Does It Really Matter If You Eject Your Flash Drive?

The Importance of Safely Ejecting Flash Drives

Everyone’s been told that they should eject their flash drives before removing them from the USB slot, but just how important is it to follow that rule? Well, if you value the files that you have stored on your flash drive, then the answer is “extremely important.”

When you pull your flash drive out of the computer without ejecting it, your computer will usually send you a warning. This warning typically simply informs you that the disk was not ejected properly and advises you to eject is in the future. What this warning usually doesn’t tell you is that ejecting your flash drive incorrectly could permanently damage your flash drive and destroy the files contained therein.

When you eject a flash drive without warning, your computer could be in the middle of reading from or writing to the device. If this is the case, the data being exchanged could be destroyed by the interruption. Even if you did not have any files open at the time of removal, an unsafe ejection could still cause damage to your files.

Correctly removing a flash drive adds only a few seconds to the process, but it can save you hours of trouble. Some computers offer slightly different methods for ejecting flash drives, but the tips below should be helpful in a general sense. If you do not see the options below listed on your computer, check your system settings or a computer manual to determine how your computer wants you to properly remove flash drives.

1. Close all the files that are saved on the flash drive. Before you do, be sure to save all changes to your work to prevent deletion.

2. Locate the USB flash drive icon on the taskbar across the bottom of your computer screen or on your desktop. Right click on the icon, and from the options available, click on the one that says, “Safely remove hardware” or something similar. Some computers simply call this option, “Eject.”

3. Select the drive you want to remove. Your flash drive will usually be labeled as “Removable disc _,” with the _ being filled with a letter. If you gave your drive a custom name, look for that instead.

4. Finally, gently remove the flash drive from your computer. Please note that removing your drive too forcibly or at a harsh angle can cause irreparable hardware damage, thus costing you your files. So remove the drive carefully.

Although ejecting your drive can seem like a hassle or like an unnecessary step, understand that many, many people have lost their files by skipping this step. Don’t take any chances with your family photos, movies, or work files. Instead, take a few extra seconds to safely eject your flash drives before removing them.

CFgear

CFgear, one of the nation’s leading flash drive companies, cares about the safety and security of flash drives everywhere. For years, CFgear has been providing schools, businesses, churches, and other organizations with top-quality flash drives at affordable prices. Their huge range of flash drive choices, including fully customized shapes, combined with their lifetime warranty, has made CFgear one of America’s favorite flash drive sources for gifts, promotions, prizes, marketing purposes, and more. For a no-obligations quote or for more information on this South Dakota-based company, visit their website at cfgear.com today.