There is no safe removal of the device. Why do you need to safely remove your device?
For some reason, many people believe that before removing flash drives from a USB port, it is very important to use the “Safely Remove Hardware” function. When working with older operating systems, this is required to avoid damage to the flash memory. However, operating systems have evolved, and the “Safely Remove Hardware” function remains as a formality.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with disconnecting the flash drive without using the above dialog box, although you should not do this while data is being transferred. Modern operating systems even allow you to enable an option to quickly remove USB devices. In this article I will tell you how to do this.
Step 1: Open Device Manager by typing "Device Manager" into the search box in the Start menu.
Step 2: Once the Device Manager window opens, select and expand Disk Devices from the list. This will allow you to see all internal and external drives. The name of USB devices will always contain the word “USB”.
Step 3: Select the device for which you want to disable the need to safely remove it. Double-click on it and go to the “Policies” tab, where you will be offered two options - quick removal and optimize for execution. In the second case, you will have to use the “Safely Remove Hardware” option.
However, do not think that turning off optimization will make your flash drive slower. Testing has shown that in both cases the performance is almost identical. Select Quick Delete and click OK.
You will now be able to disconnect your flash drive without having to go through the secure eject process.
Have a great day!
The Windows operating system consists of a large number of mechanisms and components that almost always work without problems. Still, sometimes something will take hold and fall off. It’s especially unpleasant when something that shouldn’t fall off in principle falls off. The “Safely Remove Hardware” icon is one such mechanism. It should always be displayed if removable devices are connected to the computer. But from time to time, a Windows user may encounter the fact that the desired icon has disappeared somewhere. Of course, this will not be a problem for those who go through life at risk and do not use Safely Remove Hardware to disconnect their flash drives. But those who prefer not to risk the health of their carriers and the information on them do not regret two extra mouse clicks for the sake of peace of mind. It is precisely these users who may be upset by a missing icon. This article will tell you how to return the Safely Remove Hardware icon in Windows 10.
How to get back the Safely Remove Hardware icon in Windows
A little theory. Safely removing a device in Windows 10 is a special “switch” that notifies the operating system about the user’s plans to remove a flash drive or any other removable device. When you click on the device to be removed, Windows stops working with it, thus preventing unexpected breaks and possible data loss. Also, this mechanism can stop the power supply to a removable device, which in turn guarantees that very safe shutdown.
If the Safely Remove Hardware icon in Windows 10 has disappeared, you need to start repairs using the simplest methods. First of all, make sure that the display of the treasured icon is enabled in the Taskbar Settings. You can check this as follows:
If the icon display is enabled, but there is no safe removal of devices, proceed to the next method. It involves using a special utility developed by Microsoft to troubleshoot USB problems on Windows computers. It can fix various USB problems on your computer, including a missing or vice versa - a safe disconnect icon that is constantly displayed even when there are no devices connected.
If this method does not help, try to get to the Safely Remove Hardware section in another way. Like any other system component, Safely Remove Hardware in Windows 10 can be opened with the command Win+ R.
Theoretically, removing the device using this method should return the safe removal icon to its place, but this is not confirmed information by anyone. If the icon in the notification area stubbornly disappears and you can’t get it back, create a shortcut on your desktop so you don’t have to type a long command from memory every time.
Now, when you click on the created shortcut, a menu for safely disconnecting devices will appear.
Not everyone knows, but safely removing the device is also hidden in the context menu of a flash drive or external drive. Open File Explorer, right-click on the flash drive or drive you want to disconnect and select Extract. The system will notify you that the device is safe to remove.
There is another method to get to the safe removal of the device:
- Again, open Explorer, right-click on the drive or flash drive and select Properties.
- Go to the tab Equipment and click Properties.
- On the new window, click open tab Policy and click on the link Safely Removing Your Device.
It is worth noting here that the masonry Policy in the properties of removable devices is not displayed on our computer with Windows 10 1803. Perhaps Microsoft cut it out of the system in new versions of Windows. Even if this is so, the loss is not great, since you can open Safely Remove Devices using much simpler methods, even if the icon is not in its proper place. But if you have a computer running previous versions of Windows 10 or Windows 8.1/7, and you just can’t get to the safe shutdown partition, going through the hardware properties can help you get to the desired system component.
If you know other ways to safely turn off a device that we have not mentioned in this article, please share them in the comments. Also tell us if you use this mechanism at all.
In Microsoft operating systems: Windows XP, Win 7 and Win 8, there is an option to safely or securely remove the device. It is customary to use it in cases when you have already completed work with any USB drive, flash drive or external hard drive, and you need to disconnect it without harming the computer and the media. But there are times when (bottom Windows function line).
In such a situation, many simply pull out the drive, but this is a fundamentally wrong decision, it is important to get the missing “safe removal” icon back, and you will now learn how to do this
Please note: if you take into account any media devices, such as smartphones or cameras, when they are connected to your computer, Windows may not show the safe removal icon at all. This is explained by the fact that in order to correctly disconnect such media, you need to either turn it off (cameras) or perform manipulations on its display (in the case of a tablet or phone), that is, the safe removal of the USB device is carried out on it itself.
So, to safely remove a device in Windows 7, Win8 or WinXP versions, you move the cursor to the famous icon in the lower right corner of the screen and right-click on it, selecting the desired media. You need to do such manipulations because in this way you make it clear to the operating system that work with the media is finished and you are going to safely remove the flash drive. In this case, all operations with this device are completed and the risk of information loss disappears, and often the power to your flash drive or hard drive even stops. As a result, they cannot be used.
If you do not use the option to safely remove the device and remove the flash drive from the laptop, the flash drive will simply burn out or the information you wrote to it will be damaged. Don't forget to safely remove the flash drive! Of course, this happens really rarely, but a certain risk is always present. If the flash drive cannot be safely removed, then read on.
How to get the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon back
A problem occurs when removing a USB storage device, associated with the disappearance of the corresponding secure removal icon, if the flash drive is inserted into the connector and is functioning correctly. In such situations, do not despair, because there are a number of actions to solve this problem. Flash drive not ejected safely?
Fig.1. The first thing you can fix is to call up the address bar using the simplest keyboard shortcut "Win+R"And in the line of the window that appears, write the following combination of characters: RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll
Fig.2. By clicking the “OK” button, a window will pop up, as requiredNote: To avoid mistakes, just copy the above line.
This directory is applicable to Windows systems versions XP, 7, and 8.
This dialog box is the full version of the little sign that will appear after you click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the taskbar, so all connected media will be displayed here. You can easily select a flash drive or hard drive that should be disabled by selecting it with one click and clicking the “Stop” button.
After performing all the manipulations described above and successfully (correctly) disconnecting the USB drive, if the “safely remove device” icon on the panel disappeared before, the desired icon will return to its rightful place, in the corner of the screen near the clock.
If the treasured icon still continues to disappear from the corner with the clock and volume mixer, do the following:
- Right-click (RMB) on the desktop and find the “New” function and then “Shortcut” in the menu that appears.
- Copy the command mentioned earlier into the window that opens.
- Now, by clicking the “Next” button at the bottom of the window, you can name the shortcut whatever you want. This way, you will always have the opportunity to quickly safely remove the flash drive and be sure that everything is in order with the drive.
Another way to safely remove your device in Windows
You can safely remove a flash drive from a computer if the icon of the same name is missing using another simple method, which we will divide into two points to make it easier to understand:
You are required to go to “My Computer” and right-click on the media that you are going to disconnect. Now, select the “Properties” function and open the “Hardware” tab in the window that appears.
Fig.1. Now you just need to select the media you need to extract, click on “Properties” and activate the “Change settings” option in the window that just pops up- In the dialog box shown in the screenshot below, open the “Policies” tab. It is here that the line we need is displayed in highlighted font.
Thus, if Safely Removing Hardware does not work for you in Windows 7 or another version of the operating system, you can always overcome this problem by following the very simple instructions outlined in this text.
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Safe removal - how and why you need it it is safe to remove USB devices - this will be discussed in the article. Safe removal is provided for almost all operating systems. This is mainly necessary to ensure that there are no conflicts in the system, since the connected device may still be involved in some process. Also, unsafe ejection may lead to problems with the recorded data, since Windows caches the data when working with disks. This means that the data is stored in RAM, waiting until there is a convenient opportunity for direct recording. But if at this moment you take out the flash drive until all the data is actually written down, then the system will naturally lose it, and the recorded file in the drive will be damaged. Safe Eject can prevent all of this by first checking to make sure all processes are completed before notifying you that the drive can be removed.
Many people, including the author of this article, never use the “”. In this regard, such users probably looked through a photo transferred from another PC using a flash drive, and did you find copies that were half or a third of the image? Or an archive that was copied from a flash drive when unpacking 
reports a CRC error, etc. Why does this happen? The files will be corrupted because they were writing to the file table, and the writing was not completed, naturally the damaged file will have the same weight and characteristics as the donor, but will be damaged. This sometimes happens when you remove a flash drive without using the “safely remove hardware” function.
Also, unsafe removal may result in malfunction of USB devices. If anyone has had the pleasure of bringing a USB hard drive under warranty, the first thing they ask is: “How did you, dear fellow, disconnect your screw?” Scratching his neck... - well, how... so...
In theory, all modern portable hard drives, when the power supply is cut off while on the move, can park the heads automatically, so unsafe removal should not harm them. However, in practice, when the power is turned off while on the go, external hard drives can make strange sounds, which makes you wonder... What to do?
Secure extraction in one click
If you are using one flash drive or hard drive, then you can still go to the tray, click..., wait, stop,... but if you are actively working with flash drives, portable hard drives, card readers and other devices, this will not work. We need to automate the extraction process. 
The Safely Remove program is well suited for such purposes (you can download it below). A very good USB device manager. The program saves your time and significantly expands the user's capabilities when actively working with flash drives, portable hard drives, and other USB devices.
The new version of the program includes one important function - the ability to turn off power to USB ports when devices are stopped on Windows Vista and Windows 7. As we know in Windows XP, when a device is safely disconnected, the operating system also turns off the power to this port and the LED The flash drive goes out and the external drive stops spinning. And when you stop devices running Windows Vista and Win 7, the devices continue to work. That is, the flash drive continues to glow and the hard drive continues to spin. Many people believe that the Safely Remove feature simply doesn't work. But this is not true, it works, but for unknown reasons Microsoft changed this behavior and starting from Windows Vista, turning off power to USB ports does not occur. The program provides a power-off function when removing it safely. You just need to mark this item in the program settings.
Another advantage is that the program can display clear device names. This allows you to turn off exactly the device you need!
This program is a convenient and reliable replacement for the standard “Safely Remove Hardware”. It makes life easier and saves time for those who have several USB, SATA, Firewire devices, and those who actively use them. The program provides Safe extraction in one click! All you need to do is simply move the mouse cursor to the icon in the system tray. Next, a convenient and beautiful menu for stopping devices will appear! One click on the device and it is safely removed!
Main features:
Command line for safe extraction
Safe extraction in one click or hotkey
Autostart programs when connected or disconnected
Quickly find a device to remove
Convenient menu with pictures of devices
Correct device names and the ability to rename them
Removing individual card reader cards
Shows programs that prevent you from removing the device
Ability to hide unnecessary devices
Allows you to return the removed device back!
Safe removal in pictures
Download and install Safely Remove. The program is very easy to use!
After installation, a small program icon will appear in the tray.
Immediately after connecting the USB device, an alert window will appear in which the name of the device will be visible.
By hovering the cursor over the small icon in the tray and pressing just one click, you can safely remove the device.
If you double-click on the icon, the program itself will open and you can see all USB devices. Now let's assign hotkeys for our flash drive. Click the “Device Properties” button
In the window that opens, you can configure a lot of other things, but for the sake of example, I will only show how to assign hot keys. Check the box and select a combination. That's all. You can assign hotkeys to other functions of the program; to do this, click the “Change” link.
Here, after carefully studying everything, you can put the necessary combinations.
But what I wanted to focus on more is the excellent autorun function of programs. Here you can schedule programs to launch when you connect or remove a device. Such a program could be, for example, Total Commander, which will open immediately after connecting the flash drive. Or, for example, winamp - very convenient, isn’t it?
If you know another way to organize a safe extraction, please write in the comments.
Today, digital gadgets are an integral part of our lives. There are fewer and fewer people who do not have a computer, laptop or tablet, and it is difficult to imagine studying at school and university without an electronic assistant. And, along with PCs, flash drives - tiny storage devices for huge amounts of information - are of great importance. Each of us knows how many documents, music and films such a device can hold, but few people think about its proper operation.
Along with the basic rules - do not get it wet, do not drop it, etc., there is one very important point - correctly remove it from the computer after finishing work. This is the key to the safety of files on the flash drive and its long operation. If you are used to pulling out the device without bothering with additional operations, you risk one day being left without it and the saved recordings.
How to properly remove a flash drive from a computer?
Before you remove the drive, make sure you have finished working with the files on it. Documents and folders must be closed, otherwise the work will not be completed. This, in turn, can lead to data loss, malfunction of the removable disk, and even “broken” files that cannot be recovered.
After you have saved and closed all the files, you need to properly remove the flash drive. There are three ways to do this.
First way
1. On the desktop or in the “Start” menu, find the “My Computer” shortcut. Click on it 2 times.
2. Having entered “My Computer”, we will see system drives “C”, “D”, and below that a removable disk should appear - a flash drive. Different devices usually have different names - "I", "E", "G".
3 . Place the cursor over the removable disk shortcut and right-click on it once.
4. In the drop-down menu, select “Extract”. Right-click once. After a couple of seconds, the indicator light on the flash drive will light up - this means that data is being saved.
5. When the job is complete, a message will appear in the lower right corner of the screen indicating that the device can be removed. The removable disk icon will disappear. After this, the flash drive can be removed.
Second way
1 . When you insert a flash drive into a computer connector, the following icon appears in the lower right corner of the toolbar:
2. If you don't see it, it's hidden - perhaps due to the large number of icons on the panel. Then there is probably an arrow like this:
3. To see hidden icons, hover the cursor over this arrow, click on it once with the left button and in the pop-up window we see the icon we need.
4. To remove it safely, hover the cursor over this icon and right-click on it once.
5. In the drop-down menu, select “Extract Flash Voyager”.
6. After a couple of seconds, the indicator light on the flash drive will light up and a window will appear indicating that the device can be removed.
7. The flash drive can be removed.
Third way
If the first two methods are standard and do not require additional programs, then the third method requires the installation of additional software. This is the USB SafelyRemove program - a shareware program, one of the functions of which is to detect all USB devices connected to the PC. To remove a flash drive using this program:
1. We find the shortcut for this program in the bottom toolbar - there we looked for the removable disk icon when using the second method. The shortcut for this program is a green arrow.
2 . To extract, hover the cursor over the program shortcut - a window appears with a list of all detected USB devices.
