Problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Device "This device is currently in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device, and then try again."

Anonymous
2011-03-23T03:39:03+00:00

Original title:Problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Device

When I try to safely eject my external hard drive safely I get an error message with this title telling me that "This device is currently in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device, and then try again." I have done this. I have also tried closing every program running on the computer and it does not help. I have also tried restarting the computer and this also does nothing. If anyone has any ideas that would be helpful please let me know.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2011-03-24T03:24:11+00:00

Hi A. Cook,

1)       How long have you been facing this issue?

2)       Is this issue confined to any specific USB device?

This behavior can occur if there are open handles with any files in the USB (Universal Serial Bus) Mass Storage Device are in use by another program.

Method 1:

a)       Download Process Explorer from the link below

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653

b)       Click Find, Find Handle or DLL (Dynamic Link Library) in the tool menu.

c)       Type the drive letter of the USB device in the Handle or DLL substring textbox, and press Search Button.

d)       Find the process and its PID (Process Identifier) in the following box.

e)       In system process tree view, find the process according to the Find Handle or DLL dialog box.

f)        Press Ctrl + H to show Handles in Lower Pane View.

g)       Find the File according with the drive letter, and right click it, choose Close Handle.

Reference:

Problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Devicehttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/555665

Note: Using Third Party Software, including hardware drivers can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Third Party Software can be solved. Using Third Party Software is at your own risk.

**Method 2:**You may refer the steps provided by Diana D in the link below

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows\_vista-hardware/problem-ejecting-usb-mass-storage-deviceits-in-use/fd56805c-ed8e-491f-8a2b-39ed1c988a71

Method 3: Run an online scan for any threat and try to fix them

**http://onecare.live.com/site/en-Us/center/cleanup.htm**

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-01-07T18:23:58+00:00

    So it's a known bug, then. So fix it instead of pretending that it's ok. ExFat shouldn't be a requirement for 2+ TB external drive that's being used for video production.

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  2. Anonymous
    2016-12-09T16:48:38+00:00

    You misunderstood me, although perhaps I should have been clearer. What I meant is, once the laptop's gone to sleep you can safely unplug the drive without fear of any data corruption, because all pending writes will be performed before sleeping. This is much better than depending on Windows' default "optimize for quick removal" setting for removable drives, because especially with drives with no (or hidden) activity LEDs it can be difficult to tell when they're no longer being written to.

    Putting the system to sleep is of course far, far faster than shutting down the system or restarting it just to safely remove a USB drive.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-11-15T21:40:37+00:00

    Look at the results and note the processes. They will tell you what's currently using the drive, so you can terminate it/them

    This is VERY unclear. I have the same problem with my Passport which I use like a flash drive.

    The "results are a list of 98 items. You do not give em a clue on how to terminate them.

    Like everyone else here I find this totally maddening.

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