Resolved "Safe to remove hardware" icon

In the tray alongside the date and time display, there's an icon for "safely remove hardware ". Somehow, my computer has got the idea that I want to uninstall the C: disk, the DVD unit, the CD unit and all the card reader slots. I've been doing a lot of troubleshooting with a USB problem and this icon appeared after I'd managed to get it working again.

I'd appreciate a tip on how to make the OS understand that I don't want to remove any of these things, and to get rid of the icon. It makes me nervous that a simple mistake while doing something else may end up with all the drives being deleted.

 

This will show you how to get rid of the icon.

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2007/05/06/hide-or-remove-safely-remove-hardware-tray-icon/

 

If you use thumb drive or usb external, I'd leave it or hide the individual icon, don't remove it. Unplugging these without using the "safe to remove" option risks corrupting those flash drives. Been there done that, both to thumb and external. Dang it! Was only able to use brand new 12 gig thumb a few times before it went belly up.

Just remember should you ever need to do such, please use the usb icon option.

 

The process I provided the link for only hides the icon. The 'Safely Remove Hardware' process will still be accessible in 'Control Panel'.

 

Hi markmadras,
Link also included tool link called "icon remover" and a not so veiled hint at a crack for such. It was to this that I added the poke not to permanently attempt to remove. Not sure exactly what this tool does but a reminder "to hide" rather than "get rid of" couldn't hurt.

-updated---------
My apologies ....old information provided by link, as "icon remover is now freeware and does exactly as you have provided instructions for manually:
http://www.iconremover.com/

I should know by now to follow sublinks also.

 

Apology accepted. It was never my intention to suggest the use of the software as there is no obvious link to download it. (Unless you go down the list of posts.)

Fdamp, hope this information will help you. The icon in question, if hit by accident, would not have removed all your hardware without further input. The list off all your hardware will always be there, but you would have to select an item before it gets deleted.

 

I understand the comments, but what I'd really likw to do is to get the computer to recognise that I did not intend to ever "remove" such basics as the hard drive. I'm baffled as to how that got triggered in the first place.

 

The "Hardware Removal" facility is always going to list all your hardware in just the same way as "Add Remove Programs" will always list all your programs. Any installed item of hardware will always appear in the remove facility.

 

I understand your comment, Mark, assuming it refers to the Control Panel feature. It's this newly appeared icon, "Safely Remove Hardware" in the tool tray that bothers me. Its list of hardware has changed since it first appeared and it now just lists "USB devices ".

 

I'd guess that you have rebooted, in which case it has refreshed its list and is only taking notice of USB storage devices which is correct.

When you connect a USB storage device the icon should appear so that you can easily disconnect the device before removal, to avoid any data corruption.

 

You're correct, Mark. I shut down every night and reboot the next morning. My printer has been a USB device for a couple of years, and I have a webcam, a portable hard drive, a Fuji digital camera and and an HP Photosmart photographic printer that all hook up via USB. I don't use flash drives and my camera card isn't compatible with the card reader.

Although I hook up and disconnect these temporary devices frequently, I'd never seen that icon before. I'm assuming that it's telling me that if I had something plugged in it would be OK to remove it if I'm finished doing whatever I was working on through USB.

You live and learn. Thanks.

 

Not quite, the purpose of the 'Remove Hardware' is to allow you to tell the PC that you want to disconnect it before you physically remove the connection.

 

I'm actually talking about the "Safe to remove hardware" icon in the tool tray, not the add/remove in Control panel. I'm comfortable with the answers now, thanks.

 

So was I it is in the tool tray as a short cut for quick disconnection.

Anyway, glad to see this is now resolved.