Why does unplugging USB stick WITHOUT dismount destroys always data?

According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an USB stick
from my computers without having arsik to loose data.

But this is not the case.

Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
then all the just copied data is lost.

Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).

To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by clicking on
the icon in the Systray).

Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?

Maybe there is an option to allow this.

J.

"Jason Stacy" <jjstacy@yahoo.net> wrote in message
news:48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net...
> According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an
USB stick
> from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
> But this is not the case.
>
> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
> then all the just copied data is lost.
>
> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under
WinXP).
>
> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by
clicking on
> the icon in the Systray).
>
> Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
> Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>
> J.
>


Play it safe and properly disconnect the drive

jjstacy@yahoo.net (Jason Stacy) wrote in
news:48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net:

> According to the USB specification I should always be able to
> unplug an USB stick from my computers without having arsik to
> loose data.
>
> But this is not the case.
>
> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick
> out then all the just copied data is lost.
>
> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers
> (under WinXP).
>
> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first
> (by clicking on the icon in the Systray).
>
> Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount
> first?
>
> Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>
> J.
>
>

The only option that comes close is to double-click "My Computer",
right-click on your USB drive -> Hardware (Tab) -> Select USB Drive ->
Properties -> Policies (Tab).

.... but usually "Quick Removal" is the default.

HTH,
John

Jason Stacy wrote:
> According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an USB stick
> from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
> But this is not the case.
>
> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
> then all the just copied data is lost.
>
> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).
>
> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by clicking on
> the icon in the Systray).
>
> Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
> Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>
> J.
>
You have to FLUSH the buffers (cache) so that the data is actually
written to the USB stick. That is why you should eject then remove.

Tom S.

Try using this utility before you unplug.
Sync v2.0
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../bb897438.aspx

JS
http://www.pagestart.com


"Jason Stacy" <jjstacy@yahoo.net> wrote in message
news:48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net...
> According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an
> USB stick
> from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
> But this is not the case.
>
> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
> then all the just copied data is lost.
>
> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under
> WinXP).
>
> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by
> clicking on
> the icon in the Systray).
>
> Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
> Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>
> J.
>

"Jason Stacy" <jjstacy@yahoo.net> wrote in message
news:48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net...
> According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an
> USB stick
> from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
> But this is not the case.
>
> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
> then all the just copied data is lost.
>
> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under
> WinXP).
>
> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by
> clicking on
> the icon in the Systray).
>
> Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
> Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>
> J.
>
The reason is that the copy operation may not be complete when control
returns to you. Hence, use the "safely remove hardware" button.
Another way would be to shutdown the computer, but such an operation seems a
bit drastic.
Jim

In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage Jason Stacy <jjstacy@yahoo.net> wrote:
> According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug
> an USB stick from my computers without having arsik to loose data.

Where did you read that? Since it is a technical impossibility
without using special filesystems, I highly doubt they put it
in there...

> But this is not the case.

> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
> then all the just copied data is lost.

> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).

> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first
> (by clicking on the icon in the Systray).

> Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?

> Maybe there is an option to allow this.

No. There is an option to reduce the time after a write that you have
to wait. If you unplug during writing, you can cause an arbitrary
amount of damage, including loss of the filesystem.

What youa re observing is write buffering. You can disable that,
but you are still only safe if you either unmount or wait
long enough after each write.

Arno

Jason Stacy wrote...
>
>According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an USB
stick
>from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
>But this is not the case.
>
>Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
>then all the just copied data is lost.
>
>Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).
>
>To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by
clicking on
>the icon in the Systray).
>
>Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
>Maybe there is an option to allow this.


Googling your $Subject line ... and you're already here.

Why does unplugging USB stick WITHOUT dismount destroys always data?

Plug in the usb drive and wait several seconds. Right click on the usb
drive in windows explorer or equivalent and choose properties. Click on
the hardware tab. Click on the usb drive. Click on properties. Click on
policies.

I assume it's set to optimize for performance. Change it to optimize for
quick removal.

This turns off write cacheing, meaning that it no longer saves the data
to memory and feeds it to the usb drive as it will take it. The usb
drive now has to take on the whole file before the application con be
finished writing it.


--
Ed Light

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Thanks, robots.

In article <48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net>,
Jason Stacy <jjstacy@yahoo.net> wrote:
>According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an
>USB stick
>from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
>But this is not the case.
>
>Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
>then all the just copied data is lost.
>
>Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).

USB devices are designed for hot plugging, but AFAIK there is no way to
tell an application that is writing to the drive, that it needs to stop
because someone has just yanked it out of the socket. Also, if the drive
is configured by Windows for performance, then write cacheing is in effect
which delays the write process until the system is idle ... when you may
already have unplugged the drive before that occurs.

>To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by
>clicking on
>the icon in the Systray).
>
>Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
>Maybe there is an option to allow this.

Yes, under the hardware properties for the drive, select "optimize for
quick removal". This will turn off write cacheing which may reduce the
chances of data corruption after unsafe removal.

Device Manager, "optimize for quick removal".

"Jason Stacy" <jjstacy@yahoo.net> wrote in message
news:48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net...
> According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an USB stick
> from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
> But this is not the case.
>
> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
> then all the just copied data is lost.
>
because Windows caches writing to files.

> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).
>
> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by clicking on
> the icon in the Systray).
>

Are you allowing some time for the 'delayed write' process? Sometimes it
takes a little while before the data is actually written, at least for me.

"Jason Stacy" <jjstacy@yahoo.net> wrote in message
news:48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net...
> According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an
> USB stick
> from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
> But this is not the case.
>
> Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
> then all the just copied data is lost.
>
> Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under
> WinXP).
>
> To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by
> clicking on
> the icon in the Systray).
>
> Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
> Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>
> J.
>

On 21 Oct 2008 20:11:26 GMT jjstacy@yahoo.net (Jason Stacy) wrote in
Message id: <48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net>:

>According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an USB stick
>from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>
>But this is not the case.
>
>Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
>then all the just copied data is lost.
>
>Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).
>
>To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by clicking on
>the icon in the Systray).
>
>Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>
>Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>
>J.

From Explorer:
Properties, hardware, select the USB stick, properties, policies. Make
sure that the check box for "optimize for quick removal" is checked.

In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage JW <none@dev.null> wrote:
> On 21 Oct 2008 20:11:26 GMT jjstacy@yahoo.net (Jason Stacy) wrote in
> Message id: <48fe376e$0$16190$9b4e6d93@newsspool2.arcor-online.net>:

>>According to the USB specification I should always be able to unplug an USB stick
>>from my computers without having arsik to loose data.
>>
>>But this is not the case.
>>
>>Whenever I copy something onto my USB stick and plug the USB stick out
>>then all the just copied data is lost.
>>
>>Is occurs with different USB sticks and on different computers (under WinXP).
>>
>>To prevent data loss I always have to dismount the USB stick first (by clicking on
>>the icon in the Systray).
>>
>>Is there a way to enable "quick unplug" without having to dismount first?
>>
>>Maybe there is an option to allow this.
>>
>>J.

> From Explorer:
> Properties, hardware, select the USB stick, properties, policies. Make
> sure that the check box for "optimize for quick removal" is checked.

You still need to wait for any writes in progress to conclude.
It is highly advisalbe to "safely remove" even with this setting.

Arno

It doesn't, if you have write caching disabled and wait for the transfer of
data to finish.