Fix 6: Issues with Windows when it detects a USB Mass Storage Device

Sometimes, your Windows computer might suddenly show an error message like a Runtime Error, Code 43, or a "You Need to Format the Disk" message. Usually, these error messages occur due to some hardware malfunction on your computer. You'll need to fix them promptly.

In this article, we will focus on the error message appearing on USB storage devices, specifically the issue of safely removing a USB mass storage device. You may encounter an error message when attempting to eject a USB storage device from your computer, stating, "The device is currently in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device, and then try again." Why does this happen, and how can it be resolved? Read on, and we'll provide you with the answers.

What causes the "USB Mass Storage Device" eject issue?

Many Windows errors are actually caused by simple reasons, and the same can be said for the USB Mass Storage Device eject problem. Two main causes for this issue are content occupancy and USB driver failure.

Content in use: The reason is simple – a background process or application is using a file stored on the device, so you can't eject it right now.

USB Driver Issues: This is a more complex cause than the others. It could be that there's an issue with your operating system's USB driver, which is preventing your computer from ejecting the mass storage device.

The above two factors contribute a lot to the USB drive won't eject issue. Fortunately, there're always solutions no matter what situation you encounter. In the following sections, we list all the proven methods. You can try them one by one until you can safely eject the USB flash drive or external hard drive from your computer.

Method 1: Close All Open Files and Programs

The first step in resolving this issue is to make sure that all files and programs on your computer are closed. If any are still open, close them, and then try safely removing the USB device.

Method 2: Restart Your Computer

If you've confirmed that all programs and files are closed, try restarting your computer and attempting the action again. For some simple hardware issues, this will resolve the problem.

Method 3: Run the Windows Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

Microsoft might have foreseen occasional hardware issues and developed an inbuilt troubleshooter called the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. You can use this tool to resolve minor issues on your own. Here's how.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows key and select Settings.

Step 2: Click on “Update & security”.

Step 3. Click on “Troubleshoot” to open the Windows Troubleshooter panel.

Step 4: Click on Hardware and Devices, then click on Run the troubleshooter.

Step 5: Your computer will scan for and install the drivers and updates. When it's finished, click “Apply this fix” to restart your computer.

Method 4: End the Task Using Task Manager

The following procedure describes how to remove a storage device by using Task Manager.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows key and select Task Manager.

Step 2: Right-click on any process or program that might be affecting the safe removal of your drive, and select "End Task" to close it.

Method 5: Eject through Device Manager

On Windows computers, users can manage all devices through Device Manager. Hence, we can try to eject USB mass storage devices with it. Here's how.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows key and select Device Manager.

Step 2: Click on Disk Drives, and examine the configuration for each device under Disk Drives.

Step 3: In one of the options, you can choose between “Quick Removal” or “Performance.”

4. Select the High-Speed mode. You will need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. You can now safely remove your external hard drive.

Method 6: Update the USB drivers

If you've tried all of the above and are still having issues, you can try updating your USB drivers as a last resort. If your issue with removing the device safely is due to a bad driver, then updating it may fix the problem. You can update your USB drivers by following these steps:

Step 1: Right-click the Windows key and select Device Manager.

Step 2: In Device Manager, locate and expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers category.

Step 3: Right-click on the USB device and select “Update Driver.” Choose the option to “Search automatically for updated driver software.” Windows will now search for and install the latest version of the USB driver.

Safely Remove: You Might Not Need It Anymore

We are often told that, before removing a storage device, we should “eject” it rather than simply pulling it out – to protect the data on it.

Recently, Microsoft confirmed in its support document that it has added a feature called “Quick Removal.” This allows you to pull a USB device out of your computer at any time without getting a prompt, unless you're currently writing files to it. Starting with Windows 10 version 1809, the default setting for every new drive you plug in is “Quick Removal.” So, if you're using Windows 10 version 1809 or later, you no longer need to eject USB flash drives.

Additional Tip: How to Recover Lost Files from External Storage Devices

There are many reasons that can lead to data loss from USB drive or external hard drive, such as accidental deletion, virus attack, OS crash, and partition loss. These situations are more serious than simply pulling out the USB drive. Under these data loss circumstances, users need to use data recovery software to retrieve their data, and Data Recovery Wizard Free is a perfect choice.

As a tool specifically designed for data recovery, Data Recovery Wizard has helped millions of users over the past 17 years. Its major appeal lies in its simplicity. You can retrieve your needed data with just three easy steps. If you're interested, you can download the software for free and follow a detailed guide to learn how to use it for data recovery.

Step 1: Choose a location and start scanning

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard, hover the mouse over the partition/drive where the deleted files were stored, and click “Scan” to look for the lost files.

Step 2: Select the files to restore

Once the scan is complete, select the deleted files that you wish to recover. You can click on the Filter to display only the file types that you want. If you remember the name of the file, you can search for it in the “Search for files or folders” box – this is the fastest way to find your target file.

Select the files to recover

Step 3: Preview and recover the deleted files

Preview the recoverable files, select the ones you want to restore, and click “Recover” to save them to a new location instead of the disk where you lost the data.

Conclusions

That's it for the solutions to fix USB drive keeps ejecting issue. If you encounter such problem, don't panic. Close all files and programs first, then try the methods one by one until the problem is solved. In addition, if you're interested in free data recovery, download the Data Recovery Wizard Free Edition for a try.