Am new to Win 7 64bit (Pro) so I may ask a few dumb questions. I have had multiple / diverse issues trying to move data from old XP machine on to this new unit but am almost done. I ended up getting a new USB 250gb HDD and formatting it NTSF so I could move some very large files over. The files transferred and I'm happy. But now I can't "safely eject" the device as it's not showing up as USB but instead as "Local Drive" (drive letter I:). In disk management it's showing as "Healthy" and "Primary Partition". It is listed as Disk 5, not removable but "Basic" and "Online". Obviously my "Safely Eject" icon is missing as I apparently don't have a removable object attached to the system. I suppose if I can find the device in Device Manager I could 'stop it' (or of course I can shut down the system and unplug it) but I'd like to be able to use this device frequently for backups (as I only have one HDD internal) but I don't want to have to go through all this hassle every time I plug it in. I've google'd and Bing'd around enough to know that attaching USB storage is giving LOTS of people headaches in Win7 (and probably earlier OS's as well) so I know that I may have multiple issues at play. Please let me know if I can provide other info or screen shots to help solve this problem. And THANK YOU for reading this far even if you can't help!

Hi, What is the brand and model of your USB hard disk? Does the issue occur with other external USB devices? Have you tested other USB ports? Have you tested in Safe Mode? Based on my research, it seems to be more related to motherboard driver and hard disk driver, please upgrade the motherboard to the latest version and obtain the latest USB controller. You can uninstall and reinstall USB controller to see if the issue get resolved: Use the Mouse ================ First, please disconnect all USB devices and then perform the following steps: 1) Click "Start" button, type “devmgmt.msc” (without quotation marks) in the “Search” bar and press "Enter". Click “Continue” if necessary. 2) In Device Manager, double click to expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers", right click on the Host Controller, click "Uninstall" and click "OK". 3) Repeat the step 2 to uninstall all items under "Universal Serial Bus controllers". Then, restart your computer and Windows 7 will reinstall all USB controllers automatically. Use the Keyboard ================ First, please disconnect all USB devices. Then, go through the following steps: 1) Press "Ctrl + Esc" to open the “Start” menu. 2) Type “devmgmt.msc” in the Search bar and press "Enter". Click “Continue” if necessary. 3) In Device Manger, press Tab and use "Up" and "Down" to move the highlight to "Universal Serial Bus Controllers". 4) Press "Right" and expand it. 5) Press "Down" to move to the first item and press "Delete" to remove it. 6) Repeat the step 5 and uninstall all items under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers". Then, restart your computer and Windows 7 will reinstall all controllers automatically. Best Regards Dale Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

I'm sorry I didn't see your response sooner. Thank you for replying. The drive is a Buffalo HD-HBxxxU2 (http://www.buffalotech.com/files/downloads/HD-HBXXU2%20Datasheet.pdf) Other devices like memory sticks (as FAT32) don't seem to have issue (Ipods, thumbdrives all work okay). I've had trouble with other HDD devices USB even when they are are FAT32 but they've always been recognized as USB. This device now is apparently NOT showing as USB (and obviously not detachable). I have not tested in other ports (I'm using "front of computer") or in Safe Mode. Will try both of those next. I didn't want to disconnect the drive yet until I knew it was safe. Will power down now. Will try the uninstall / reinstall next as well. I have some screenshots but apparently I can't attach. I'll find a spot to host them and provide a link.

Please go ahead. Additionally, I noticed that the USB external hard disk is recognized as a primary partition in Disk Management. However, the removable disk should be set as active, primary partition. Please right click the USB external hard disk and click Mark Partitions as Active. Best Regards DalePlease remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Hi- I wanted to give an update on my resolution... I moved the drive from the "front" usb ports and plugged it into the back of the system so that the ports would be tied directly to the system board. Magic.. now it's a removable NSTB usb drive. I don't understand it, and that's disatisfying, but it works and I'm closing my case! Thank you for your help in looking into some solution ideas.