Failure to eject media when trying to disconnect external USB drive when no open for use or pending use. I have tried to use ICON in alert area and use Eject option by right click on drive in Windows Explorer I have to shut down PC to release device.

Please first check the configuration of the device: 1) Click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK. 2) Right-click the device, and then click Properties. 3) Click the Policies tab. 4) Click Optimize for quick removal, and then click OK. 5) Restart the computer. Mostly this issue is due to some program stil accesssing files on the disk. Think about an antivirus or even Windows explorer thumbnailing. If the issue occurs, you whould be able to find out hich executable is causing the issue using Sysinternals Process Explorer (procexp.exe). In that tool you will find a function to search for (parts of) file handles (menu find). You should also be able to define the interfering process by using the clean boot procedure. MCP/MCSA/MCTS/MCITP