Here's a quick description of how you can use “Unlocker“,one of my favorite freeware programs, in order to safely remove a USB or external drive whenever Windows refuses to do it.
One of the things that I find most annoying about Windows is when I use the “Safely Remove Hardware†function to disconnect a flash or external drive and it doesn't work. What bugs me more is when I am in a hurry and that happens (e.g. I want to grab my USB drive and rush off to catch the bus in time, and Windows announces that “the device … cannot be stopped right now. Try stopping the device again laterâ€).
How to eject a USB drive when Windows doesn’t want to - www.Tech-Dump.com
One of the things that I find most annoying about Windows is when I use the “Safely Remove Hardware†function to disconnect a flash or external drive and it doesn't work. What bugs me more is when I am in a hurry and that happens (e.g. I want to grab my USB drive and rush off to catch the bus in time, and Windows announces that “the device … cannot be stopped right now. Try stopping the device again laterâ€).
How to eject a USB drive when Windows doesn’t want to - www.Tech-Dump.com