USB storage devices and other devices that are connected via USB to a PC have grown in popularity over the last years. Large USB storage devices, card readers, cell phones that connect via USB or digital cameras usually use USB to establish the connection and exchange data with the computer system. The Windows operating system has not kept pace with the influx of USB devices which becomes especially apparent when managing multiple connected USB devices at the same time.
Many USB devices are listed as USB Mass Storage Device in Windows which makes it extremely difficulty to distinguish between those devices.
The above screenshot visualizes the problems that many users have when trying to disconnect one of their devices from the PC system. It would help if Windows would offer the option to hide certain devices that a user does not want to disconnect from the computer but that option is not given as well.
USB Safely Remove deals with that problem and many more that users experience when dealing with USB devices. One major change is that the software program will display the actual names of the devices instead of USB Mass Storage Device which makes it much easier to identify the right device. Even better; It also displays a drive icon in the dialog so that items can be visually distinguished as well.
But USB Safely Remove provides access to additional options besides the very handy USB identification. Computer users can rename devices and change the device icons which might be helpful if multiple devices of the same type or of the same developer are connected to a PC. It can also hide devices so that they do not appear in the removal dialog window at all, great for storage devices that should keep the connection at all times.
Users who prefer to use the computer keyboard can utilize keyboard shortcuts to browse a drive’s contents, stop a device or activate a device again that has not been removed from the system yet. Available are one global shortcut and device specific shortcuts.
Sometimes USB devices cannot be disconnected from the PC which can usually be attributed to a process that is locking a file on the USB drive (e.g. a program that has been executed on the USB drive). USB Safely Remove will provide extensive information about the processes and files that prevent that the USB device can be stopped.
Five Options are provided in the cannot stop device window:
- To know what processes prevent the device from being stopped
- To stop the device again – the program tries ejecting the device once again. You have to close all listed processes or files opened by them beforehand.
- To forcibly stop the device – the program closes all files opened by the listed processes on the device, leaving all the processes running and tries stopping the device again.
- To close the processes and stop the device again – the program closes all listed processes and tries stopping the device again.
- To know what files opened the process – just press “+” sign before file name and you will find out what certain files opened the process
Another interesting option that USB Safely Remove offers is the ability to run programs after connecting a device, before or after stopping the device and after removing it from the system.
This offers a lot of possibilities like running the encryption software True-Crypt when a device gets connected, a data backup or file synchronization before the device gets stopped.
Other features of USB Safely Remove include:
- Command Line tool to work with the program from the command line
- Automatically hide empty drives
- Ejecting memory cards
- Returning devices back after they have been stopped without physically reconnecting the device first.
Christmas Giveaway
We have 20 licenses of USB Safely Remove. Just leave a comment below which will automatically include you in the draw.
Raju us giving away 10 WinRar licenses.
Related Articles:
Ghacks Christmas Giveaway: USB Safely RemoveQuickly Remove USB Devices
SyncPod For Windows Review And Giveaway [Ghacks Christmas Giveaway]
Video Converter for Windows Review And Giveaway [Ghacks Christmas Giveaway]
DVDFab DVD Ripper Review And Giveaway [Ghacks Christmas Giveaway]
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ using the icons below.
Cool news !
It’s a cool software, and useful.
I will be happy if I will get one licenses of USB Safely Remove………………….
I would like one please :)
If you find this useful, you should look at the ‘USB drive letter manager’ USBDLM: http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html
One app MS could learn from – I think it’s stupid that my Thinkpad when running Win7 shows “Eject Docking Station” – it’s already covered by the shutdown button as “Undock”.
It would be great to get a license… :)
great app
I’m using it every day
my external hard drive would appreciate :)
this app is a god send… why MS doesnt do it this way is beyond me…
Look forward to it.
thanks
omg i hate when i eject the wrong thing… stupid windows. will love this program
Hello guys, great app, I really appreciate license for it!
A licence for this would be great, since the usual “safe remove” icon has disappeared on my machine, and try as I might, I can’t find a way to bring it back again.
I would love to win one of the license! I didn’t win one at TechPP so this might be my last chance :O
Hi, hope I win one.
Thanks
great software, I’ve tried it and really want a license.
would be nice to win this one ;)
thanks
Please, please, pretty please I want a license!
I would like one please
A great idea; don’t know how many times I’ve removed the wrong device!
hi, would love a licence, thanks!
Cool !! Will try it.
I need a copy too.
Cool app — count me in!
Hope I get one. PLZ give it to me. Thnk You
This is an odd application in many ways, it sells itself as something Grandma would appreciate yet packs features the average admin wouldn’t even use.
While I like USBDLM very much, it is anything but easy to configure. And reconfigure, each time I have a new device. I also from time to time help others, and often it is with their USB devices in tow.
My hopes for USB Safely Remove is that some of the major tasks, of remembering and identifying the USB device to remove, of force stopping the device (and the correct device), and of finding out what is keeping a device from stopping nicely, becomes easier and more intuitive to do.
Please
Seems like a useful utility, count me in!
Handy to monitor a multiple usb keys connected to a pc.