Trying to disconnect external HDD.

[Peter Jason]

I have an external "Maxtor" 250Gb HDD with a firewire connection that
is used solely for backups.

Often I get the message: (Windows 7)

******
Problem Ejecting SBP2 Compliant IEEE 1394 device
---------------------------
Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because a program is
still using it. Close any programs that might be using the device, and
then try again later.
******

"Later" never works, and there's no program using it. I have to
reboot the computer to make the message go away. Is there some
other way?

Peter

 

[Paul]

I have an external "Maxtor" 250Gb HDD with a firewire connection that
is used solely for backups.

Often I get the message: (Windows 7)

******
Problem Ejecting SBP2 Compliant IEEE 1394 device
---------------------------
Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because a program is
still using it. Close any programs that might be using the device, and
then try again later.
******

"Later" never works, and there's no program using it. I have to
reboot the computer to make the message go away. Is there some
other way?

Peter

This is a more common problem on Unix. And this is a tool I used
in the past for that. And while I'm there, the article tells me
what the Windows equivalent of that command is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lsof

"See also

Process Explorer from SysInternals - the equivalent for Windows
(Find menu -> Find Handle or DLL)"

So Process Explorer is supposed to be able to find open files,
such as the kind that prevent a volume from being dismounted.

You can get Process Explorer here.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653

I tried the "Find menu -> Find Handle or DLL" part, and when
you get there, there is a search box. Type the drive letter.
For example, I typed C: in there, to see how many files
were open on C:.

On my E: volume, I can tell System Restore has a file open.
You might check and see if it's something like that.

In this example, only C: is included in System Restore. But other
drives, might also be included, like your Firewire drive.

http://res2.windows.microsoft.com/r...2bde/55e6d542-0b53-4a5f-ab70-9ce8734e2bde.jpg

Paul

 

[RMD]

I have an external "Maxtor" 250Gb HDD with a firewire connection that
is used solely for backups.

Often I get the message: (Windows 7)

******
Problem Ejecting SBP2 Compliant IEEE 1394 device
---------------------------
Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because a program is
still using it. Close any programs that might be using the device, and
then try again later.
******

"Later" never works, and there's no program using it. I have to
reboot the computer to make the message go away. Is there some
other way?

Peter

Peter,

I use Unlocker in this situation.

http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/

Just hit "Unlock all" even if nothing is showing connected to the
drive and it will then disconnect.

Ross

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I have an external "Maxtor" 250Gb HDD with a firewire connection that
is used solely for backups.

Often I get the message: (Windows 7)

******
Problem Ejecting SBP2 Compliant IEEE 1394 device
---------------------------
Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because a program is
still using it. Close any programs that might be using the device, and
then try again later.
******

"Later" never works, and there's no program using it. I have to
reboot the computer to make the message go away. Is there some
other way?

Peter

What you need is something that not only unmounts the drive, but also
kills whatever processes are locking it. Try this:

Safely Remove Hardware better alternative
http://safelyremove.com/index.html

Yousuf Khan

 

[David]

I have an external "Maxtor" 250Gb HDD with a firewire connection that
is used solely for backups.

Often I get the message: (Windows 7)

******
Problem Ejecting SBP2 Compliant IEEE 1394 device
---------------------------
Windows can't stop your 'Generic volume' device because a program is
still using it. Close any programs that might be using the device, and
then try again later.
******

"Later" never works, and there's no program using it. I have to
reboot the computer to make the message go away. Is there some
other way?

Peter

Close Windows Explorer and try again.

 

[Peter Jason]

This is a more common problem on Unix. And this is a tool I used
in the past for that. And while I'm there, the article tells me
what the Windows equivalent of that command is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lsof

"See also

Process Explorer from SysInternals - the equivalent for Windows
(Find menu -> Find Handle or DLL)"

So Process Explorer is supposed to be able to find open files,
such as the kind that prevent a volume from being dismounted.

You can get Process Explorer here.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653

I tried the "Find menu -> Find Handle or DLL" part, and when
you get there, there is a search box. Type the drive letter.
For example, I typed C: in there, to see how many files
were open on C:.

On my E: volume, I can tell System Restore has a file open.
You might check and see if it's something like that.

In this example, only C: is included in System Restore. But other
drives, might also be included, like your Firewire drive.

http://res2.windows.microsoft.com/r...2bde/55e6d542-0b53-4a5f-ab70-9ce8734e2bde.jpg

Paul

Thanks, I already have the Sysinternals suite for Windows7 64bit. I
never thought to use it for this because I keep it for virus checking.


On the last link, this brings up the question why Windows7 is so
unlike XP in that several restore points are not listed, In XP I
could choose any restore point back for several days.

Peter

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

On the last link, this brings up the question why Windows7 is so
unlike XP in that several restore points are not listed, In XP I
could choose any restore point back for several days.

This is not a characteristic of Windows 7, it is a characteristic of
your installation.

I have had a couple of dozen restore points listed on my Windows 7
computers (each!).

You may have too little disk space set aside; if that's not the problem,
then I don't know what it might be.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

There's a little square to check that says "Show more restore points".
Did you check that?

On my Win 7 installations, the first 5 or 6 restore points are always
visible when there are a lot of restore points, even when that box is
unchecked.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Mine too.

I take it that you mean it's worth the OP's effort to try that...Yeah,
I'll go along.

 

[Sir_George]

What you need is something that not only unmounts the drive, but also
kills whatever processes are locking it. Try this:

Safely Remove Hardware better alternative
http://safelyremove.com/index.html

Yousuf Khan

+1 USB Safely Remove is a great utility!

 

[Peter Jason]

I take it that you mean it's worth the OP's effort to try that...Yeah,
I'll go along.

You have steeled my resolve. I'm doing it tomorrow.