USB flash drives

giganick · Aug 29, 2003, 03:35 AM

I am always asked the question why when you want to take a flash drive or USB drive out, you have to go and stop the hardware, has anyone had any problems with this, and why must you stop the hardware?...I thought USB was designed so you could just pull it out and you would have no problems.....could someone please explain this to me....thanks

krazy1 · Aug 29, 2003, 03:59 AM

You can just pull it out. The only devices recomended to stop are hard drives. Otherwise all other devices you can just pull out. If you notice in XP you just here a tone when you pull out a device instead of Win 2k where you got a warning. MS relized that was anoying so in XP you just get a tone. But Like I said, the only USB device you should stop first is a Hard Drive.

~~craig588~~ · Aug 29, 2003, 05:24 AM

I don't know what I did, but I don't get a tone or a warning in my windows 2000 installation. It might just be a setting you can change. (If it is, I don't know it)

jkayca2 · Aug 29, 2003, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by giganick
I am always asked the question why when you want to take a flash drive or USB drive out, you have to go and stop the hardware, has anyone had any problems with this, and why must you stop the hardware?...I thought USB was designed so you could just pull it out and you would have no problems.....could someone please explain this to me....thanks

Its more to do with the OS. Windows maybe caching the drive. So if you pull it without informing Windows, it won't be able to write whatever it has in cache to the card.
There's also issues with FAT32. There's a record near the start of FAT32 partition that has some state information (suchas free clusters). This allows faster start up time when first accessing the drive. If Windows doesn't update this info. it can lead to slower access time at the start. Counting free clusters can be time consuming on large drives.

giganick · Aug 30, 2003, 07:54 AM

thanks for the info..

Aug 29, 2003, 03:35 AM	#1
giganick Frikkin COmputer~! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Kaysville, Utah Posts: 131 Rep Power: 0	USB flash drives I am always asked the question why when you want to take a flash drive or USB drive out, you have to go and stop the hardware, has anyone had any problems with this, and why must you stop the hardware?...I thought USB was designed so you could just pull it out and you would have no problems.....could someone please explain this to me....thanks

Aug 29, 2003, 03:59 AM	#2
krazy1 Live from the Dungeon Join Date: May 2003 Location: Between the SubWoofers Posts: 1,395 Rep Power: 0	You can just pull it out. The only devices recomended to stop are hard drives. Otherwise all other devices you can just pull out. If you notice in XP you just here a tone when you pull out a device instead of Win 2k where you got a warning. MS relized that was anoying so in XP you just get a tone. But Like I said, the only USB device you should stop first is a Hard Drive. __________________

Aug 29, 2003, 05:24 AM	#3
~~craig588~~ Banned Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In clothing Posts: 3,510 Rep Power: 0	I don't know what I did, but I don't get a tone or a warning in my windows 2000 installation. It might just be a setting you can change. (If it is, I don't know it)

Aug 30, 2003, 07:54 AM	Thread Starter #5
giganick Frikkin COmputer~! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Kaysville, Utah Posts: 131 Rep Power: 0	thanks for the info..