External HD won't eject because it's in use.

[T4Gx]

So everytime I eject my external HD it own't let me since some program is still using it according to windows. I searched google and it seemed to be a common problem and the solution is to download some process explorer to check what handle is still using the hard drive.

I did that and there were thousands of entries of handles still using my hard drive. Everything from explorer to chrome to nVidia's program. So my question is, is there any other way to fix this problem other than to close down several programs every time I'm done using my external HD? And if not is there really a great risk of my HD breaking down if I just yank it out without ejecting?

I'm on Widows 10 and the problem happens with my Samsung M3, Hitatchi Touro and Touro S. 1TB/500GB/1TB.

 

[GeRgY]

Hello,

Do you have any antivirus programs ?

 

[T4Gx]

Hello,

Do you have any antivirus programs ?

Only Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware program.

 

[GeRgY]

Pause it for a second and try to eject

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, T4Gx!

If disabling the anti-malware software didn't help, you should also check your USB hub controller drivers from the motherboard manufacturer's/PC official website. Some Windows Updates could be causing these issues with your external devices, so it's better to manually update the drivers for the hardware. It's also advisable to backup all your files from the external HDDs before proceeding with the troubleshooting. It might also be a good idea to see how the external drives will be detected in another system or PC (if you have access to one).

If nothing helps, I'd suggest you consider clean installing Windows on your system and see if that will fix the issue.

Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[T4Gx]

Hey gfuys sorry for the super late reply. Anyways I did what Gergy suggested but I also started deleting some of the handles that' using my drive and so far I've been able to eject my hard drives and USB with no problem. So I guess I can consider this matter solved! Thanks for the help guys will keep your advice in mind if the problem pops up again SuperSoph!