can't remove usb external disk

hi,

Every time i try to "safely remove" my external HDD (Western Digital
Elements 3.5" 250GB) from my laptop (Vostro 1700 vista SP1), I get the
error:

Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because it is in use.
Close anyprograms of windows that might be using the device, and
then try again later.

If I use ProcessExplorer, all I see is a few entries like

Process = System (pid=4), Handle = "F:\$Extend\RmMetadata\$TxfLog\..."

I have disabled as much of the vista bloatware as possible (indexing service
etc) so I have no idea what is holding these handles open. I haven't tried
to kill pid=4 but I'm guessing that would be a bad idea with a process name
like "system" :-)

does anyone have any idea what these handles pertain to? is it safe to just
pull the plug once I know these are the only handles open? I use this disk
quite heavily so I need to have it optimised for performance (rather than
quick removal) and I have it formatted NTFS.

At the moment my only way out is to shutdown the laptop every time I want to
take the disk out. my only other idea is to upgrade to XP or perhaps server
2008.

TIA

Andy

Turn the WD external drive power switch to "off".

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Andy Fish" <> wrote in message news:...
hi,

Every time i try to "safely remove" my external HDD (Western Digital
Elements 3.5" 250GB) from my laptop (Vostro 1700 vista SP1), I get the
error:

Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because it is in use.
Close anyprograms of windows that might be using the device, and
then try again later.

If I use ProcessExplorer, all I see is a few entries like

Process = System (pid=4), Handle = "F:\$Extend\RmMetadata\$TxfLog\..."

I have disabled as much of the vista bloatware as possible (indexing service
etc) so I have no idea what is holding these handles open. I haven't tried
to kill pid=4 but I'm guessing that would be a bad idea with a process name
like "system" :-)

does anyone have any idea what these handles pertain to? is it safe to just
pull the plug once I know these are the only handles open? I use this disk
quite heavily so I need to have it optimised for performance (rather than
quick removal) and I have it formatted NTFS.

At the moment my only way out is to shutdown the laptop every time I want to
take the disk out. my only other idea is to upgrade to XP or perhaps server
2008.

TIA

Andy

Andy Fish wrote:
> hi,
>
> Every time i try to "safely remove" my external HDD (Western Digital
> Elements 3.5" 250GB) from my laptop (Vostro 1700 vista SP1), I get the
> error:
>
> Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because it is in use.
> Close anyprograms of windows that might be using the device, and
> then try again later.

What happens if you reboot and try it again?

Alias

Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
> Turn the WD external drive power switch to "off".
>

Not exactly removing the drive safely, is it, Carey?

Alias

"Alias" <> wrote in message
news:gg43ck$mam$...
> Andy Fish wrote:
>> hi,
>>
>> Every time i try to "safely remove" my external HDD (Western Digital
>> Elements 3.5" 250GB) from my laptop (Vostro 1700 vista SP1), I get the
>> error:
>>
>> Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because it is in use.
>> Close anyprograms of windows that might be using the device, and
>> then try again later.
>
> What happens if you reboot and try it again?
>

if I try it soon after the reboot, it seems to be OK, but after i've been
using it for a while it goes back to the same state

earlier today I did manage to get it to remove safely even though process
explorer was still showing those entries, so I wonder if they aren't what's
keeping the drive locked

but i would have expected process explorer to show anything that might be
keeping it locked, unless vista has some extra under-the-covers way of
locking a file that isn't visible to process explorer.

"Alias" <> wrote in message
news:gg43dk$mam$...
> Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
>> Turn the WD external drive power switch to "off".
>>
>
> Not exactly removing the drive safely, is it, Carey?
>
> Alias

;^) You would do this after shutting down the computer.

--
Earle Horton --

Earle Horton wrote:
> "Alias" <> wrote in message
> news:gg43dk$mam$...
>> Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
>>> Turn the WD external drive power switch to "off".
>>>
>> Not exactly removing the drive safely, is it, Carey?
>>
>> Alias
>
> ;^) You would do this after shutting down the computer.
>

Bad idea too.

Alias

"Alias" <> wrote in message
news:gg4a84$iig$...
> Earle Horton wrote:
>> "Alias" <> wrote in message
>> news:gg43dk$mam$...
>>> Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
>>>> Turn the WD external drive power switch to "off".
>>>>
>>> Not exactly removing the drive safely, is it, Carey?
>>>
>>> Alias
>>
>> ;^) You would do this after shutting down the computer.
>>
>
> Bad idea too.
>
> Alias
So if I shut down my computer and removed a (non system) disk drive, that
would be a bad idea? Exactly how?

--
Earle Horton --

Earle Horton wrote:
> "Alias" <> wrote in message
> news:gg4a84$iig$...
>> Earle Horton wrote:
>>> "Alias" <> wrote in message
>>> news:gg43dk$mam$...
>>>> Carey Frisch [MVP] wrote:
>>>>> Turn the WD external drive power switch to "off".
>>>>>
>>>> Not exactly removing the drive safely, is it, Carey?
>>>>
>>>> Alias
>>> ;^) You would do this after shutting down the computer.
>>>
>> Bad idea too.
>>
>> Alias
> So if I shut down my computer and removed a (non system) disk drive, that
> would be a bad idea? Exactly how?
>

I don't know what happens but try it and then connect the external hard
drive to another machine and read the error message you get. You will
have to remove it safely or it won't work on other machines. Or do you
think that removing is safely is just a lie on the part of Microsoft and
you can remove it any old way you want to remove it?

Alias

1. Go to Start > Computer
2. Right-click on Computer and select Properties
3. Click on Advanced System Settings
4. Click on System Protection
5. Remove the check next to your WD external drive
6. Click on Apply.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Andy Fish" <> wrote in message news:...
hi,

Every time i try to "safely remove" my external HDD (Western Digital
Elements 3.5" 250GB) from my laptop (Vostro 1700 vista SP1), I get the
error:

Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because it is in use.
Close anyprograms of windows that might be using the device, and
then try again later.

If I use ProcessExplorer, all I see is a few entries like

Process = System (pid=4), Handle = "F:\$Extend\RmMetadata\$TxfLog\..."

I have disabled as much of the vista bloatware as possible (indexing service
etc) so I have no idea what is holding these handles open. I haven't tried
to kill pid=4 but I'm guessing that would be a bad idea with a process name
like "system" :-)

does anyone have any idea what these handles pertain to? is it safe to just
pull the plug once I know these are the only handles open? I use this disk
quite heavily so I need to have it optimised for performance (rather than
quick removal) and I have it formatted NTFS.

At the moment my only way out is to shutdown the laptop every time I want to
take the disk out. my only other idea is to upgrade to XP or perhaps server
2008.

TIA

Andy