Hi guys

Is there a way to create a desktop shortcut for ejecting a USB that doesn't open two windows?

 

bookie32

Why open any window at all?

And why minimize anything you have open in order to access a desktop shortcut?

What you want is a utility that sits in your systray next to the clock.

Hover over the icon, eject USB.  Takes two seconds with no windows at all and only one mouse click.

Zentimo xStorage Manager is one such utility.  I'm sure that others exist as well.

4 hours ago, bookie32 said:

Hi guys

Is there a way to create a desktop shortcut for ejecting a USB that doesn't open two windows?

 

bookie32

Hi, bookie32, actually there should be "Safely Remove Hardware" icon on the taskbar with a dedicated USB icon. 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/safely-remove-hardware-in-windows-1ee6677d-4e6c-4359-efca-fd44b9cec369

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

Zentimo xStorage Manager is one such utility.  I'm sure that others exist as well.

For those who have missed, "Zentimo xStorage Manager" is a re-branded "USB Safely Remove" from XP days, both made by Crystal Rich Ltd, 194356, Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg, Kompozitorov 4-132. It even has an absolutely identical UI! Now, I wonder, why would they go with a new name?  In any case, third party tools may heavily compromise security of Windows, especially when there's a simple way built in modern Windows, starting with Vista.

I use "USB Safely Remove" because I had it when I ran XP which was right up to just a month ago.

It's a "must" for me because the built-in modern Windows USB eject does not power down the USB device first, the built-in will halt all read/write activity but it forces you to remove the USB device WHILE POWERED.

3 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I use "USB Safely Remove" because I had it when I ran XP which was right up to just a month ago.

It's a "must" for me because the built-in modern Windows USB eject does not power down the USB device first, the built-in will halt all read/write activity but it forces you to remove the USB device WHILE POWERED.

Most likely it depends on the outer box maker. I use this Philips on the image below, it does power down with other USB tools, including Vista's built in, but you wouldn't know, would you?

Somewhere in 2006-2007 Philips launches the World's First 1TB External HDD, I bought several ones at once, some of them where upgraded to another HDD sizes, like 2TB, but the boxes are the same, made by Philips, all aluminium.

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

forces you to remove the USB device WHILE POWERED

It sounds more like a bug, what other tools did you try, interesting?

1 hour ago, Dixel said:

It sounds more like a bug

Not a bug, it's a design flaw.  That's how Windows 7 ejects a USB flash drive.  That's how KDE (Linux) ejects a USB flash drive.

XP will power down on eject without any third-party apps.

Unsure on 10 as I migrated my USB Safely Remove from XP installations.

There is no real need to use the tray icon to remove an external drive.

Windows does Not use delayed write on external drives by default.

Most drives will flash if their writing data,

if there is no indicator simply wait a few minutes and unplug the drive.

Edited April 24, 20242 yr by billmcct

3 hours ago, billmcct said:

There is no real need to use the tray icon to remove an external drive.

Windows does Not use delayed write on external drives by default.

Most drives will flash if their writing data,

if there is no indicator simply wait a few minutes and unplug the drive.

From what I understood, they want to power down the drive first.

1 hour ago, D.Draker said:

From what I understood, they want to power down the drive first.

Unsure if that is what the OP wants or not.
But I do know that is why I do NOT use Windows built-in removal function ever since using Win7 on machines at work (removing USB-based Optical Inspection cameras forced machines to reset if removed while still POWERED).
This was never an issue with Embedded XP.
It IS an issue with Win7 and various versions of KDE (Linux).
I cannot speak to whether Microsoft fixed this DESIGN FLAW with Vista/8/8.1/10/11.

Edited April 24, 20242 yr by NotHereToPlayGames
forgot Vista

4 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I cannot speak to whether Microsoft fixed this DESIGN FLAW with Vista/8/8.1/10/11.

I can speak to whether Microsoft fixed this DESIGN FLAW with Vista, I had already answered. It was never there, to begin with. Looks like they implemented that "design" starting Win 7 (which I can't stand!).

4 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I cannot speak to whether Microsoft fixed this DESIGN FLAW with 8/8.1/10/11.

Strange! Weren't you the one who had recently upgraded? Allegedly.

Sorry...should have said don't use Windows taskbar...that is why I wanted the short cut ....

I use winstep...and because of so much s*** behind the scenes it is hard for the developer to keep up...

 

bookie32

 

1 hour ago, Dixel said:

Weren't you the one who had recently upgraded?

I did.  I went from XP to 10.  But still use ALL of my XP programs.  No new programs other than now I use Ungoogled Chromium v114 as my web browser.

 

Re:  desktop shortcut  --  https://superuser.com/questions/443162/remove-usb-device-from-command-line

3 hours ago, NotHereToPlayGames said:

I did.  I went from XP to 10.  But still use ALL of my XP programs.  No new programs other than now I use Ungoogled Chromium v114 as my web browser.

 

So, try to exit "USB Safely Remove", block it from running, reboot and try to eject the HDD.