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The computer runs Win 7 x64 on a P7P55D-E PRO board. My USB pen-drive light continues to glow even after the OS says it is OK to remove the device.

a) Why does the device continue to show power?

b) Could removing the device whilst power LED glows damage any of

  • Device

  • Controller

  • Motherboard?

EDIT: I'm concerned because on my older computer (running Win XP on an Intel 845GBV board) the same thumb drive LED goes dark after windows says it is OK to safely remove the device

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3 Answers 3

Reset to default
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a) Because the USB port is still supplying power to the device.

b) USB is designed to prevent those, provided the device isn't actively being used.

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Safe removal simply prevents the device from being used by the OS. It the case of a thumb drive it stops any read/writes preventing sudden removal in the middle of a file operation. It does not cut the power.

USB Devices are designed to be hot-swappable and thus you should have any problems.

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  • USB data storage devices SHOULD be properly removed, though, to prevent possible damage to the filesystem. (Not hardware damage, though, that's correct.)
    – Shinrai
    Commented May 18, 2011 at 14:35
  • Safe removal also writes any cached data to the USB, which is why it sometimes takes a while to complete
    – Tog
    Commented May 18, 2011 at 15:06
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If you have successfully ejected it from your PC and have the message that gives you the go ahead, you should be fine to take it out. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Install-a-USB-device

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