How to safely remove USB Storage Devices in Windows 7
Description: This is a how-to article for Windows 7 on the topic of safely removing USB storage devices such as flash drives or external hard drives.
- Close out of all windows and programs that may be using the device.
- In the System Tray, in the bottom right corner of the screen, click on the arrow pointing up to show more icons, seen highlighted here.
- Look for the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the new window, shown in the top right here.
- Right-click on the Safely Remove Hardware icon and choose Eject [Name of Drive]. Shown here as Eject Comet, as the name of the USB storage devices is Comet.
- A message will appear stating that it is safe to remove the hardware.
- If that message does not appear, close out of any open programs and try again. If it still fails, restart the computer.
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