# Computer question: removing devices **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-question-removing-devices/594359 "2011-08-28T06:09:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-question-removing-devices/594359/1 "2011-08-28T06:09:04Z")
Years ago I had a Compaq 4000 computer with a 1 gigabyte capacity–on the hard drive. Windows 98 Plus. When I substituted a Dell laptop for the Compaq console, I got a neighbor who works on computers to remove the hard drive and fit it into a separate housing specifically designed for such a thing; I bought it at Fry’s. Now I have a new Dell Inspiron 570 Desktop computer, Windows 7. When I hooked the Compaq hard drive, in its housing, up to the Dell computer, I found that the Computer display box (which shows when I highlight the “Computer” selection on the Start popup menu) shows\* five drives\* in the same level as the DVD/CD drive, under the name of “Removable Disk.” This persists even though I have _completely_ disconnected the old hard-drive (in its new housing) physically from the new computer. How do I remove the device from the new computer as far as the record that makes the display is concerned? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-question-removing-devices/594359/2 "2011-08-28T06:22:24Z")
Do you have a card reader hooked up to your computer, or a built-in one? A built-in one might look something [like this](http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1392/sentey-arvina-card-reader.jpg). It’s not an uncommon feature in computers anymore. A card reader will report a “Removable Disk” for every slot it has. It’s possible to have 5 slots on a card reader, for 5 different types of cards. I just plugged in an external drive in a case to my Windows 7 machine, and it does not display “on the same level” as the CD/DVD drives. It displays with the other hard drives. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-question-removing-devices/594359/3 "2011-08-28T06:59:23Z")
It’s a card reader. Go to Control Panel, Folder Options, View tab. Check ‘Don’t show hidden files, folders, or drives’ and ‘Hide empty drives in the Computer folder’. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-question-removing-devices/594359/4 "2011-08-28T07:13:02Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > It’s a card reader. Go to Control Panel, Folder Options, View tab. Check ‘Don’t show hidden files, folders, or drives’ and ‘Hide empty drives in the Computer folder’. Hey, thanks! It worked! :)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-question-removing-devices/594359/5 "2011-08-28T12:58:01Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > It’s a card reader. Go to Control Panel, Folder Options, View tab. Check […] and ‘Hide empty drives in the Computer folder’. Nice. I hope this works on Vista also. This has been bugging me for years. When I put in a USB drive, I’ve got six “Removable Disk” options, and no indication which one is the one I want.