The Safely Remove Hardware Option

It seems that you only need to use the Safely Remove Hardware option when you are going to disconnect the Victor Stream or a card reader. See the following explanation.
USB devices are flooding the market. Digital cameras, media players, external drives—all of them use the USB port. Newer computers have a port or two right up front for removable devices. Even though USB devices are Plug & Play—that is, they're ready to go upon being plugged in—you shouldn't just unplug them. A USB port has current running through it, so the power jolt caused by unplugging a "hot" connection can corrupt data on a storage device, camera, or mp3 player.

You can prevent such problems by clicking the "Safely Remove Hardware" button down in the system tray (by the clock). It looks like a rectangle with a green arrow pointing down at 8 o'clock.

You'll be given a list of USB devices that are active. Highlight the one you want to remove and click. When the power shuts off Windows will tell you that it is safe to remove the device.

Note: Another important reason for using this option is to make sure your computer is done writing to the device. Unplugging the device before the computer has finished writing to it can corrupt your card and cause other issues also.

What If My Safely Remove Hardware Option Isn't Showing Up?

1. Press CTRL-ESC. This will bring up the Windows Start Menu.
2. Press the letter R, which should bring up the Run Dialog Box.
3. Copy and Paste the following in The Edit Field.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll
4. A press of the Enter Key should bring up the Safely Remove Hardware Dialog.

When you've completed the steps above an Icon will be placed in your System Tray. Simply click on the Safely Remove Hardware icon and follow the prompts.

Created on ... October 13, 2007