USB Devices

Ever wondered why you should stop them before removing them? Well read on and find out.

Computers use caching to improve performance. So data can still be stored in a cache and if you remove a USB pen drive or memory stick you can corrupt that device and lose data.

The correct way is to stop the device and in the tool bar at the bottom right of the XP/Vista screen you should see an icon which has a green arrow on it. If you linger the cursor over it the words “Safely Remove Hardware” should appear. Double click on it to bring up the device and Stop it.

Alternatively you can disable “caching” on the USB device to enable you to remove it without stopping it. Open Control Panel, System and then hardware device manager. Find the USB device (usually under the hard disk). Click on the device and select properties and then find the policies tab. Set write caching to “Optimise for quick removal”. Once that is done you can safely remove this device anytime in the future.