# No need to stop hardware before pulling thumbdrive in WinXP? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815 "2005-12-15T21:49:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/1 "2005-12-15T21:49:29Z")
My new thumbdrive directions explain how to click on the little green arrow icon in the system tray before removing it, to prevent loss of data. There’s a notice on the instructions: Windows These steps are not required for Windows 98SE or Windows XP. I have XP. Can I really just yank the thumbdrive at any time? Is that true of all thumbdrives on Windows XP? ---
**Author:** ![Emerald\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Emerald\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emerald_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/2 "2005-12-15T22:00:49Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > I have XP. Can I really just yank the thumbdrive at any time? Is that true of all thumbdrives on Windows XP? This is true for the few thumb drives I have used. However, right after those instructions, mine then goes on to say: > [@SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash Drive](#): > > …but you should never remove the device from the USB port while the LED is flashing. So you cannot yank it at _any_ time. It is only safe to remove if it is not currently transferring data. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/3 "2005-12-15T22:06:28Z")
You don’t have to, but it’s safer to dismount the drive before removing it, just in case a program has a file open for writing on the drive. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/4 "2005-12-16T03:19:24Z")
What is more important to you? Saving a few seconds because you are late for class or ensuring you don’t lose that file you just saved, having worked on it for the past six hours and it’s due on the teacher’s desk the moment you get to school? 😃 Substitute work for school as appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/5 "2005-12-16T04:22:05Z")
I have formed the habit of ALWAYS ejecting my USB drive (after writing files to it) before unplugging it (except in Win98SE, where it not even an option) because I did lose files a few times. FWIW, I don’t know that WinXP actually requires it, but discovering that the critical files I retrieved from a customers’ PC aren’t there when I get back to my office is somewhat annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/6 "2005-12-16T04:23:35Z")
> [@Rhubarb](#): > > I have formed the habit of ALWAYS ejecting my USB drive (after writing files to it) before unplugging it (except in Win98SE, where it not even an option) because I did lose files a few times. FWIW, I don’t know that WinXP actually requires it, but discovering that the critical files I retrieved from a customers’ PC aren’t there when I get back to my office is somewhat annoying. I don’t recall if I lost the files from a Win2K machine or a WinXP machine - I use both on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/7 "2005-12-16T05:04:56Z")
I’d avoid it. If delayed write is turned on, all indications may show that your data was saved to your USB key (or flash card, or whatever), but it actually hasn’t been. If it’s a constant problem, I’d check out [this article](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;328504) (which purports to be for flash cards, but may affect USB storage devices also), or turn off delayed write for your removable device - probably with steps similar to [this](http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=330174&sd=RMVP). ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/8 "2005-12-16T09:08:18Z")
I talk about this at some length, including instructions on how to make it safe, [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6440916&postcount=19). Bottom line: You can make it safe to just yank them when they’re not actually writing, but it’s probably not turned on by default, and the setting is a little hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-need-to-stop-hardware-before-pulling-thumbdrive-in-winxp/335815/9 "2005-12-16T10:59:04Z")
My friend yanked her drive out of a computer a little too soon in info sys last year and ended up with a drive full of “ghost” files, that had icons displayed but were 0 bytes and could not be opened. Among the ghost files was her write-up for one of her tasks :smack: If you value what you have on the drive, you should always dismount before yanking.