bug: Avast free prevents me from ejecting USB-harddrive after using Veracrypt

bug report: avast free version prevents me from ejecting USB-harddrive (WD My Passport with NTFS partition) after I open an encryption container with VeraCrypt (version 1.24 update 7) and read a file from it, then close the container and veracrypt program. If I don’t use veracrypt and open a container on the USB-Harddrive, then I can eject the drive safely from windows 7.

I confirmed that if I uninstalled avast, then even if I use Veracrypt to mount a container, read a file, then close both the container and program, I’m able to eject my usb-harddrive.

Therefore, this problem should be looked into by Avast.
I did disable external devices from scanning.

The version I downloaded was the avast free a few months back. Please fix this and let me know before I use avast free version again.

I checked the lockup as follows and discovered that PID 4, System is preventing the ejection (but with antivirus uninstalled, i don’t have this issue)

How do I know? I followed this process in Windows log and filtered for event ID 225 which is for failed USB ejections:

https://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/how-to-find-which-app-or-process-is-using-a-usb-in-windows/

“The application System with process id 4 stopped the removal or ejection for the device USB.…”

I then use Process Explorer and found that PID 4 is the System process!!!

Avast free version:
program version 21.1.2449 (build 21.1.5968.649)
UI Version 1.0.646

Similar problem with avast:
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=286885.0

Thanks.

Update to the latest version (21.5): https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=283231.0