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
    2014-05-04T04:02:28+00:00

    This was extremely helpful.  The folks who take over my computer from India could not do this fix for me.  Windows 8 does not give exactly the same line of messages as you predicted, but it was close enough to get the icon on my toolbar.  THANKS, redbear2!

    I'm happy to hear that the info was able to get your icon in the notification area!! I was hoping it would help those that were having an issue.

    I did notice that once a flash drive or other device is removed, then the icon does not remain. However, once the device is inserted, you'll see the icon again. At least I did with Win7 which I tested it.

    I'm pretty sure no one is using XP anymore (except me) but that OS had a glitch with the Safely Remove Hardware disappearing from the notification area. The tip I found and the only thing that ever worked, was to open task manager, click on "Shut Down" and use "Log Off." That restored the icons in the notification system tray.  Just a FWIW:-)

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-05-06T03:14:42+00:00

    Yes, the darn icon vanished, but it did come back as soon as I put in another flash drive.  Crazy.  But now I won't worry about it.  Thanks for your help. :)

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-05-06T04:14:57+00:00

    Yes, the darn icon vanished, but it did come back as soon as I put in another flash drive.  Crazy.  But now I won't worry about it.  Thanks for your help. :)

    Same thing happened to me & was happy to see it when I inserted the flash drive again:-)

    I don't know if you have any kiddos, but these computers surely command a lot of attention, LOL

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