Windows 7 Stuck in "read only" mode for USB THumbs and SD Cards etc..

[nerys]

OK I am hating windows 7 more and more.

I have this persistent issue in windows 7 where you will "DO" something windows does not like. For example remove a USB Drive while its doing something (it got STUCK in an operation removing the drive ended that)

anyway when you "do" something like that or absolutely randomly windows 7 and ONLY windows 7 (XP has zero issues here) will Permanently mark the drive or card as "read only" ie can't write anything to it.

sometimes running chkdsk (tab) on it will clear this most times not.

anyone have a solution? #1 a way to correct this and #2 a way to PERMANENTLY REMOVE this assinine "feature" from windows 7 ?

Most times if you run the disck check YOU MUST have "automatically fix" checked and then and only then will it turn off "read only" mode (even though it says nothing needed to be fixed) if you run disk check without "automatically fix errors" checked it REMAINS read only.

really would love a way to RIP this functionality out of windows 7 completely so it never does it again.

[jman98]

If it makes you feel any better, some USB attached devices in OS X (Apple) cannot be removed, ever, without a reboot. At least not removed safely.

My experience with Win 7 64 bit has been pretty good and I've never had this issue. Not to accuse you of being a moron, but you do understand that you need to eject a USB device first before removing, right? You do not explicitly state that you are ejecting your devices. I think I've had a few rare cases where an SD card or thumb drive wouldn't eject. In such cases, I just reboot and yank the offending device after I see the BIOS information.

[nerys]

Thats just it. NO you don't have to "eject" a USB drive before removing it.

that is a silly mac issue OR a valid issue if you use a journaling file system. (such as NTFS and I assume whatever file system apple uses)

windows 95 NEVER had to eject to remove (yeah I had a few that worked in 95 they are rare)
windows 98 NEVER had to eject to remove
windows 2000 NEVER had to eject to remove
windows ME NEVER had to eject to remove (lets ignore how crappy ME was otherwise)
windows XP NEVER had to eject to remove

Windows 7 - all kinds of CRAP about removal. problem is sometimes it just "hangs up" and you can't eject. sometimes the only way to "fix" is to yank the stick.

sometimes Windows 7 does it EVEN WHEN YOU DO EJECT. seems almost flat out RANDOM sometimes.

this morning I was copying some files. I did not realize it was 50gigs of files (64gig drive) so I hit cancel and figured just copy the few files I needed.

for some reason in windows 7 and ONLY in windows 7 hitting cancel is like the death knell. it takes FOREVER for it to "cancel" I waited some 5 minutes and gave up and yanked the stick (which killed the process real quick) I have seen this process take in excess of 10 minutes for no good reason its just a windows 7 thing. eject won't work when it does this.

of course on reinsertion its read only. dumb stupid operating system. LET ME worry about my files. I am well aware the partial file it copied is corrupt I will deal with that myself thank you. Not only that but it does not actually even DO anything. Does not warn you. does not delete the partial file does not ask if you want to finish it nothing in fact it declares "nothing wrong" when it scans it.

windows 7 makes all "unclean" removals "read only" until you run a check disk and of course NOT ONE TIME does it ever find a problem in the hundreds of them its made me run.

EJECT does not do anything most times. all it does is "finish" any operations in process and tell you OK I am done go ahead and remove but this ONLY applies in one of these situations.

NOT using it as ready boost.
NOT using it with a journaled file structure such as NTFS (where you really DO need to eject before removing)
I have indexing and restore disabled etc...

when the file transfer is done I yank the stick. 99% of the time this is a non issue. but sometimes windows 7 gets a stick up its butt about this and its such a PAIN to get around.

almost makes me want to go back to XP just to not have to deal with this since I interact with a LOT of removable media.

I am just wondering if there is a way for me to eviscerate this "feature" from windows 7 all together.

[usually_quiet]

I am just wondering if there is a way for me to eviscerate this "feature" from windows 7 all together.

No.

[El Heggunte]

Give a try to Vista , if there exist compatible drivers for all parts of your computer, I mean.

[jagabo]

Thats just it. NO you don't have to "eject" a USB drive before removing it.

Yes you do, if you want to be safe. All versions of Windows for quite a while have used write behind caching by default. There's no way of knowing when the cache has been committed unless you "eject" the drive. You can try turning off Write Caching as indicated in this article:

http://www.accucadd.com/TechNotes/Cache/WriteBehindCache.htm

I don't know if that will eliminate the "dirty" drive read only issue.

And the "read only" issue is there for your protection. If the file system is corrupt you don't want to be writing to the drive until it's been fixed.

[nerys]

sure their is. is the light blinking? no? then its done. after thousands of terabytes of moved data (I have 10 2 TB drives sitting on my desk) I never "ONCE" had an "oops" with yanking the usb cable. not once.

I do have write caching turned off. bad idea anyway for this. Never thought of that for windows 7 I will check that link and see what it does (when I get home no windows 7 here at work) thanks for the link!

problem is it tells you nothing. it scans it says "nothing wrong" if it actually just automatically CHECKED and then removed the right protection all by itself in the background would be no problem.

Oh my VISTA. the pain. the pain. no thanks

[jagabo]

sure their is. is the light blinking? no? then its done.

Not necessarily. A program could still have a file open for writing.

problem is it tells you nothing. it scans it says "nothing wrong" if it actually just automatically CHECKED and then removed the right protection all by itself in the background would be no problem.

If you ran chkdsk in read only mode it can't write to the disk to clear the "dirty" flag.

[nerys]

but that is what it does. I right click goto properties tools. click check now make sure automatically "fix" is selected and poof it says no problems found and the "read only" status is removed.

why can't it just "DO" that without even blinking anything on the screen. just DO IT. why force me to go through ALL THAT CRAP to clear it? worse you have no clue until you TRY to write or delete something. Grrrr

[jman98]

After reading your reply to my post, I realize that it's pointless for me to continue any more on this thread. Your understanding of how Windows works now and has worked in the past is deeply flawed.

[nerys]

you know it really is fascinating. I was going to say exactly the same thing.

no matter. I will eventually find a way around it. even if it means automating the stinking check process.

if your caching eject makes sense
if your journaling (another way of caching kind of) eject makes sense

if your not then its a needless annoying aggravating step when look at the stinking access light does the exact same thing.

blinking leave it not blinking yank it. real simple.

[usually_quiet]

Write caching on removable drives is already disabled by default in Windows 7. "Quick removal" is the default setting.

You should have been ejecting removable media to begin with, even using XP. You do know that you can wreck a USB flash drive or SD card if you don't remove it correctly don't you? Two or three mouse clicks to initiate safe removal for the drive is just too much trouble? The few seconds it takes for Windows to complete the process is too long to wait?

You are like a few people I knew who used to habitually turn off their PC with a powerstrip because shutting it down within Windows was too much trouble. Since they got away with it for a long time, they thought it was OK, and when they finally had a serious problem as a result, they blamed the OS.

[Edit]My understanding is the connection is powered, unless you shut it down properly, so simply removing the drive is a bad idea.

[nerys]

I will admit safe removal in windows 7 "IS" easier. in XP it was a nightmare. you had to open the dialog and RANDOMLY select different "mass storage" entries till you got the right one (drive letter went away) what a pain.

yes it is too much trouble when its silly (though again IT IS easier in windows 7) alas this does not solve the problem of windows 7 doing it randomly "just because" even when IT IS safely removed.

USB Drives usually behave well when you just yank them even in 7 SD cards on the other hand are a PAIN so I have no choice but to do the eject process.

and no you can not "wreck" a flash drive or sd card. the most you can do is corrupt the data (highly unlikely unless you yank it while its busy) again blink leave no blink yank.

you have NO IDEA how long it took me to train my family and co workers (family business) to "NOT" use a power strip to turn off their computers. its amazing how hard it is to break bad habits.

I finally have them trained to just press the power button and walk away. ANY computer made in the last 5 years (probably more) will initiate a proper shut down procedure if you just press the power button and walk away.

as for the eject procedure. I am sorry that is flat out simply redundant.

if your OS is doing things in the "background" with no notification to you (progress indicator or flashing transfer indicator) that is an OS FLAW not a USER FLAW.

if there is no transfer indicated IT IS SAFE to remove the drive UNLESS your caching or journaling.

its that simple. I don't need the OS to tell me its safe when I can plainly see with my own eyes when the transfer is complete and the traffic indicator led goes dark and stays dark.

this is not rocket science here.

why should I have to dig for a tiny little sys tray icon to eject the stinking drive when I can just REMOVE IT when the light stops blinking.

explain the logic to me.

[jagabo]

its that simple. I don't need the OS to tell me its safe when I can plainly see with my own eyes when the transfer is complete and the traffic indicator led goes dark and stays dark.

Once again, just because the LED isn't flashing doesn't mean files aren't open.

[nerys]

once again. open files is "MY" problem. ie I don't realize the "picture" in photoshop I have open is from the thumb drive thats MY FAULT not the computers fault. and NOTHING BAD will happen if its removed save any changes won't be saved. woopee.

this ALSO APPLIES if I "eject" the file will "still" be open in photoshop. the result is exactly the same.

so "once again" nothing is served by this. its kind of "too late" to wait till the next insertion and making it read only does "what" exactly except annoy the crap out of the user?

[fritzi93]

Since they got away with it for a long time, they thought it was OK, and when they finally had a serious problem as a result, they blamed the OS.

That sums it up rather well. But it seems the OP persists in thinking otherwise.

[usually_quiet]

I will admit safe removal in windows 7 "IS" easier. in XP it was a nightmare. you had to open the dialog and RANDOMLY select different "mass storage" entries till you got the right one (drive letter went away) what a pain.

yes it is too much trouble when its silly (though again IT IS easier in windows 7) alas this does not solve the problem of windows 7 doing it randomly "just because" even when IT IS safely removed.

USB Drives usually behave well when you just yank them even in 7 SD cards on the other hand are a PAIN so I have no choice but to do the eject process.

and no you can not "wreck" a flash drive or sd card. the most you can do is corrupt the data (highly unlikely unless you yank it while its busy) again blink leave no blink yank.

you have NO IDEA how long it took me to train my family and co workers (family business) to "NOT" use a power strip to turn off their computers. its amazing how hard it is to break bad habits.

I finally have them trained to just press the power button and walk away. ANY computer made in the last 5 years (probably more) will initiate a proper shut down procedure if you just press the power button and walk away.

as for the eject procedure. I am sorry that is flat out simply redundant.

if your OS is doing things in the "background" with no notification to you (progress indicator or flashing transfer indicator) that is an OS FLAW not a USER FLAW.

if there is no transfer indicated IT IS SAFE to remove the drive UNLESS your caching or journaling.

its that simple. I don't need the OS to tell me its safe when I can plainly see with my own eyes when the transfer is complete and the traffic indicator led goes dark and stays dark.

this is not rocket science here.

why should I have to dig for a tiny little sys tray icon to eject the stinking drive when I can just REMOVE IT when the light stops blinking.

explain the logic to me.

I own 2 types of devices that use removable USB drives, Windows PCs and a TV. The TV can read both NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives for playing music, video, or displaying photos. It also has an eject USB device function in its onscreen menu. The manual warns that shutting off the TV or removing the drive before the TV indicates it is safe to do so can corrupt the files or damage the drive itself. This sounds like a USB hardware issue as well as an OS issue to me.

If you are bound and determined to be a victim of your own laziness, just keep yanking out those drives...

[nerys]

a USB device is not a computer. very different beasts.

Explain to me NOT counting caching and NOT counting Journaling.

Explain to me ONE POSSIBLE WAY I could possible harm the drive or its contents by removing the drive once data transactions have ceased.

Pleas enlighten me.

OH make sure that one way won't ALSO happen if you hit eject and remove it.

99% of flash drive use is "passive" file interactions. Interrupting that process hurts NOTHING the playback simple stops.

so please explain the logic to me.

[usually_quiet]

a USB device is not a computer. very different beasts.

Explain to me NOT counting caching and NOT counting Journaling.

Explain to me ONE POSSIBLE WAY I could possible harm the drive or its contents by removing the drive once data transactions have ceased.

Pleas enlighten me.

OH make sure that one way won't ALSO happen if you hit eject and remove it.

99% of flash drive use is "passive" file interactions. Interrupting that process hurts NOTHING the playback simple stops.

so please explain the logic to me.

I can't explain it, however I trust the advice from the engineers at LG more than I trust advice from someone who has not learned after more than one bad experience that simply yanking out USB drives is stupid. jman98 is right. We are all wasting are time here.

[nerys]

I have had ZERO bad experiences. if you can't explain it your position is moot. why did you even bother to make it?

a flash drive can NOT be harmed by simply removing it once transfers are complete save for caching and journaling.

name ONE INSTANCE otherwise.

[usually_quiet]

I have had ZERO bad experiences. if you can't explain it your position is moot. why did you even bother to make it?

a flash drive can NOT be harmed by simply removing it once transfers are complete save for caching and journaling.

name ONE INSTANCE otherwise.

No bad experiences? Then where did the long-winded bitch session and "I hate Windows 7" stuff come from?

[nerys]

because the bad experience is not with removing usb drives. its with this STUPID read only state that does absolutely positively NOTHING useful in windows 7 Grrrr

[jagabo]

jman98 is right. We are all wasting are time here.

Agreed.

[Bjs]

Its an issue which has plagued windows 7's "windows explorer" ... the way around is to not use windows explorer for file transfers but another utility such as Roadkil's Unstoppable Copier.

As for the issue you might have a look at this forum post at techspot ... windows 7 can do strange things where multiple portable devices are used ... even not clearing registry flags to devices since long gone cause registry bloat.

"99% of flash drive use is "passive" file interactions. Interrupting that process hurts NOTHING the playback simple stops"

Who ever told you this should not be listened to ever again ... while it may be "passive" the system still has to release the device driver ... pulling it out will always cause registry errors which eventually cause more serious issues ... hence the system recognizes that device and then goes into setting the read only mode.

[nerys]

sure you are. and yet NO ONE has yet to give me one single example. but your wasting your time is your reply.

I asked for help getting rid of an annoyance in windows7. instead I got attacked.

what you thought I was just going to "take it" on your say so alone? really?

tell me what does locking the drive to read only on reinsertion do? what good could it POSSIBLY DO. remember it does nothing else. no scan no suggestions nothing it just "locks" the drive. I did not even know "WHY" it did this till an exhaustive google search many months ago.

that roadkill program looks interesting.

[gll99]

I will admit safe removal in windows 7 "IS" easier. in XP it was a nightmare. you had to open the dialog and RANDOMLY select different "mass storage" entries till you got the right one (drive letter went away) what a pain.

Just one point about XP. In the quote above you mentioned the long way around to eject an external drive. That's what happens when you right click on the icon but if you left click on the icon it shows you the usb drives that are active with their corresponding drive letter and you just have to single click select the one you want to eject it safely.

[levick]

I use Win 7 and XP and try to let the OS terminate its connection and disconnect safely. I found a program called
"USB Safely Remove" which takes care of the every drive connected it considers not permanent. Has not let me down yet.