Forum Discussion
Error safely ejecting external drives
Windows 11 25H2. Pretty much everything up-to-date, including graphics drivers, GPU drivers, MS store components etc.
A week ago, out of nowhere, without installing anything or tweaking any settings, I stopped being able to safely eject external hard drives/SSDs, except for flash drives. When I click the ''eject'' button, 45 times out of 50 so to speak, I get this https://anandthearchitect.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/image-2.png.
I've since performed several clean installs using the Media Creation Tool, formatting and deleting every partition and the problem persists, even after the November cumulative update.
I've reached out to AI to troubleshoot and after long, tiresome sessions, supposedly, the problem lies with the update(s) Windows sneakily delivered that messed up the connection between some system components.
I'm not really asking for a workaround per se, I'm just intrigued why this is happening and hasn't been addressed.
Kind regards,
2 Replies
Title:
UASP external drives no longer power down after eject on Windows 11 24H2 (26100.7171)
Category:
Devices and Drivers → USB → External Storage
Description:
Starting between the October 2025 cumulative update (where it still worked) and early November, all UASP external SSDs/HDDs fail to fully eject or power down after “Safe to Remove Hardware.”
Flash drives (Bulk-Only / USBStor) still eject correctly.Environment:
Laptop: ASUS K6500ZC (Intel i7-12650H, BIOS 303, Intel VMD enabled)
OS: Windows 11 24H2 Build 26100.7171 (clean install from MCT ISO)
Drivers:
• Intel RST VMD Controller 467F + 09AB
• Intel RST 20.2.6.1025.2
• uaspstor.sys 10.0.26100.1882Affected devices: all external SSDs/HDDs using UASP (“SCSI UAS Mass Storage Device”)
Unaffected devices: standard flash drives using USBStor.sys
Reproduction:
Connect any UASP external drive.
Wait until fully enumerated.
Use “Safely Remove Hardware.”
→ Message: “Windows is using the device” or, if it ejects, the device remains powered.Plugging it back repeats the issue almost every time.
Notes:
Issue persists after clean installs, driver reinstalls, EC power drains, BIOS resets.
Other Intel VMD systems (Dell Inspiron, Lenovo Legion, ASUS VivoBook) reportedly show the same behavior on 26100+ builds.
Strongly points to regression in UASP/VMD driver interaction since 26100.1882.
Please escalate to USB & Storage team for investigation of uaspstor.sys behavior under VMD controllers.
Expected behavior:
After “Safe to Remove,” drive should flush cache, power down, and detach as in pre-Nov 2025 builds.NOTE: I used AI to compile the info, I didn't just simply ask to generate all this. This is the product of hours of troubleshooting back and forth. BTW, sorry for the duplicate post above. I thought I had misclicked and it fact the post was waiting approval.
Title:
UASP external drives no longer power down after eject on Windows 11 24H2 (26100.7171)
Category:
Devices and Drivers → USB → External Storage
Description:
Starting between the October 2025 cumulative update (where it still worked) and early November, all UASP external SSDs/HDDs fail to fully eject or power down after “Safe to Remove Hardware.”
Flash drives (Bulk-Only / USBStor) still eject correctly.Environment:
Laptop: ASUS K6500ZC (Intel i7-12650H, BIOS 303, Intel VMD enabled)
OS: Windows 11 24H2 Build 26100.7171 (clean install from MCT ISO)
Drivers:
• Intel RST VMD Controller 467F + 09AB
• Intel RST 20.2.6.1025.2
• uaspstor.sys 10.0.26100.1882Affected devices: all external SSDs/HDDs using UASP (“SCSI UAS Mass Storage Device”)
Unaffected devices: standard flash drives using USBStor.sys
Reproduction:
Connect any UASP external drive.
Wait until fully enumerated.
Use “Safely Remove Hardware.”
→ Message: “Windows is using the device” or, if it ejects, the device remains powered.Plugging it back repeats the issue almost every time.
Notes:
Issue persists after clean installs, driver reinstalls, EC power drains, BIOS resets.
Other Intel VMD systems (Dell Inspiron, Lenovo Legion, ASUS VivoBook) reportedly show the same behavior on 26100+ builds.
Strongly points to regression in UASP/VMD driver interaction since 26100.1882.
Please escalate to USB & Storage team for investigation of uaspstor.sys behavior under VMD controllers.
Expected behavior:
After “Safe to Remove,” drive should flush cache, power down, and detach as in pre-Nov 2025 builds.
