Where's the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon?

Anonymous
2012-12-07T21:01:38+00:00

I just upgraded to Win 8 from Win XP. I'm used to seeing a popup or icon in my lower right taskbar to 'safely remove hardware' after plugging in my camera or phone but I don't see one in Windows 8. What happened to it? Will I have a problem if I just unplug my device or do I need to take other steps to make sure it's safe to unplug?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2012-12-07T21:02:28+00:00

Click on the upward arrow by the clock.  This will show the hidden items and allow you to safely remove the devices.

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Anonymous
2012-12-07T21:14:51+00:00

Hello PuzzledJane,

Follow the instructions supplied by Alex T Jr. This will allow you to see the remove hardware icon.

If you want the icon to appear permanently on display then click on the up arrow in the notification area and then, when the list of icons appears, click the Customize option. A list of all of the icons will now appear. Locate the safely remove hardware icon and click on the arrow in the dialogue box to the right of this option. From the drop down list select 'show icon and notification' and then press the OK button.

The safely remove hardware icon will now permanently be displayed in the notification area.

This forum post is my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion or view of Microsoft, its employees, or other MVPs.

John Barnett MVP: Windows XP Associate Expert: Windows Expert - Consumer:  www.winuser.co.uk |  vistasupport.mvps.org | xphelpandsupport.mvps.org | www.silversurfer-guide.com

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-04-10T23:31:47+00:00

    I just did exactly what you suggested to make the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon appear, but when I selected  'show icon and notifications', a bubble appeared saying "This notification icon is not currently active. It will be shown the next time it is active." How do I make it active? I have plenty of devices in use so I'm not sure what I need to do.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-09-16T16:19:35+00:00

    Click on the upward arrow by the clock.  This will show the hidden items and allow you to safely remove the devices.

     This will show the hidden items and allow you to safely remove the devices."

    with vista i would simply click on subject icon and it would tell me i could safely remove hardware.  now when I do what you suggest,  i'm prompted to open devices and printer menu.   how to safely remove hardware isn't readily apparent. when  i selected my printer it was removed as the default printer... argghhh

    what am i missing?

    Thanks

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-10-22T15:10:12+00:00

    I tried the arrow and it's not in the hidden icons (with a device currently attached by USB). I have also, gone into customize my options and told it to show icon & notifications and it still isn't showing up. There's no apply button and it's kept the change as I've gone in several times. I have also restarted my laptop to see if it would take effect after that to no avail. Any other suggestions?

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