Per this thread
http://forums.anandtech.com/archive/index.php/t-2057499.html
do the following:
- edit - You will have to change the video card related stuff to hard drive related stuff, but it should still work.
The solution provided below is credited to (http://www.paralint.com/blog/2008/11/13/stop-internal-drive-showing-up-in-safely-remove-hardware/)Guillaume at Parallel Interface (http://www.paralint.com/blog/2008/11/13/stop-internal-drive-showing-up-in-safely-remove-hardware/). This method will work for other permanent devices in your system that you do not want listed in your Remove Hardware Safely list.
How it’s done:
• Must Login as Administrator
• Find Device DWORD Value in Regedit
• Create command line in Schedule Task as SYSTEM
• Works for various system devices connected, and modification is easily reversible by simply deleting the Schedule Task created
Details:
1. Locate Your Device(s) in Regedit:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\
· This will bring up a list of available hardware connections. For SATA DVD-rom drives, and hard drives look under IDE. For Video Cards look in PCI.
2. Once you find your device, expand it and click on the first key folder under it (looks something like 4&15e311de&0&0.1.0).
· The Capability value in this key folder should be greater than 0.
· Take a note of the Capability number (my dvd-rom drive is set at 6)
http://e.imagehost.org/0630/789.png
3. Right-click the key folder and select Copy Key Name.
4. Open Task Scheduler > Create Task > and set the following parameters:
· Change User or Group (Under Security Options) and set it to SYSTEM
· Configure for: Chose your platform
· Triggers Tab > New > Begin the Task > At Startup
· Actions Tab > New
- Program/script: reg.exe
- Add arguments: add "paste your copied key name here" /v Capabilities /t REG_DWORD /d Your Capability Number minus 4 here /f
Example: add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\I DE\CdRomOptiarc_DVD_RW_AD-7240S_________________1.01____\4&15e311de&0&0.1.0" /v Capabilities /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
5. Right-click the new Scheduled Task and click Run. You should see the results immediately. Logoff/Logon and the safely remove your hardware icon will be gone if there are no removable devices connected.
·To undo the changes you made above, simply remove it from your schedule task and reboot. Without the Schedule Task, the system will automatically restore the registry values back to their original after a reboot.
I have tested everything I wrote above, and it is working great. Enjoy!