06:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
Monkey_Puncher Status: Free PC Help New Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6	Very useful - i'm always forgetting to stop my USB stick, generally when in a hurry, and get really ticked off waiting for my knackered laptop to install its windows updates and actually shut down. thanks.

12-04-2008, 04:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
colinm345 Status: Free PC Help New Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Torquay,Devon Posts: 21	Yes ,very useful,thanks

29-12-2008, 12:27 AM	#6 (permalink)
struggling Status: Elite Free PC Help Contributor Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 86 Operating System: Windows XP - Home Edition PC Experience: delete	Just ran across this thread and trying to decide how it applies to my circumstances. I've been using little 2GB thumb drives for several years and never knew about "safely removing". The thumb drives have worked just great. Then I read something about how important it is to use safely remove. I just bought a 250 GB external drive and have been safely removing it and the thumb drives ever since I read that. Kind of nuisance, if I don't really need to. Opinion please?