must click "eject" to remove devices

[FortWorthMac]

Hello all,

So if one doesn't click "eject" to remove the iPhone from iTunes or the remove a mounted thumb drive, etc, what's the odds of data failure? Of course that's hard to quantify but coming from Windows where one didn't have to "eject" the device could just be unplugged, this is a little annoying at times.

Thanks
David

 

[r.j.s]

The odds can be pretty good. You should always unmount/eject the drive before removing.

 

[Krafty]

I had my iPod plugged into my Mini. When I installed an update and restarted, I forgot to unmount. The iPod & Mini rebooted, and then iTunes said it couldn't read the data on my iPod. At least it was late so I just re-synced all the music over-night.

However, it happened two more times and my iPod remained fine. So I wouldn't risk it.

 

[FortWorthMac]

Thanks guys. I always try to. I guess the added "time" to eject is saved by not having to deal with crashes and reboots. <G>

Thanks for the speedy replies......

David

 

[Ashka]

The option to safetly remove flash drives, wireless modems etc is available on the Windows Task bar if the drive isn't plug and play.
Corrupted software is as common in Window as it is on a Mac if Drives are not safely removed.

 

[FortWorthMac]

The option to safetly remove flash drives, wireless modems etc is available on the Windows Task bar if the drive isn't plug and play.
Corrupted software is as common in Window as it is on a Mac if Drives are not safely removed.

partially true. most devices are plug and play and therefore one generally doesn't have to worry about it. So I would say that corrupted software is not as common. From my first thumb drive 9 years ago (16mb) on Window 98 I never once lost data by simply unplugging a drive.

 

[r.j.s]

partially true. most devices are plug and play and therefore one generally doesn't have to worry about it. So I would say that corrupted software is not as common. From my first thumb drive 9 years ago (16mb) on Window 98 I never once lost data by simply unplugging a drive.

That's not what Plug and Play means.

Look up Windows Delayed Write if you think ejecting isn't important.

 

[FortWorthMac]

That's not what Plug and Play means.

Look up Windows Delayed Write if you think ejecting isn't important.

True and by default it's on and the average user never has to mess with that setting.

 

[r.j.s]

True and by default it's on and the average user never has to mess with that setting.

Which means it may not actually write the files until after the copy has "finished," leaving the files corrupt if you yank the drive out as soon as Windows show them to be done.

 

[FortWorthMac]

Which means it may not actually write the files until after the copy has "finished," leaving the files corrupt if you yank the drive out as soon as Windows show them to be done.

My head hurts now. <G>

 

[Lanbrown]

Hello all,

So if one doesn't click "eject" to remove the iPhone from iTunes or the remove a mounted thumb drive, etc, what's the odds of data failure? Of course that's hard to quantify but coming from Windows where one didn't have to "eject" the device could just be unplugged, this is a little annoying at times.

Thanks
David

The OS is irrelevant. There is this "feature" in Windows as well. Try going to Computer and then right clicking the Flash drive and what do you get? The point of ejecting it is to gracefully unmount/remove it from the OS. If something is accessing it, it won't be removed from the system. This prevents corruption as it can't be used and removed at the same time. Just unplugging it can cause issues when something is being written.

 

[surflordca]

Hello all,

So if one doesn't click "eject" to remove the iPhone from iTunes or the remove a mounted thumb drive, etc, what's the odds of data failure? Of course that's hard to quantify but coming from Windows where one didn't have to "eject" the device could just be unplugged, this is a little annoying at times.

Thanks
David

Windows always advised you to shut down the device. Just because you didn't do it, didn't make it right. You can always do the same on the Mac and take your chances like you did in Windows...

 

[Sky Blue]

Of course that's hard to quantify but coming from Windows where one didn't have to "eject" the device

Yes you do.

 

[psquare11]

Variation on this theme...

My system is a three-year-old 20" iMac, running Leo 5.7. I have an external HD (for backups), a printer, and a 7-port hub directly connected to USP ports; the hub supports a USB mouse, a card reader, and a USB flash drive. All devices seem to be performing nominally.

For the last couple of days, I have begun to receive occasional warnings from the system that indicate that I have improperly removed a device. This usually refers to USB devices, but can it refer to any other kind of device?

The warning never indicates which device has been removed, and I cannot identify what this message is referring to. All my USB devices seem to be performing as expected, and I have been careful to dismount or eject those that require it.

Is there a utility that will point me to more complete information about this warning message so that I can correct whatever is causing it? Does anyone have any other suggestions? (BTW: this issue began after a recent system shut down and restart.)