Reader Dane wrote in seeking help with this hassle: “After using Safely Remove Hardware for my SD card, I have to reboot my PC before my PC will recognize another SD card. Is there a way for the PC to ...

Most Windows users have become conditioned over time to never unplug a USB flash drive or hard drive without first clicking Safely Remove Hardware in the System Tray. Why is that necessary? In theory, ...

For whatever reason, the "Safely Remove Hardware" dialog always seems a bit less than convenient to get to for me—mine is usually hidden behind that expanding arrow, and clicking through all the right ...

I pulled it out without going to safely remove hardware, and now when I plug it in, explorer stalls for a while before showing up with a removable drive icon, and when I click it, it tells me to ...

You can disconnect your external storage device from your computer directly but it is not recommended. Disconnecting the storage device without using the Safely Remove Hardware feature may not only ...

We all know that one person who annoyingly reminds you to use “Safely Remove Hardware” before pulling the USB drive out of the slot. They shouldn’t bother you anymore. As Betanews first noted, ...

Microsoft has set the record straight on fears of data loss when removing USB storage devices from a Windows 10 PC, confirming that you no longer have to use the safely remove hardware feature as ...

One of the most annoying Windows features ever, one that lasted through many iterations of Microsoft's popular operating system, was the prompt to safely remove a storage drive before actually yanking ...

Zach was an Author at Android Police from January 2022 to June 2025. He specialized in Chromebooks, Android smartphones, Android apps, smart home devices, and Android services. Zach loves unique and ...