Windows XP Pro, SP3, all updates. I upgraded from Avast Free 5.0.677 to 5.1.889, and, like many others have reported, I can no longer safely remove any USB devices, whether thumb drives or external drives. The ‘safely remove’ window no longer comes up. Simply says cannot remove device, being accessed by another application. I certainly hope you have a fix, soon. This is not acceptable. Thanks.
I have the same OS and avast version, yet I don’t have that problem.
I also have a netbook with win7 starter and avast 5.1.889 and no problem with the USB safe removal/unplug USB.
So the problem is one of consistency if they are to find the cause.
Support Alert, May 15, 2008
The quick way to safely remove USB drives
Before you unplug a USB device such as a flash drive or external hard disk, you really should use the Windows “Safely Remove Hardware” feature to ensure that Windows has written everything to the device.
That’s because Windows, to improve performance, uses a technique called “deferred writes” wherein Windows doesn’t always immediately write everything to your external drive each time you use it. Rather, it consolidates lots of small writes into one big write by holding the data in memory.
It’s just like washing the dishes; it’s far more efficient to do one dishwasher load per day than do a load each time you use a single cup or plate.
But the downside is that some of the data you think you transferred to your USB drive may actually still be in your computer’s memory. That’s why you shouldn’t just pull the drive out but first use the Safely Remove Hardware icon to force Windows to write to the drive anything it is holding in memory.
That’s easy enough to say, but the Windows “Safely Remove Hardware” feature is confusing to use, particularly if you have several USB devices. Worse still, the icon often goes missing from the system tray.
“USB Disk Ejector” is a small utility that does the same thing as the Windows “Safely Remove Device” applet, except that it does it quicker and better.
cont here
http://windowssecrets.com/support-alert/2008/05/15/24-The-quick-way-to-safely-remove-USB-drives
If you read many of the similar posts, some people don’t have the problem, some do. I appreciate that you don’t have the problem, but I do. Therefore, your comments don’t really help a lot. Thanks.
You need to read the posts that others have made with the same problem as I have. The “Safe to Remove” no longer comes up! There is no choice to safely remove the USB device. It’s gone, since the upgrade. I know how it is supposed to work, but it doesn’t anymore!
Excuse me
You need to read my posts
I know all about the default XP safely remove program and icon
I suggested installing a third party “safely remove hardware” software that is better than the default XP safely remove program regardless of whether or not it comes up.
If you want to know how to bring it back up I suggest that you ask on a Windows XP forum because the problem is most likely related to XP which is outdated and has a number of issues including security issues.
Have a good day
Hi All.
See: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=69367.0
No problem on my XP Pro system nor my Windows 7 system.
The latest avast! V5.1.889 fixed all my issues with removing USB devices.
I have the same problem on Windows 7 32 bit. The USB drive seems to be still in use. The Avast team seems to be working on it.
Whew! Good thing I haven’t updated to 5.1.889 yet.
It’ll probably be another week or two by the time I have to go to my sister’s place to get a haircut … and have an excuse to use her High Speed Internet then. ;D
Hopefully this USB Safe Removal issue will be fixed by then.
That really isn’t an excuse to update, as at worst for you on XP it is a pain in the rear and there are ways round it in the meantime.
Check this post by Nesivos, Reply #2 above http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=69411.msg583158#msg583158. This gives a link to a tool to use should you have this problem, works on Windows 2000 → Vista, I don’t know about win7 as it pre-dates win7.
There is no certainty that you will even have this problem, I don’t on XP Pro SP3 or win7 starter. So lets not go jumping the gun.
Let’s not go jumping the gun? How? How would I be jumping the gun?
True, there’s no guarantee that my Windows XP would even exhibit this problem.
But, the point is moot. I can’t update even if I wanted to. Like I said, I have to wait until I get access to my sister’s High Speed Internet if I want to update via a clean update, which I much rather prefer.
But, just in case I get bold and adventurous enough, does anyone know what probable size of a PROGRAM Update it would be to update from my current 5.0.677 to 5.1.889 via the GUI PROGRAM Update option? If it’s no worse, no bigger than the typical PROGRAM Update sizes we had with 4.8, then I COULD PROGRAM Update via the GUI with my Dial Up. We’re NOT talking 15 to 20 Meg or higher, are we?
By assuming that if you install 5.1.889 you are automatically going to be hit with a USB problem as you asserted.
Whew! Good thing I haven't updated to 5.1.889 yet.
I don’t know who big the update would be from the GUI, nut it is possibly manageable on dial-up.
However, since this is going to 5.1 getting the full download when you can on broadband will give you a copy to save on your hard disk, should you ever need to reinstall.
try unlocker for safely removing. right click on the drive u need to safely remove- select unlocker…it ll show which application prevents from safely removing, select them and click “unlock all”… after this u can do safely remove.
Right. Exactly. It’s always great to have the Setup File handy just in case one needs it in an emergency. So yeah, I’ll just wait. My avast Manual Scans as well as my MBAM and SUPERAnti-Spyware Scans always come up clean anyway. So, it’s not likely I’ll be taking some HUGE risk and living on the edge :o by waiting a week or two more to update to 5.1.889.
I’ll see if I Google up some Reviews on that USB Ejector in the meantime.
I want to see how legit it is.
I have the same configuration as you and also the same problem. As you say in a later message, “some people don’t have the problem, some do.” Well, I am one of the ones that do. I also hope this problem is solved soon.
Someone has suggested in another thread that a reboot would solve the problem. It must be a joke!
So far it seems that no one’s found a common denominator for who’s likely to encounter the problem and who isn’t. No problems for me (XP home, SP3, fully up to date). Admittedly I don’t often use a USB flash drive, typically just for transferring files to my wife’s computer which doesn’t have internet access, so it’s possible that I might have run into a problem if I’d had occasion to use it with one of the earlier 5.x builds.
Today … since my last comment on this thread, for the first I tried to remove my Flash Drive. And I did encounter the dreaded inability to safely remove the Flash Drive. :o
I then decided, "Okay, so let me try downloading and using that highly-touted USB Disk Ejector. I tried it out and NOPE! No Dice. That Sucker was even very slow to get around to telling me that the Flash Drive could NOT be safely removed because some App was in use, which of course, NOTHING was in use and I was even Off Line. It was bad enough that it took an eternity to copy the only 400 something KByte Setup File from my Desktop to my Flash Drive.
Something is definitely wrong with 5.1.889 regarding ANY Flash Drive activity.
The only alleged Workaround that we had to safely remove our Flash Drives, USB Disk Ejector was slow and worthless. That’s aside of any Copy & Paste activity involving the Flash Drive is VERY slow with periods where it downright looks like it’s locked up. I had planned on updating my Back Up Flash Drives, but now I’m gonna hold off because it’s liable to take an hour or more. And I no longer even trust that any writing onto the Flash Drives will be done correctly what with all the weird behavior.
And no, it’s NOT my Flash Drive. Everything was working fine with 5.0.677.
The problems surfaced right after my update to 5.1.889.
As to whether my computer has a virus?
Well, last night 5.1.889 indicated that my system, as usual, is clean.
This must be making a few of the developers pull their hair out as it is just so inconsistent if it were only with one OS it might narrow down the hunt. But no there are people with the same OS and they aren’t affected, so it has to be one of the multitude of permutations.
Working for me on XP Pro SP3 and win7 starter (32bit) so I don’t know if this is some sort of conflict.
@ Chim what is AOL 9.0 Security Edition ?
Given that we have already had one issue with AOL software and the behaviour shield (which should have been resolved).
AOL 9.0 Security Edition … the “Security Edition” aspect of it is just that way back in the early 2000s when it was new … it has in it the capability to install McAfee Anti-Virus that AOL was giving Members FREE back then.
In case you might wonder:
(1) No, the McAfee wasn’t automatically installed. You had to choose to install it. It would install some Files. But, then you still had to download some more Files from McAfee.
(2) That McAfee aspect of it is no longer even valid. I THINK AOL still offers Members FREE McAfee, but it no longer has anything to do with the install CD for this AOL 9.0 Security Edition. The FREE McAfee courtesy of AOL is now done totally via Online.
(3) Certain McAfee packed Files do actually get installed with this AOL 9.0 Security Edition … for use in case we did opt to use the McAfee aspect. But, I uninstalled them using the McAfee Removal Tool MCPR. So, there are no McAfee Files installed in my computer now. I stopped using that FREE McAfee about 3 years ago when it started screwing up my other computer’s Boot Up process.
(4) The previous avast versions before 5.1.889 worked fine with this AOL 9.0 Security Edition.