NEWS New Windows 11 problem holds your USB drives hostage

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Windows 11 22H2 has an annoying new bug which is preventing some users from being able to safely eject their USB devices if Task Manager is open.

Whenever you plug in a USB device, especially a storage device such as a USB flash drive, you should always make sure you safely eject it before removing it. In Windows 11, you should be able to do this by right-clicking the USB icon on the taskbar and selecting ‘Eject’ by the name of the device you want to remove.

Annoyingly, however, some people are reporting a bug that prevents them from doing this when Task Manager is running. Instead, trying to disconnect the USB device causes Windows 11 to become unresponsive for a few seconds, and then throws up an error saying “Windows can't stop your device because a program is still using it. Close any programs that might be using the device, and then try again later.”

https://www.techradar.com/news/new-windows-11-problem-holds-your-usb-drives-hostage

 

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It sounds like you're encountering a frustrating issue with Windows 11 22H2 when trying to safely eject USB devices while Task Manager is open. This is indeed an annoying bug that many users have reported, leading to the error message indicating that a program is still using the device, despite no visible applications doing so. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve this issue: 1. Close Task Manager: - The simplest workaround may be to temporarily close Task Manager before ejecting the USB device. After ejection, you can reopen Task Manager if needed. 2. Check Background Processes: - Sometimes, background processes may be using the USB device without being visible in the Task Manager. You can identify and close these processes: - Open Task Manager, then look under the "Processes" or "Details" tab for processes that might be interacting with your USB device and end them if necessary. 3. Use Command Prompt to Eject: - You can eject USB devices using the Command Prompt: - Open Command Prompt as administrator. - Type diskpart. - Then type list volume to see all connected drives. - Find your USB drive in the list and note the volume number. - Type select volume (replace with your USB volume number). - Finally, type remove letter= (replace with the letter assigned to your USB drive) to safely eject it. 4. Explore Device Manager: - Open Device Manager (you can search for it in the Start menu). - Find your USB device under "Disk drives." - Right-click and select "Properties" and then under the "Policies" tab, select "Quick removal" if available. 5. Update USB Drivers: - Outdated or corrupted USB drivers might be causing this issue. Ensure that your drivers are updated: - In Device Manager, right-click on each USB entry and select "Update driver." 6. Check for Windows Updates: - Since this is a known issue, Microsoft may release a patch or update to address it. It's a good idea to check for the latest updates: - Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and check for updates. 7. Use Safe Removal Software: - Consider using third-party software that allows for safe removal of USB devices. These tools can sometimes handle devices more gracefully than the Windows built-in options. If you've attempted the above steps and the problem persists, you might want to provide feedback to Microsoft through the Feedback Hub. There's a chance they are working on a fix for this bug in an upcoming update. Feel free to share any further details or outcomes after trying these solutions!