Does it really hurt the computer to take out the jump drive before going thru the unplug hardware?

Question

I haven't had any problems with the things I need to save and I bypass the process each time.

Answer 1

The first post hit the nail square on the head - it matters more in older versions of Windows.

In Windows 2000 for example, the OS would sometimes read or write to the drive in the background even when it seemed like it wasn't in use. Pulling it at the wrong time....well...I'm sure you get the picture!

A lot of issues were addressed and resolved with XP. It's still not perfect and you can still ruin a removable USB drive, but the chances are drastically smaller than with older versions of Windows. Like someone else said, I've been doing that for years with several different flash drives. Only one time have I had any issues (file became corrupted).

Answer 2

It does not hurt the computer, but if you are in the middle of a write operation to the jump drive, you will lose data.
Just wait 10 seconds after you click save, and you should be fine.

It had more to do w/ the older Win OS's and unmounting the media in a way that the OS made note that the hardware was no longer available. The ol "Plug and Pray" concept in reverse..

Answer 3

I have been using a flash drive for 2 years and I have never once gone through the "unplug hardware" step and I have never had a problem with any computer that I have plugged into. USB devices are made to be hot swap, so I have no idea why they say that is a necessary step.

Answer 4

No, it doesn't hurt the computer and it doesn't harm the jump drive either; however, you may lose data on the jump drive if write functions have not completed. You could also lose data transferred to the computer from the jump drive.

Answer 5

I've never had a problem with doing that on XP.
With 2000, problem for sure, often the files werent copied properly or ended up corrupt.

Answer 6

Shortcuts mostly is a shortcut for a dead compuer.