Unplug the USB device without stopping it, what will happen?

Hi,
Whenever I unplug an USB device, there's always an error message pop up and
say I unplug the device without stopping it, which can cause your computer
to crash or lost valuable data. What's that mean? Lost what data? The data
in the USB device? Or data in my hard drive?

Cause computer to crash.... is that mean my computer will be freezed?

Will it damage my hardware at all?


Thanks.

"Adrian" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi,
> Whenever I unplug an USB device, there's always an error message pop up
and
> say I unplug the device without stopping it, which can cause your computer
> to crash or lost valuable data. What's that mean? Lost what data? The data
> in the USB device? Or data in my hard drive?

Depends on the DEVICE -- but if the device
were a USB thumb drive (for instance) then
it is possible the data was still in a cache that
needs flushing.

An app that is printing or otherwise sending
data to a USB device might send data, have the
OS confirm successful receipt but the device
disappear before the data could be physically
sent.

It is also possible that some program is using
a device and would crash (the app) or lose
data if the device just disappears without
warning.

For many (types) of devices it is probably an
irrelevant warning.

> Cause computer to crash.... is that mean my computer will be freezed?

It might but it is unlikely.

> Will it damage my hardware at all?

Almost certainly not.

That was a brilliant explaination, I totally understand now. Thanks a lot.

"Herb Martin" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Adrian" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi,
> > Whenever I unplug an USB device, there's always an error message pop up
> and
> > say I unplug the device without stopping it, which can cause your
computer
> > to crash or lost valuable data. What's that mean? Lost what data? The
data
> > in the USB device? Or data in my hard drive?
>
> Depends on the DEVICE -- but if the device
> were a USB thumb drive (for instance) then
> it is possible the data was still in a cache that
> needs flushing.
>
> An app that is printing or otherwise sending
> data to a USB device might send data, have the
> OS confirm successful receipt but the device
> disappear before the data could be physically
> sent.
>
> It is also possible that some program is using
> a device and would crash (the app) or lose
> data if the device just disappears without
> warning.
>
> For many (types) of devices it is probably an
> irrelevant warning.
>
> > Cause computer to crash.... is that mean my computer will be freezed?
>
> It might but it is unlikely.
>
> > Will it damage my hardware at all?
>
> Almost certainly not.
>
>

"Adrian" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:#sNR$(E-Mail Removed)...
> That was a brilliant explaination, I totally understand now. Thanks a lot.
>

You are welcome.

And by the way, I make an effort to use the tool
tray icon to "safely remove a device" but if I
forget and nothing bad happens then I don't worry
to much about it -- unless the device has crucial
data, and then I just put it back in and check the
data again before removing it properly.

My biggest problem is not the devices, but rather
pullind a CD (the disk itself not the player) while
some app is using the CD and then finding that I
have no way to get out of the cycle of error messages
that sometimes results.


> "Herb Martin" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > "Adrian" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > > Hi,
> > > Whenever I unplug an USB device, there's always an error message pop
up
> > and
> > > say I unplug the device without stopping it, which can cause your
> computer
> > > to crash or lost valuable data. What's that mean? Lost what data? The
> data
> > > in the USB device? Or data in my hard drive?
> >
> > Depends on the DEVICE -- but if the device
> > were a USB thumb drive (for instance) then
> > it is possible the data was still in a cache that
> > needs flushing.
> >
> > An app that is printing or otherwise sending
> > data to a USB device might send data, have the
> > OS confirm successful receipt but the device
> > disappear before the data could be physically
> > sent.
> >
> > It is also possible that some program is using
> > a device and would crash (the app) or lose
> > data if the device just disappears without
> > warning.
> >
> > For many (types) of devices it is probably an
> > irrelevant warning.
> >
> > > Cause computer to crash.... is that mean my computer will be freezed?
> >
> > It might but it is unlikely.
> >
> > > Will it damage my hardware at all?
> >
> > Almost certainly not.
> >
> >
>
>