Have I damaged my USB device?

Question

I pulled my USB device straight out of its socket instead of clicking on "safely remove hardware" first.

What damage might this have done?

Answer 1

Good question! I will confess upfront, I work at Microsoft and I never use the "safely remove hardware" icon for USB devices. When I saw your question, I decided it was time to actually look it up...

Here's Microsoft's official explanation: "When hardware is removed from a running system without using the Safely Remove Hardware application, it is often referred to as surprise removal because the operating system is not notified in advance of the removal. Surprise removal is particularly a concern for storage devices for which write caching is enabled, because when such devices are surprise removed, data loss or corruption might occur. To reduce the likelihood of data loss or corruption as a result of surprise removal of consumer-oriented storage devices, Windows XP Professional disables write caching by default for these devices (such as cameras that include IEEE 1394 or USB storage, small form factor storage devices such as compact flash, and so on). While write caching policy addresses this particular issue, it is recommended that users continue to use the Safely Remove Hardware application when it appears in the notification area."

Short version...your other answerers are right, there's a possibility of data loss if you remove it while it's being written to.

Answer 2

Most of the time, this doesn't do any damage but you should remember to click the "safely remove hardware" icon just in case.

Plug your USB drive into a computer and see if any files are missing or corrupted.

Answer 3

You may have lost some data if you were working on something. Most likely you didn't damage the USB port. But you should make it a habit to remove your device correctly.

Answer 4

there's a fashion, no you do not. They dont make this way of difficulty, you have a thumbpersistent or usb stick it would additionally be refered too as flash reminiscence in such that it keeps to be there an could be pass an have been given rid of. there's a utility stated as recuva which you will get carry of, attempt useing a back port if its san disk some purely dont artwork with the front ports.

Answer 5

I do it all the time........physical damage, most likely not.........data damage, it's possible. The idea of "safely remove" it to make sure that all data is finished or is otherwise forced written to the device.

When you copy or change data in windows and save it, it isn't necessarily written immediately....there may be a few second to a few minute delay between telling the system to save till when it actually saves and it committed to the device/drive.

Answer 6

None at all. The risk in this is that if it is a file transfer device you may not have allowed it to complete writing which might corrupt a file. If you have let it stand a while after any file transfer it will be ok.

Answer 7

No damage to the hardware circuitry, but data loss could happen if you keep doing this mistake.

Answer 8

Nothing if you only do it a time or two, but if you do it too often it can damage your usb port and cause it to stop working.

Answer 9

1. If you were transferring some data the data being transfered gets corrupted in this case.

2. Sometimes the machine may get crash if the drive was in use.
avoid doing such craps it can harm your precious data that you may have carried from log distance.....

Answer 10

You might have damaged your information on the drive, but not the drive itself !!