How do you remove your USB key?

You know, I hear this too. I don't know how that is possible though. The only situation I can see where data loss might happen is when the write to the memory stick is actually in progress or just finishing.

 

i just yank it out, even with my external hdd =o just make sure u have it set to 'optimize for quick removal' right click ur drive -> properties -> hardware tab -> properties -> policies

 

I was thinking I was a jerk for just yanking it out of there but as kiety said I checked my drive and it was already set to Optimize 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."

now I don't feel bad about it

 

I've always yanked it out (before I switched to Mac) but now I eject all USBs. Even when I'm running XP via BootCamp because there were a few times that I yanked out the USB and the flash drive/camera ended up not working so I had to then reinsert them and eject them properly.

 

i just pull it out, so long as its not actually doing anything obviously.

 

I take the icon for it on my desktop and drag it to trash. It ejects the thing for me, and then I yank as I please.

 

And yes, I own a mac. ????

 

I just yank mine out. Takes too long to remove it the other (safer) ways.

One time this screwed me though: I lost a power-point lecture I had spent over

4 hours doing...

 

Yank. Of course I wait 'til the data is transferred.

 

Yea the safer way takes forever =/ That sucks that you lost your powerpoint work. I don't think I've lost any work on my key yet *knocks on wood*

 

Since XP SP1, there's nothing wrong with just yanking your thumb drive, as long as data isn't actually being written at that very moment. Vista has a relatively "smart" Safely Remove Hardware icon that shows a green check mark if you can just yank it, or a yellow "x" if you need to stop the device first (you have to manually stop USB drives that are used for ReadyBoost -- and even then, removing one is dicey). It doesn't show you in real time if the drive is being written, but it's still a nice feature.

That Mac business about dragging your drive icon to the trash can to eject is one of the stupidest, most counter-intuitive UI decisions ever.

 

As long as it's not copying anything or if it's for someone else, I just yank it out lol

 

i use safely remove option. i'm too afraid to lose any of my files....

 

Using my hands. I tried doing it all macho like and pulling it out with my teeth, but I kept hitting my head on the table.

 

I just yank the thing out after the light stops flashing. In over a year, and thousands of files transferred, I've never had corruption or any other anomaly.

 

ROFL, that is some good stuff.

 

Yeah, I use my hands too (more specifically my fingers), lol.

 

i always do safely remove. i've lost 2 CF cards because of just yanking it out before...

 

Interesting. I just yanked my 512 out and lost everything on it.

The 2nd time in my life this has happened.

Thank goodness I had it backed up anyway.

Either way, I will always yank my USB out. It takes too long to do it "safely".

 

Always safely remove hardware

Except when I am forced to use the rubbish uni network PCs to print something off. For some reason you always get the "device busy" message. Then I just yank it out when the lights have stopped flashing. Been lucky so far

Bah! I can't vote

 

As long as activity light isnt blinking I just yank it, havent lost anything yet

 

sometimes even when the activity light is off and u remove it, sometimes the data gets corrupted. never happened to me but always happened to my friend whenever he put his USB drive into my PC, didnt have an issue with mine tho.

 

I use the 'safely remove icon' pretty much all the time. It only takes a few seconds more.
Better safe than sorry.

 

I use the safely remove icon first. I don't think there will be a problem with yanking it out too, because you can set the disk drive settings to "Optimise for quick removal" Ha!

 

1/3 of the time, windows simply refuses to remove safely.Much of the times I would be forced to kill "explorer.exe" for some reason.

 

I close the drive window and make sure the activity light has stopped flashing then pull it out.

I find the "Safely remove hardware" thing is totally unreliable and a waste of my time.

 

On this 98SE desktop I'm posting with I use Properties> Eject. On my XP pro toughbook I do the same. Habit.

I have an external usb hdd, I think it's formatted only for storage FAT32 - no boot sector on it, I turn the power off. Of course after any activity has ceased.

 

DO you mean that you have actually lost data using safely remove hardware?

And it's a good habit, too. Basically you'll never be one to lose data to a random write or forgotten cached bit.

 

I just soldered up a new led on the bloody thing. After being without one for almost a year.

 

Not as such, but it frequently tells me it cannot eject a device, or that certain data cannot be written (delayed write).

 

I have write caching off, so as long as your not activly using it its not writing therefore safe to pull. NEver killed one. Use it every day.

 

I just yank it just like I do with whatever goes into my card reader.

 

yank it out, easier and quicker. never had any problems.

 

i yank all the time. Infract ive never used the safely remove hardware option on a USB, and ive never had a problem

 

I just pull it out, never effected my usb or my MP3 before..if it does it gives me a good reason to go buy that 30GB Zen I've been looking at