Closing Associated Programs

• 1). Close all documents that are saved on the flash drive.
  
  
• 2). Close the programs that previously were running documents saved on the flash drive. Programs--especially word processing programs such as Microsoft Word--sometimes create temporary files associated with the documents you had open. These temporary files could remain active, even if you've closed the original file, until the program itself shuts down.
  
  
• 3). Close all folders opened within the flash drive. Check for images files that may be open within folders.
  
  
• 4). Check for software that is possibly scanning your flash drive. This could include any sort of background program that would be actively accessing the files on your flash drive, such as anti-virus software in the middle of a scan that includes your external drive or a maintenance program that might be defragmenting files on a regular basis. Suspend the activity on all external drives by changing the options or preferences settings, usually under "File" or "Edit" of the program.
  
  
• 5). Download a program that keeps track of real-time processes and thread activity on your computer, if you cannot determine what is accessing the flash drive. (See Resources.) Run the program and try to pinpoint the processes accessing an external drive, shutting down all programs one by one if it comes to that.
  
  

Removing the Device

• 1). Click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in your taskbar. It may be a hidden icon, requiring you to click an arrow labeled "Show hidden icons" in order to find it.
  
  
• 2). Choose the device you want to eject from the menu that appears. Depending on the hardware of your flash drive, the item you want might be called "Eject Flash Drive."
  
  
• 3). Wait until the talk bubble that says "Safe to Remove Hardware" appears. If instead a dialog box pops up that says "This device is currently in use," go back to ensure all of the previous steps were followed, closing all programs associated with the flash drive.
  
  
• 4). Grip the USB drive closest to where it's plugged into the computer and pull.