Can't Disconnect External Drive?

Why is it that so many Western Digital products suck at what they do? Every time I tried using a storage device by WD it's been acting up. One time a drive wasn't even being detected by a computer (or other computers I've tried it on) and now this new 1 TB external drive is not wanting to disconnect safely from my laptop. I did a ton of searching online and apparently, despite it not actually saving anything it's still running processes as if the person who made it assumed you don't ever want to disconnect it from your computer (which is stupid for the fact one shuts off his computer eventually at one poine) and instead want to constantly back up weekly.

This is not what I want to do. I made one backup and that's all I want to do at the moment. I also want to shut off my computer, but if I do that while I still get the error message "can't disconnect external drive since it's still in use", wouldn't shutting the computer down then be equivalent to unplugging the drive before it's "safe" to remove? I literally waited a full day to get my 350 GB info on this drive, and I don't want it to get corrupted through unplugging or even shutting down the computer when the drive is "still in use".

Are people really serious that normally you would have to download a third party program called Unlocker to fix this nonsense? Why the hell hasn't WD just set up their drives in such a way they work like useful flash drives? Because when a big drive can't even be removed safely it's pretty useless having it for even backing up data.

Please let me know if there are options besides downloading third party utilities to be alright in this case. As for looking for applications and processes via ctrl + alt + delete, I couldn't tell what the heck was associated with WD and what wasn't, or what was causing the problem.

By the way, it says it's "in use" but I am NOT seeing it download or backup anything (because I already finished this hours ago). Could it be that it's saving something that I'm not aware of? Or is it simply "connected" to my computer and that is one of WD's definitions of "currently in use"? If the latter is true, I guess logging off/shutting down won't do anything then, but I'd still like to be sure.

Have you tried going to "Computer" and right-clicking on the drive icon and then select "Eject"? Many times that will do it.

Are you using any type of WD software to utilize the drive? I'll assume it's connected via a USB 2.0 connection. Most of the time, the software provided is merely extraneous, and not necessary for disconnection of the drive.

A lot of the time when the prompt shows that the hardware is still in use pops up, it is an error on the operating system's part, especially if the drive has not been accessed for several minutes.

I have had this message pop up in the past with a couple of devices, even flash-based ones and an external 2.5" external hard drive. Since I knew the device had been idle for some time, I merely unplugged it with no issues at all.

Sometimes the antivirus program will be silently accessing it, but a "hard disconnect" will not cause any issues as the AV software is merely scanning the drive, not writing to it. Windows Explorer may also be accessing the drive too.

As long as the external hard drive is NOT being written to by the computer you may safely pull the plug with no worries.

I have mentioned in the distant past regarding this issue before that if one uses a "brand name" external hard drive unit, that they're more difficult to remove from the system. If one uses a third-party external drive case and hard drive of their own choosing they'll have far fewer issues. Antec, Acomdata and Bytecc all make excellent external hard drive enclosures that rarely, if ever have the problem you're describing.

My first action I took. There is no such option for this drive, which is why I resorted to the system icon "safely remove" like I read just about everywhere to do.

Well, yeah I would think it's not for disconnecting, otherwise I'd've been able to do it. By the way, there's no indication on the product's box, nor its quick install manual (that literally had not a single sentence of info or directions...just a diagram on how to connect it up. Funny, I literally thought this thing was going to come with a 200-page manual or something considering what it was. I mean, my non-expensive clamshell phone came with a 70-page one. The pro being I spend less time reading, the con being they don't address issues like drive-removal about their products) that it came with its own software. The only software used today was Windows Backup on my W7 machine.

Hmm...

Thought this is probably the way I should go, or perhaps, log off and back on, then see if the "safely remove" option works...or heck, to see if "switch user" then go back in will let me do it.

If what you're saying is true though, why do so many people bother with downloading programs like Unlocker to stop processes and hence "safely remove" the drive? If simply unplugging it, as long as it isn't in writing mode, will not do anything?

The AV? Oh my god, lol. Are you saying it accesses it without even asking you directly first? There's literally no reason I'd want it to do that (access the ext. drive) especially when the data being backed up to it, from the laptop drive aren't infected. :/

I surely hope you're right. Seeing as I believe I have enough problems I'll probably just take your word for it and take easy routes.

Yeah, never knew about this. When it comes to shopping, I buy the most popular and highest rated kind of product via Amazon, whether it's an umbrella, sleeping mat, hard drive or alarm clock. I'm guessing not a lot of people who bought this had hard issues regarding this problem, and I'm hoping I won't either and that simply unplugging as long as I pretty much know it isn't writing anything, will be ok.

Why all the hassle?
Like Nibiru said, if nothing is writing data on the disc there's no harm in removing it. And if you don't trust this option enough, just shutdown Windows. It shuts down the processes in the same fashion the remove safely button would.

I would guesstimate your initial probs lie within the WD drivers to begin with. They insist on loading then cause issues with 7 (someone will now shoot me down!! Best I find some links to back that comment up!).

EDIT!! Nah, Actually can't be bothered, just take my word for it, if not............. Well my pc is just running tickety boo, as ever.