How do you remove your USB key?

Do you use the Safely Remove icon in the system tray or just yank it out?

 

I use the 'Safely Remove Hardware Icon'. I'm curious If everybone does it or if I'm just a total geek for worrying about it.

 

I wait for the light on it to stop flashing then I yank

hehe, im too lazy to use the disconnect thing...

 

I use the Safely Remove Hardware Icon Always as I have lost a usb stick by not doing so

 

I just pull it out..

 

I just yank it out, but I always close the drive window and do something else for a minute or two before taking it out.

 

I go into my computer and eject it, then I yank it out once the light turns off. I would never just pull it out without ejecting it first.

 

I just yank it out, but if I just transfered then I'll wait about 5 seconds, I don't even close my windows that are using the data off of the drive.

 

I always use the Safely Remove method. It takes only a few seconds the click and wait. Rather wait ~10 seconds than 512MB of valuble data.

 

I'm yet to lose any information from not removing it properly. I guess I'll just have to lose something important before I'm more patient with it.

 

I normally try to safely remove it. Otherwise I do the yanking method. lol
Tim

 

Usually I just yank it out,but lately I have been using the remove hardware icon,can't really pinpoint the reasson for the change.

 

the real question is, is it better (proven) to use the remove hardware?

 

My USB key has an activity indicator on it. If the LED's aren't flashing, out it goes - I usually don't bother with the 'safely remove hardware' for anything but my second hard drive.

 

as long as no data is being accessed / copied / or inputed into the flash drive while you pull it out, there should be no problems. I always do that, and have done so hundreds of times

 

Safely Remove Hardware Icon?????

 

for my thumbdrive i just wait till it stops blinking and i yank it out. but for my usb external hard drives, i'll do the whole safely remove hardware.

 

I use the safely remove USB storage device--usually the files that I'm putting into either a flash drive or external drive are important enough to take the extra step.

 

I always use the Safely Remove method. It takes only a few seconds the click and wait.

IMO, since I always use the Safely remove method, I notice that the drive is not ready sometimes while trying to safely remove it, i.e transfering something, downloading something to it, encodign some video files, sometimes I forget that I'm using the drive, till I see that " the drive is busy and can't be removed, or whatever message" and I find out that I was using it, in this cause I guess, some files " might " get corrupted if instead of using the safely removal method I just yank the thing out..

 

Wait for the light to stop flashing then use right click -> eject from my computer, is that the same as safely remove or totally different?

 

I pull it as soon as the activity indicator is done blinking. Never had any problems.

 

I guess it can't hurt a Flash Storage USB. I always pull it out.

I use the safely remove option with my SD cards. (You WILL lose info if you keep yanking them out your cardreader)

I also don't mess around when I have my Creative Micro Zen attached. I safely remove.

 

What he said.

 

Icon/Yank 50/50

 

I used to use the icon, but am too lazy to use it now and just yank my 256MB flash drive, nothing important on it usually, just stuff I transfer from one PC to the next that I copy to the flash drive. Therefore if something goes wrong, which has yet t happen, I still have to data on my hard drive. I hadn't heard that it will erase an SD card if I yank it, maybe I'll start ejecting it. I will eject my external USB drive that I get in the future, I'll keep stuff on there that's more important.

 

Pretty much I just yank it out. It is a pc not a mac =). I haven't gotten any file lost or anything like that.

 

my phone has that, i always safely remove it.

 

With XP your not suppose to ever need to properly remove it, its the whole hot swappable support. I've used them since they came out and never lost anything I can blame on pulling the drive out without going to safely remove hardware. Thus, till I have a problem I'll probably always just pull them out.

My GF always does it properly, but I am pretty set in my ways, I only do it right when I am using her drive because I know its my ass if data is lost cause I failed to remove it properly :x

 

TO anyone who thinks that you cannot damage/destroy the data or the key from yanking - you might be lucky, but if the key is still writing or reading, then you can get a french fried USB key.

But for the most part, all rash moves aside, if you know the key is done working yanking isnt a problem.

 

Man, I should make a 'do you power down your windows or just press the off button like an idiot' topic considering how little care seems to go towards some peoples stuff...

 

A suggestion:

Insert the flash drive into the computer, then open Device Manager and select the properties of the flash drive (it will be under disk drives). Click on the tab called "Policies" and make sure that it is set to "Optimise for quick removal". It should then be safe to pull out the flash drive once the activity light has stopped.

John

 

I use the eject icon from the U3 popup menu.

 

safely remove hardware always - just seems like a good idea I suppose!

 

it is best to use the safely remove hardware thingy... I usually do unless I'm positive no programs are modifying data on the drive, and explorer got a file handle or something and then forgot about it. Then I just yank it.

It's important to note that I leave write caching set to its default of "off". Were it on, just yanking the drive could result in data loss much more easily. (edit: What John Ratsey said @ #31)

 

it depends on what mood im in. but most of the time i close the window and yank it out.

 

I use my hand to grab onto it.

And then I pull it out.

What else am I supposed to do? Push it in? Haha just kidding.

I usually use the Safely Remove Hardware icon as long as I remember to. But I haven't noticed any problems with pulling it right out.

 

safely because on a few occassions it was still writing to the disk, glad I did

 

I look to the active light. If it's off and the windows are closed, out it comes. I rarely ever use the "safely remove hardware" icon, and I've never had a problem this way.

I only have to use my USB drive if I need to transport a document quickly to another location for editing or printing... and then I'm usually in a hurry. ~10 seconds feels like a long time in that case when I know I can just yank when the light is off anyway.

 

i yank it out, when the light goes off,
i checked in properties quick removal for all my externals
rob

 

Linux here, so I always unmount. 'Course, it's an icon on the desktop, so it doesn't take much to right click it.

 

I just yank it out.

 

I yank mine out. There is actually a way to disable the "safely remove hardware" nonsense.

 

Ya mean I am supposed to take it out? I thought if it in was it was supposed to stay in! Just wiggle it around a bit !

 

I always use safely remove and wait for the light to stop flashing before I take it out.

 

I just yank mine out.

Funnily enough mine just died on me yesterday after 2 years, but I save my data to my harddrive every week so I didnt lose anything. The quality of it wasnt that great and after asking around it seems that quality plays a big part in how long they last, but eventually they do just die.

Any suggestions on which brand to get?

 

I use the Safely Remove Hardware Icon... but only if I remember. Is it really necessary?

 

Not necessary to use Safely Remove Hardware, but there is a chance you might lost some data on your USB key. Never happened to me though, because I sometimes forget to use the Safely Remove Hardware icon too, but when I forget I've never lost any data before.

 

if you have active programs running from the usb key...then you need to safely remove....all that does is stop the flow of information from the key to the computer....the only way you lose info is if you're writing or reading from the key when you pull it out....I safely remove my external hd because I often have music or movies going to or from it....my usb key I say screw it and yank it out.

 

I'm just amazed that this thread has lasted for two months now...

 

At the time of posting more than 50% of the people have vote for the last one,What a shame! I simply cannot trust windows to finish copying the stuff to it...