Jul 17, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions
Windows and external hard drives may surprise you with multiple errors that you would find really hard to deal with. Still, there is no need to panic; you can surely eject the external hard drive on Windows safely. There are multiple ways to solve this error, which are mentioned in the guide. In this guide, you will also have the reasons behind this issue too. Getting aware of the error will allow you to tackle this problem in future. So, follow the guide carefully to get yourself out of this problematic situation. It is compulsory for you to understand the methods in detail.
When an issue occurs, there are a lot of culprits behind that issue; you need to look upon each one of them in detail. Every issue has a cause and a solution. You need to study the cause properly to find out the solution to your problem. It is always suggested to safely remove or eject the hard drive, but files on your external hard drive are sometimes being used which can cause the trouble, there are few causes behind this error which are explained;
In most of the cases, the content of the drive is being used, which causes the problem. Suppose the background processes or applications are using the files stored on the external hard drive, this can surely cause the trouble for you.
If not the content, then windows USB drivers might be causing the issue for our computer. Obsolete or malfunctioning USB drives on your system can be causing the issue.
If you ever forced to eject the external hard drive and caused some data loss, don't panic. You can use Recoverit data recovery software to retrieve the lost data. Here are the specific steps:
Step 1. Download and Install
First, download Recoverit from the official website and follow the instruction to complete the installation. Launch it on your computer to ready for data recovery.
Step 2. Select a Location
Ensure the external hard drive where you lost the data is connected to your computer and can be recognized successfully. Find the device in the External Devices section and click on it, then Recoverit will start scanning the drive.
Step 3. Preview and Recover
When the scanning process completes, you can preview the found file by double-clicking on it. Select the files you want to recover, then click the Recover button to save and download them.
Once you have gone through the causes behind your issue, it becomes quite easy to implement the solutions. In this section, you will have five astonishing solutions to your problem. You need to follow every method before you reach the last one. You need to make sure you go through every method properly and follow it step by step. Don’t jump the methods; these are the methods to your problem;
The first and the most method to solve this problem is to restart your computer. Rebooting your machine can surely solve this issue of ejecting external hard drive on Windows 10. Once you shut down your computer, all the current applications are closed, and third-party processes are also terminated. When you boot the machine again, no application will be using the content saved on your external hard drive. Usually, the task manager is used to conduct these types of task, but that is surely time taking. You can reboot your computer properly and try to eject external hard drive again. This time it will surely work.
Windows is never behind in giving you the tools to solve your problem. Built-in troubleshooters are there for a reason; you can utilize them when you are stuck in a problem. As you are having trouble with external hard drive, you can execute the hardware and devices troubleshooter to solve your problem. Here are the steps to do so;
If you have tried both the above steps and have failed to achieve proper solution. It is time for you to use the finest method, where disk manager will come in to help you out. Disk manager is a Windows built-in tool that allows you to manage all the drives connected to your computer. In case you are unable to eject the external hard drive using the “Safely remove Hardware and Eject media”, you can use disk manager to conduct the task. Here are the steps to conduct the task;
USB drivers are also culprits behind this situation. To tackle them, you need to check if the USB drivers are working properly or not. You can check them by using device manager, these are the steps to do s;
Step 4: In case there is no exclamation mark, you need to uninstall the driver and restart your computer. After that, it will be installed automatically, and your problem will be solved.
Suppose you have utilized all the above methods, then this method is your last hope. As you are not aware of the application using the files and folders on from your external hard drive, you need to use windows task manager to view and end all suspicious task running on Windows 10.
There are many problems related to external hard drives which haunt people, but you don’t need to stress yourself. You can easily workout the solution in almost every situation. Make sure to follow every method properly.
Can I just unplug external hard drive?
How do I safely eject an external hard drive?
Is it safe to remove external hard drive without ejecting?
Can't remove this device while it's in use?
Why won't my computer let me eject my USB?
Theo Lucia
chief Editor