[RESOLVED] Unsafe Removal of Device

[061070]

I have a very annoying problem. Whenever I try to install a new program or copy big files from my CD ROM drive I get an error and the whole process stops or kills the PC.

I’m using Windows 2000 sp1, 96MB Ram, 10GB Hard drive. Nothing is out of the ordinary.

The error pops up a new window in the middle of the screen that says “Unsafe removal of device” when I haven’t done anything. I took a screen dump of the error if anyone wants me to e-mail it to them.

Things are getting desparate.

[MacGyver]

Have you tried cleaning the CD-ROM drive itself? You can buy cleaning disks at music and computer stores.

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sHIFT hAPPENS

[wbatten]

I have seen this on a lose IDE ribbon and also seen this if the drive is on its way out?

-wayne


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I use The best program that cures Windows problems, Far more reliable than Norton Utilities, It's called FORMAT C:...®

[Darren Wilson]

I have seen this happen with the VIA 4.26 and higher IDE drivers, under windows 2000 and it is a known problem.

If you are not running a VIA chipset then I don't know what is causing it, apart from something is telling the system that a drive has been removed. Possible dodgy cable or IDE controller is going bad?

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Darren Wilson
Webmaster
The Carpers Lodge.net
The Webs Number One Resource for Today's Carp Angler.

FLAMERS

[NTTECH1]

Agree Change your IDE Cable. Also Check BUS Mastering in BIOS Setup. Have you tried swiching the CD Rom out? Bent Pins on the CD rom will also cause this.

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Computer Shop Owner A+ COMPTIA Lifes a Beach

[Bod]

>> I had the exact same issue and was about to take my new motherboard back / take a hammer to it.

I had tried everything: BIOS settings, jumpers, new cable, to no avail.

Assuming your Hard Drive is on IDE Primary Channel, and your CDROMs / DVD / Burner is on Secondary IDE Channel

Solution: In Windows, go to Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager... -> IDE ATA / ATAPI controllers -> Secondary IDE Channel -> Properties -> Advanced Settings ->

Set Both Devices (if present) 0 and 1 to use PIO Mode, not "DMA if Available".

This got me working. If it works for you, you can tweak these later.

Hope this helps

[NooNoo]

Welcome to Windrivers Bod. Glad you got it sorted out, not all burners/roms can use dma, so your fix worked.

[Bod]

Welcome to Windrivers Bod. Glad you got it sorted out, not all burners/roms can use dma, so your fix worked.

Thanks

Unfortunately I jumped the gun. Making those changes didn't solve it. Since the problem is intermittent, I didn't notice.

I changed motherboard (another KT4AV-L), reinstalled the Win 2K OS, and my software (mb drivers, epson printer over parallel, SB Extigy over USB, Cakewalk, Canon camera drivers, nVidia graphics, some Yamaha S08 USB drivers), CD burner software (Nero Express). I even took out my 2 existing LITE-ON drives (5232K combo, and DVD) and swapped with an older CD-ROM.

One day went by - no probs. Next day - kaboom, same problem - CD drives unplugged dialog. Always both drives are reported unplugged simultaneously. Even tried 3 different IDE cables - 2 40 pin, one 80 pin.

Wondered if it might be PSU, but MB and HD are ok (at least HD not reporting errors). I tried putting each drive on a different PSU cable. Thought might even be some kind of power saving mode knocking out the drives, but then others would have reported that, wouldn't they.

Am at a loss because I can't think of what to try next.

Anyone any clues??

Thanks

[NooNoo]

is it still running with dma? Have you loaded sp4?

[TechZ]

Another one of those ancient archived threads being dug up again i see.
But nice to see its helping

[Bod]

is it still running with dma? Have you loaded sp4?

They are 2 modern drives, connected with an 80 pin IDE Cable. They report that they support Ultra DMA mode, which is what I ended up putting them back into.

Also, I have latest SP (4), all hot fixes and driver updates that are delivered via Windows Update.

A mystery. I've crawled the web search engines but not found too many similar problems reported...

[NooNoo]

Try using a 40 conductor ide cable.

[thethreedguy]

A week or so ago my secondary IDE hdd along with its CDR slave began faulting with the "Unsafe Removal of Device" error message. Both would "eject" themselves from the system at the same time.

I am running Win 2k Pro with SP-4. The hdd is a WD-200gig and the slave is a DVD/CD reader. The mainboard has the VIA chipsets, 512 SDRAM, and a 900Mhz AMD Duron.

After checking the obvious, like loose ribbon cable, bent pins, change the cable, check the jumpers, I metasearched the net and wound up here at windrivers.com.

I tried all the suggestions in this thread as well. Recheck the cables, check the BIOS settings, even trying the change from "DMA if available" to PIO. I tried the devices on both 40 and 80 pin cables. Nothing helped.

I shut down the whole system and walked away - sometimes this actually helps.

Later, after the system had been running about 8 hours without the error, my arm brushed against the case as I reached for one of the cd jewel cases that always fall where I can hardly reach and the HDD and CDR are ejected. Win2k is again yelling at me about Unsafe Removal of Device, only now years of PC and electronic work kick in and I suspect an intermittent electrostatic discharge (ESD) caused by a failure in case ground somehow spiking the circuit and causing the Unsafe Removal of Device, but can I prove it?

My HDDs are mounted in one of those hanger mounts that hook into tabs on the inside of the case. One screw secures the hanger. I ran a shielded copper wire with ground lugs between the WD200 HDD spare mount holes and its slave CDR. I secured the other end to the actual case frame and not the hdd hanger.

For about 48 hours I waited for the error and even tried to make it happen. No error - no problem.

I shut down the system and disconnected the extra ground wire and then restarted. Six hours later the Unsafe Removal of Device returned.

For me, this problem was not a software adjustment or a device failure, rather a reminder that components, as seemingly benign as a case, can effect how the system runs.

-==3DGuy==-

[machineman]

wisdom

[gizmo1_1]

Rare problem with a very unique solution.