How do I remove a USB drive if Windows says that it isn’t safe to do so?

INSTEAD OF EXPLAINING why a drive can’t be safely removed, Windows simply recommends—via a dialog box— hat you wait and try again and that often works. But while you’re waiting, check your taskbar and system tray for apps that might be running files off the USB drive. Close any such programs, as well as any apps that were running files from that drive, even if you’ve already closed those files. Still NO LUCK, then Try Task Manager:

1. Press --. In Vista, follow that by clicking Start Task Manager.

2. Click the Processes tab.

3. Examine the list of processes, looking for anything that could be from that drive—a process with a name similar to that of one of the files on the drive, for instance.

4. If you do find such a process, select it, click the End Process button, and then confirm your decision when prompted.

5. Try removing the drive again.

If Windows still won’t let you remove the drive, it’s time for desperate measures. Here are two:

1. You can shut down your PC, remove the device, and then reboot. It works, but it’s time consuming and annoying.
2. You could take a deep breath and just pull the stupid thing out.