Removing a flash drive

[Eldritch]

I'm using a Scandisk Cruzer Mini 256MG flash drive with my laptop. My
problem is that the icon, which appears on the Task Bar when this RAM
drive is recognized, disappears after a few seconds, so it's unavailable
when I'm ready to uninstall/remove it. Using Windows XP Professional.


It was suggested that I should logoff and the log back onto Windows to
bring the icon back. This is not working.


How can I uninstall this USB device? Will bad things happen if I just
unplug it?

E

[Not Me]

The Taskbar Icon is supposed to be temporary (new Hardware found,
or similar words). USB Flash Drives [also called Thumb Drives,
Mini-Drives,etc] appear as an installed drive with a letter assigned
when they are plugged in {click My computer on your Desktop}. YOU
NORMALLY do not need to install or uninstall software with most of them.
You just plug it in when you need to and unplug it when you wish. Some
few provide some extra features [such as password protection and other
security features] which requires software installation; however, this
is fairly uncommon. Summation: you have no problem, all is normal.
Gene K

Eldritch wrote:
> I'm using a Scandisk Cruzer Mini 256MG flash drive with my laptop.
> My problem is that the icon, which appears on the Task Bar when this RAM
> drive is recognized, disappears after a few seconds, so it's unavailable
> when I'm ready to uninstall/remove it. Using Windows XP Professional.
>
>
> It was suggested that I should logoff and the log back onto Windows
> to bring the icon back. This is not working.
>
>
> How can I uninstall this USB device? Will bad things happen if I
> just unplug it?
>
> E

[Mikhail Zhilin]

After such device is recognized by system for a first time -- its icon
won't be on the Task Bar more. But when you plug a removable data
storage in -- the new icon, "Safely remove Hardware" has to appear in
the System Notification Area (former System Tray -- next to clock at the
right side of the Task Bar). It is the icon with the thick slanting
green arrow.

Activate this icon and select your USB flash for safely removing,
because simply pulling it out may cause USB flash data loss in the
certain conditions.
--
Mikhail Zhilin
http://www.aha.ru/~mwz
Sorry, no technical support by e-mail.
Please reply to the newsgroups only.
======
On Fri, 04 Feb 2005 17:27:39 -0800, Eldritch >
wrote:

> I'm using a Scandisk Cruzer Mini 256MG flash drive with my laptop. My
>problem is that the icon, which appears on the Task Bar when this RAM
>drive is recognized, disappears after a few seconds, so it's unavailable
>when I'm ready to uninstall/remove it. Using Windows XP Professional.
>
>
> It was suggested that I should logoff and the log back onto Windows to
>bring the icon back. This is not working.
>
>
> How can I uninstall this USB device? Will bad things happen if I just
>unplug it?
>
> E

[Eldritch]

Mikhail Zhilin wrote:
> After such device is recognized by system for a first time -- its icon
> won't be on the Task Bar more. But when you plug a removable data
> storage in -- the new icon, "Safely remove Hardware" has to appear in
> the System Notification Area (former System Tray -- next to clock at the
> right side of the Task Bar). It is the icon with the thick slanting
> green arrow.


Yes. I'm familiar with that icon. I've seen it many times on my
laptop. It is the icon that has recently gone missing in action. Upon
plugging the ScanDisk flash/thumb/RAM drive into the USB port, the USB
icon appears briefly, then disappears. In the past, the "Safely remove
Hardware" icon used to appear. It no longer does.

>
> Activate this icon and select your USB flash for safely removing,
> because simply pulling it out may cause USB flash data loss in the
> certain conditions.


The reason I'm posting here is because the "Safely remove Hardware"
icon is not on the task bar when I'm ready to remove the flash drive.
Is there a way to force the return of the icon? Or is there another way
to safely remove the flash drive?


E

[Eldritch]

Not Me wrote:

> The Taskbar Icon is supposed to be temporary (new Hardware found,
> or similar words). .... Summation: you have no problem, all is normal.
> Gene K
>


THe drive is functioning normally. Unfortunately, the "Safely remove
Hardware" icon is not appearing on my taskbar, so I'm concerned about
removing the drive before WindowsXP declares it safe to do so.


Without this icon, how can I safely remove the drive?


E

[Mikhail Zhilin]

Probably someone can explain what happened with that icon -- I have no
idea by now.

As a workaround, you can use SYNC program, that is on
http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/misc.shtml page of Mark
Russinovich (MS MVP) site; you can create a shortcut to it with the
necessary switches in the "Target' line of the shortcut properties.
--
Mikhail Zhilin
http://www.aha.ru/~mwz
Sorry, no technical support by e-mail.
Please reply to the newsgroups only.
======
On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 15:17:58 -0800, Eldritch >
wrote:

>Mikhail Zhilin wrote:
>> After such device is recognized by system for a first time -- its icon
>> won't be on the Task Bar more. But when you plug a removable data
>> storage in -- the new icon, "Safely remove Hardware" has to appear in
>> the System Notification Area (former System Tray -- next to clock at the
>> right side of the Task Bar). It is the icon with the thick slanting
>> green arrow.
>
>
> Yes. I'm familiar with that icon. I've seen it many times on my
>laptop. It is the icon that has recently gone missing in action. Upon
>plugging the ScanDisk flash/thumb/RAM drive into the USB port, the USB
>icon appears briefly, then disappears. In the past, the "Safely remove
>Hardware" icon used to appear. It no longer does.
>
>>
>> Activate this icon and select your USB flash for safely removing,
>> because simply pulling it out may cause USB flash data loss in the
>> certain conditions.
>
>
> The reason I'm posting here is because the "Safely remove Hardware"
>icon is not on the task bar when I'm ready to remove the flash drive.
>Is there a way to force the return of the icon? Or is there another way
>to safely remove the flash drive?
>
>
> E