Ejecting USB flash under Windows vs Mac OS X: what is the difference?

Question

I've read some time ago that it is safe to just pull out your USB flash drive if you are under Windows and there is no data transfer to your USB (and maybe even when there is a data transfer - don't remember exactly the details). It was necessary to eject it through menu in windows only in its previous versions (I now use Win7).
How about Mac? Because I am getting this annoying message under OS X, that the disc was not properly ejected.
Does Mac handle USB flash drives differently? Can it get corrupted (not the data which is being abrupted during transfer, but other data, or the whole USB flash disk)?

Answer 1

The driver's ability to write data is unrelated to how the OS "handles" the unmounting of the drive.



Now that we got his information cleared up, let's get back to your question.

The file system of a USB mass storage device can be damaged in either Windows or Mac OS by removing the drive without unmounting it. You may not have any noticeable issue in many cases, but that doesn't mean you have no chance of file system damage.



You often hear "Just pull it out, don't worry" because Windows has a long history of failing to unmount USB mass storage devices. Mac OS will sometimes fail also. In both cases, you simply kill the activity that is using the device, and it will unmount. Doing that can be time consuming, so people give up easily and just pull it out.



You will often find that starting in Safe Boot (Mac OS) or Safe Mode (Windows) will allow the USB mass storage device to unmount close to 100 % of the time. Some anti-virus or other app that loads at login in normal mode may be reading data on the drive and not giving it up for unmounting.

Answer 2

To be straight, yes, Mac OS X manages USB drives differently than Windows. When data is put onto a flash drive, it is either put on in FAT32 or NTSF format. This is how the computer writes the information to the drive. A Windows PC and a Mac can both READ data in both formats, however a Mac can only write or change data to FAT32 devices.



Getting back to your question, it's not good to just pull out a drive. Even though you're not transferring files or anything like that, the computer is still "looking" at it to make sure it's still there. If you pull it out, there is a sudden discharge of electricity because it WAS still being supplied.



In Windows, the PROPER WAY to eject a flash drive is to move your curser to the taskbar and to the icons close to the clock (it's on the right hand lower corner of the screen). From there, you should find one that looks slightly like an arrow OR usb drive, depending on which operating system you're using. Anyways, when you move your cursor over it, a little popup will appear saying "Safely remove hardware" or something like that. Click that butten, and then a menu will appear. Click the one that says "Eject USB drive", and the drive is safe to remove. On a Mac, just drag the desktop icon for your flash drive into the trash. It's then safe to remove.

Answer 3

Agree with the previous two answers, regardless of whether you are using a mac or a pc, it is a good idea to unmount the USB drive.



99.99% of the time you will have no problem not unmounting it first, but is it worth the risk? And if the worst happens, do you have up to date backup copies of the files or is the USB it?



Re the quote: if life is too short to do USB unmount every time, than it is definitely too short to have to recreate all the data on your USB. That's assuming it can be recreated - think photos and such.

Answer 4

Vista is a comic tale; some distance too many complications it! i'm very aggravated because I paid a lot funds for a 1/2-baked product. i purchased a MacBook some weeks in the past, upgraded to Leopard some days in the past and that i actual like it! I used to imagine Mac shoppers were basically BS'ing even as they stated Macs "basically artwork", yet it truly is genuine. i have used homestead windows all my life yet i'm satisfied i have ultimately considered the gentle. OS X is the destiny; i am going to really use vista at artwork because I easily do not have any determination.