Windows 11 3. Safe Removal Icon does not work with Windows 11

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I upgraded from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Pro on Dell XPS 8940 purchased 2 years ago. I upgraded a few months ago when Windows Update said my computer was ready. The upgrade went smoothly with no issues.

I frequently attach a USB external drive to the computer and back up large files to it. When I am done, the safe removal icon always shows the disk is in use. I have tried both turning on and tuning off write caching to the drive. It makes no difference. This used to work fine with Windows 10 before I upgraded to Windows 11.

 

[Neemobeer]

Windows does what is called lazy writing, which basically means it may not actually be done writing when it says it is. Especially with large files you may just need to wait a bit to eject

 

[Still Active]

Windows does what is called lazy writing, which basically means it may not actually be done writing when it says it is. Especially with large files you may just need to wait a bit to eject

Thank you for your reply. I should have mentioned in my original post that (with Windows 11) I have allowed the USB drive to sit idle for several hours before trying again to safely eject it. It still will not eject.

Also, before when using Windows 10, I often would need to close Windows Explorer and wait a short time before being able to safely eject the drive. With Windows 11, closing Windows Explorer and waiting (and waiting) does not help.

Since I made the original post, I found this article that also describes the problem.
New Windows 11 problem holds your USB drives hostage

Thank you again for your concern.

 

[Lance1]

Here's 5 Ways to Safely Remove a USB Drive on Windows 11

 

[Still Active]

Here's 5 Ways to Safely Remove a USB Drive on Windows 11

Thanks for your help, but none of these work (caviat, I did not try the PowerShell option). They either give the message that it cannot be removed because it is open or they do not have an "Eject" option.

Frustrating, eh?

 

[Peterr]

I use right click task bar and select taskbar settings then to other system then safety.

Sorry for the abbreviations but it will get you there.

 

[david808]

I found the answer! If you have a Dell computer, the Dell Support Assist program keeps a lock on the USB drive, not allowing you to safely remove it. DSAservice.exe is the main executable file for the Dell SupportAssist service. The DSAservice.exe process continuously monitors the system's hardware and software components, checking for updates, performing diagnostics, and providing notifications to the user regarding any potential issues or available updates for their Dell system. Once you terminate the program in Task Manager and Disable or Manual it in Services, you'll be able to safely eject your USB again without any more disruption. If you do not have a Dell computer, you can use a small utility called "USB Safely Remove" to not only safely remove your USB drive, but also identify what is keeping a lock on it preventing you from safely removing it. That's how I discovered what was preventing me from being able to safely remove my USB drive. It was a nonstop, never-ending problem before that.