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Problem Ejecting an External Drive on Windows



Description


A message says the drive cannot be stopped.
This can happen when a program is using the drive.

Image


  • Anti-virus may be installed.
  • Indexing may be ON if the drive is NTFS.
  • Services like WD Drives Utilities and WD Drive Security or third-party apps may be using files on the drive.


Resolution


Shutting down the computer is the safest way to eject a drive.

  1. Disable any anti-virus.
    Contact the software developer for help if needed.

  2. Disable indexing in Windows.
    Click Computer.
    Right-click on the drive.
    Click Properties.
    Uncheck Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed in addition to file properties.

  3. Disable third-party applications in Windows Task Manager.


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Details
Answer ID 16330
Published 08/20/2018 02:19 AM
Updated 12/12/2023 07:21 AM

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