Lately, there have been several reports where users noticed that the safely remove hardware icon has been missing from their taskbars. This usually happens because either the icon is disabled from the taskbar settings or there are some problems with the system files.

0:593:31How to Properly Eject USB Flash Drive on Windows 10 PC – YouTubeYouTube

You can follow these steps if you want to eject USB drives successfully: Click on the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the Windows taskbar. Wait for a message to pop up and then click on “Safely Remove Hardware.” Once a message pops up, you can remove the USB drive. … . . . Read more

Avoid plugging/unplugging your external hard drive too often. This could damage the connection, which can also lead to data corruption. … And because it’s a mindless task, you might not even realize you’re depleting the longevity of your hard drive.

USB flash drives can withstand between 10,000 to 100,000 write/erase cycles, depending on the memory technology used. When the limit is reached, some portion of the memory may not function properly, leading to lost of data and corruption.

On a Mac: Locate your external storage device’s icon on the desktop. Drag the icon to the Trash bin, which will change to an Eject icon. … You have safely ejected your external storage device if its icon is no longer visible on the desktop. Disconnect your external storage device . . . Read more

If you can’t find the Safely Remove Hardware icon, press and hold (or right-click) the taskbar and select Taskbar settings . Under Notification Area, choose Select which icons appear on the taskbar. Scroll to Windows Explorer: Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media and turn it on.

One of the primary reasons to safely eject the USB drive is to avoid corrupting data contained within it. When you insert the USB into a port, there is potentially loads of data being written onto that drive. Ejecting the USB drive even before the process is completed can result . . . Read more

If not used, a hard drive can last for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of ten years, depending on the product and how you store it. There is no specific number of years for all hard drives, but the most generally accepted average number of years a . . . Read more

Prevent External Hard Drive Failure The worst thing you can do when dealing with a damaged hard drive is panic. Prevent the most common drive failure causes. … Monitor drive health. … Reduce data load. … Manage drive life cycle. … Be exceedingly careful with the drive. … Use on . . . Read more