I've been getting some USB errors (The generic volume cannot be removed at this time, please try again at a later time), which seems very unusual but I assume it is normal for a machine that is 6 years old. My Sony Vaio still runs fine with the exception of the USB errors when I attempt to disconnect my Seagate extermal HD from the desktop (I used the "Safely Remove Hardware" option, but it still fails to live up to it's task.

I'm pretty sure that by pulling the USB cable while the drive is still running will certainly damage the drive... so I don't. What I do is put the PC on standby and that seems to do the trick. It seems much "healthier" than just pulling the plug.

Any advice (origin of the error and how to correct it for now)?
Er... maybe it has to do with my old hardware?

I mean supposedly "updating" the USB ports won't make any difference will it?
Thanks.

Someone correct me if Im wrong, but no, pulling the cord will not cause any sort of physical damage, merely the potential to corrupt files.

Usually, that error will come up if something in the system is still engaging a file on the USB device. I assume you've closed any windows explorer windows, so I dont know if you were running any standalone programs, etc off the USB disk?

If not, I would test another USB device to see whether it is something related to that specific USB disc, or something in general.

If it appears to be something in general, I would next try booting into safe mode, to see if it is some non-essential process that is conflicting.

Thanks, but that was not what I was looking for.
I mentioned the pulling the [USB] cord because last time my Seagate External Passport HD just stopped working out of the blue. I couldn't recover the data because I could not access the drive anymore. It made a beeping sound when the usb cable was plugged in.

I think my Windows XP is getting out of hand since it's very old.
Any windows or tools related to the drive was closed and I'm left with a clear view of my desktop.

I don't have any other USB related devices (except a camera and a phone, which has functions to disconnect themselves without the need for Windows to do it first). I did recall I had the same error when I attempted to disconnect my flash drives . Same error. I just pulled ripped the drive from the port.
The data was intact though (on the flash drive) if I pulled it or disconnected it manually.

This can be a more complicated issue than meets the eye.

***Note: The entire purpose of USB Memory Devices is to preserve accurate copies or originals of files that you wish to keep. It is therefore outrageously counter-productive to do something that could compromise that data... like yanking the USB stick out of socket without first assuring that it is not being actively used!!!
***Note: Yes the USB memory stick Device itself can be damaged and USB External Hard Drives present even higher risk of damage to the device and data.

The following includes several considerations, options, and third-party utilities.

Disclaimer: My presentation progresses according to my own practice and thinking, but may not correspond to the progression of your own situation or thinking. So read all of the information and use the portions that are related to your specific situation.

In most cases...“Safely Remove Hardware - Safely remove USB Mass Storage device” option. Windows should stop all the read-write operations on the drive so that the drive can be removed safely.

Read more: http://www.troublefixers.com/problem-remov.../#ixzz0Su6saziQ


The owner/user, or Windows, or a third-party application may, in fact, be using files on the USB Memory Stick either as open applications or background processes.

Prime Culprits:
Auto-Play
File Setting - Image Pre-view
Windows Explorer
Indexing Service
Windows File Search
Portable Application Launchers
IPOD sync
Google DeskTop Manager
Spybot Tea Timer
AntiVirus background scan
Automated Defrag programs such as Diskkeeper
and the list goes on...
and on....

>>"Most"<< USB Memory sticks are optimized for quick removal

"This setting disables write caching on the disk and in Windows, so you can disconnect this device without using the Safe Removal icon"

How to verify:

in My Computer

Right-click on your USB Memory device - Select - Properties

Select Hardware(tab), then "highlight" your specific USB Memory Device

Click on the Properties(button) in the lower right corner
You'll see the USB Device Properties panel

Click on Policies(tab)
In the Policies tabbed panel, you will see two options.
Select: Optimize for quick removal


Use "OK" to click your way out of the opened panels.
___________________________________________

There's more options coming, but I'm going to post this to assure that the graphics are appearing correctly.

Thank you so much Doug : ]. I'll be sure to complete the steps the next time I sync my external HD, which makes it even more risky since it's a drive that I'm unplugging >_<.

For the time being, I'll wander around and look at the collection of pen drive virus busters from the link you gave me : ].

Thanks : ]

Hi Drragostea...

I thought I would share my experience with USB hard drives. I'm in the tech field and I use several different types of USB to IDE/SATA adapters so that I can hook client hard drives up to my laptop and scan them for viruses, modify registry entries, and modify files. I've literally hooked thousands of hard drives up to laptops through these devices.

I can tell you that a significant percentage of the time when I use the safely remove hardware option I get the message that the volume could not be stopped. I would say 1 out of 5 times. First, I am 100% sure, without a doubt that NOTHING is accessing the drive. Simply put, Windows has a bug in it and if you have, in fact, closed all windows and programs that would be accessing the drive and then use the Safely Remove Hardware option Windows will flush the cache and it will be safe to remove the drive regardless of what it tells you.

If you do not use the Safely Remove Hardware option you will corrupt data on the drive and you will immediately start getting errors about delayed write failures to the drive. However, after experiencing this hundreds of times, I have never once corrupted or damaged anything by unplugging the drive AFTER using the safely remove hardware option regardless of what windows reports afterwards.

I have no other explanation for why Windows does this because I use the exact same procedures day in and day out, and the majority of drives "safely remove," properly, and the others give the error you are talking about. I have never attempted to solve the mystery because as I stated, there has never been a problem afterwards.

There is no risk of doing physical damage to a drive by unplugging it abruptly. There is a 100% chance that you will corrupt the file system in one way or another, but no chance of doing physical damage to the drive. Safely removing the hardware does nothing more than finish and flush existing file operations, it does nothing "physically" to the drive to make it any safer to remove.

Thanks apple. I understand that abruptly pulling the cord while the drive is still running will certainly damage the drive "mentally" (like you said, corruption of files [wait, the system files or the files on the drive itself [[documents]]?).

I have not tried Doug's technique of navigating to the Hardware Properties (right click) yet and setting the drive for quick removal but I will certainly try that. Along with Unlocker 1.8.7 which is currently installed. I found Unlocker to be a useful tool, as it comes it handy. It gives a good impression that it'll do it's job.

Windows has a bug ever since? Hm...


I understand, I mean like logically I would unplug the drive right after it said that it was safe to remove the hardware. But the problem currently is that 90% of the time I keep getting this bug and the drive will not stop running.

I did not quite get what you meant by solving the mystery. How did you solve it?
Thanks again apple...oddity

I mean that after clicking the icon to safely remove hardware, and then getting the error that the drive is in use or could not be stopped, I still unplug it. As long as no programs DO have files open, the buffers will be flushed and data will be written to the drive. Afterwards, there is no danger of corrupting files regardless of the error message. I have yet to experience otherwise. In your case, something very well might be keeping a file open. Doug's suggestion to disable write caching is a surefire solution to resolve the problem. It does degrade drive performance though.

So you unplugged the USB cord regardless of the safety prompt (resolved) and prompt that the drive is in use?
If so, I thought that would corrupt the files on the HD itself. I mean I use an external HD so I was wondering.

Yes, Doug's method should be a good way to resolve it... I hope ^^". Quality over quantity. Eh, I would much rather have a degrade in the drive performance (assuming the drive does not copy the files as fast?) rather than possible frying my HD with corruption in data and etc.

Apple, wouldn't unlocker do the trick (if I do not use Doug's method in setting Windows to optimize the drive for fast removal)?

Yes, I still unplug the USB cord, even after the error occurs. I don't even think twice about it. After the error occurs, the cache is already flushed, and it is safe to remove. Only if something actually has the drive in use will you have a problem. You will know if you have a problem because windows will tell you that "delayed write failed for file xxxxxxx."

I can be sure this message occurs when the drive has absolutely NOTHING in use, because it does it to me all the time. Pulling the plug has no ill effects as long as the safely remove hardware options was used first, regardless of error message or success.

I'm not familiar with unlocker.

:D:D:D:D:D, I am surprised and amused :DDDD.
You really do convince me now about the error. I believe you, that the cache has already been flushed.
My method was just setting the PC on standby and it shuts off by itself .


, but the drive is still powered and running even if I get the error : [.

I am still frustrated by the fact that my external passport HD (Seagate) fried just that like... I mean I pulled the plug on it even after the "Safely Remove Hardware" option. I got a beeping noise after that. It's not like dust came to the drive like a flu. So as a side reference I was just very curious on why a drive would stop working despite me pulling the usb cord after the remove hardware option.

The drive didn't fail because you unplugged it. Its impossible to damage a hard drive by abruptly removing the power. Maybe 25 years ago, but not now a days.

A bad power connection where the drive spins up and shuts down over and over has proven to destroy a drive.

But, nothing different happens on an internal drive when you power off your computer. Files are closed, the cache is flushed and the power is shut off.

Alright, I got it.
I still intrigued by your second sentence about the bad power connection.
What do you mean by power connection?

Power connections can get loose inside a computer and cause the hard drive to intermittently lose power. Symptoms being that the computer locks up and reboots and all other sorts of weird problems.

I have often seen hard drives that have had a significant bad power connection beginning to fail or having bad sectors.

In other words, turning a drive on and off quickly, multiple times may very well damage it, but technically, simply removing the power from the drive should never damage it.

Thanks apple. You have answered my questions that came up. But Doug's method should do the trick. It's interesting to know a little bit more about HDs.
I really do not think I have any power failures because my desktop is running fine, with a surge protector, and my PC almost never locks up.
I just think that my external HD had a nasty bug or some malicious hardware problem D: ... it's not a corrupted drive because of simply removing the power nor has been been powered on and off multiple times in a really short period of time.