Attaching and detaching a USB flash drive (pen drive)

Minnie · 26 Mar 2021

Really disheartening.

A very simple thing: attaching and detaching a USB flash drive (pen drive) is becoming a painful operation: sometimes it works and most of the time it doesn't work with the "Safe Removal".

Usual: "Device currently in use. Close any programs or windows that may be using the device and try again." .

Attaching and detaching a USB flash drive (pen drive)-immagine-2021-03-26-114930.png

I have tried, I think, everything and I have found that it is a fairly widespread problem among users; in particular I changed the only two "Criteria" available also by restarting, but nothing changes.

In short, USB technology once invented to make things simpler becomes instead an ordeal.

What should be done?

I apologize for the English translation.

Megahertz · 26 Mar 2021

Buon pomeriggio,

Background operation or even a folder open in explorer will give you "Device currently in use"

What I do, with Explorer, is to select a folder on another drive than the pen drive, right click on the pen drive and select eject. Normally it works.

Fabler2 · 26 Mar 2021

You can also use event viewer to find what's stopping the safely removal.
In Event Viewer expand Windows Logs - system - then on the right select 'filter current log', type 225 where it shows <All Event IDS> and press ok. Check the newest reports in the list.