Author Topic: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive  (Read 16436 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Jay Smithson

  • Guest
Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« on: May 06, 2010, 08:19:48 PM »
Hi
Got fed up with AVG on my WinXP box so completely removed it and loaded free Avast v5 instead.
Although AVG was slow, it did not do funny things.
Now with Avast, whenever I plug in my USB memory stick and then try to Safely remove hardware it saya I cannot stop the device now because it is being used.  This never happened before I loaded Avast.  Is there a bug in V5 (I use V4 on my Windows 7 netbook and have not seen the problem there)

Regards

spg SCOTT

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2010, 08:26:25 PM »
Hi Jay Smithson, welcome to the forum :)

I myself have had similar issues with my memory stick not wanting to be removed (both before and after avast! 5) and have not really been able to locate what it is, and it is quite random, just sometimes it wont remove.

You could try stop the on-access protection in avast! before trying to remove the drive to see if it is avast!

Another idea that had been suggested to me, is to use ProcessExplorer to see what is holding on to the drive (so to speak) --> Although this has occasionally worked for me, normally nothing shows up...

You would run process explorer and the press Ctrl + F and enter the drive letter (e.g. J:\) and see if anything is found...

-Scott-

Jay Smithson

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2010, 08:46:27 PM »
Thanks Scott
I did turn off the file system protection and it was OK - thats why I was convinced it was Avast that was holding on to the drive.  It does seem to change depending on the size of the drive/number of files on it - the larger the worse.  It is as if Avast is sitting there scanning the drive but there is no flashing led on the drive but I am no expert - I just don't like it when things don't work properly!


spg SCOTT

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2010, 09:25:52 PM »
Interesting...

I have an external hard drive, that I know (under certain circumstances) will produce the cannot remove error and fail to remove...and guess what, disable File System Shield, and it ejects immediately...

Seems it may be avast! after all...

EDIT: In trying again, it seems to be on/off for me now...now I can't remove the drive whether the FSS is on or off...I don't know... ::)
Seems I had the drive open in explorer...I can definitely reproduce...
« Last Edit: May 06, 2010, 09:27:40 PM by spg SCOTT »

Sparxx

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2010, 10:15:39 PM »
Avast is scanning your USB stick that's why it says "You cannot stop the device now because it is being used" , wait some time, and when avast will finish to scan it you'll unplug it without problems .

spg SCOTT

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2010, 10:32:28 PM »
Scanning what?

In my case there are no active scans, nothing accessig the drive, nothing running from the drive...it should be released...

I have also waited hours before now with the same result...

Offline DavidR

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Certainly Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 88899
  • No support PMs thanks
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2010, 10:54:49 PM »
If you have Unlocker installed, try right clicking on the drive and see what has hooks on to the drive.

See, image1 example of my E (data) partition on my HDD, lots of hooks and image2 of my 8GB USB flash stick, zero hooks.
Windows 10 Home 64bit/ Acer Aspire F15/ Intel Core i5 7200U 2.5GHz, 8GB DDR4 memory, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD/ avast! free 24.2.6105 (build 24.2.8918.824) UI 1.0.799/ Firefox, uBlock Origin, uMatrix/ MailWasher Pro/ Avast! Mobile Security

spg SCOTT

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2010, 11:00:53 PM »
I have been through this before as well...just as process explorer shows no handles/hooks, unlocked showed nothing...although that was a little while ago, I will try it again when I am at the pc next...

dansorin

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2011, 04:52:10 PM »
i upgraded from avast free 5.0.677 to 5.1.889 and know i receive the "can't stop the usb drive" message. everything worked fine until the upgrade. this happens on XP SP3 and W7 32b. anyone got the sollution?

Ansatsuken

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2012, 04:06:21 AM »
I'm having this problem since I formatted my system to Windows 7 Ultimate. I'm considering this possibility of disabling File System Shield temporarily while unplugging my USB drive, but I still have one question.
My drive is configured for "Quick removal", which theoretically means that I can unplug it directly from the computer without risk. Is it OK if I just unplug it, even if Avast is supposedly holding it?

ady4um

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2012, 04:13:34 AM »
In some other topic, there is some report about USB "freezing". But the last post is about version 6. Hence, not relevant even if you are using the newest beta for avast 7. Please search the correct topic to post (as said, there is already a similar report in the last 24 hours), and provide more information about your system.

Offline Lisandro

  • Avast team
  • Certainly Bot
  • *
  • Posts: 67194
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2012, 12:45:32 PM »
I know it won't help, but my personal experience is that USB ejecting in Windows XP is very defective... While on Windows 7 the drive is more effectively removed, this does not happen on Windows XP. :'(
The best things in life are free.

Offline DavidR

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Certainly Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 88899
  • No support PMs thanks
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2012, 03:41:43 PM »
I know it won't help, but my personal experience is that USB ejecting in Windows XP is very defective... While on Windows 7 the drive is more effectively removed, this does not happen on Windows XP. :'(

Strange that I haven't had a single problem with USB safe removal in XP Pro, but on win7 starter, I have had many such problems.
Windows 10 Home 64bit/ Acer Aspire F15/ Intel Core i5 7200U 2.5GHz, 8GB DDR4 memory, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD/ avast! free 24.2.6105 (build 24.2.8918.824) UI 1.0.799/ Firefox, uBlock Origin, uMatrix/ MailWasher Pro/ Avast! Mobile Security

ady4um

  • Guest
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2012, 04:30:32 PM »
@Tech and DavidR,

It doesn't matter. The OP is clearly reporting that the freeze appears only when avast shields are active. When avast is not active, the system responds.

So this is not a Windows issue, but an avast issue (at least, for this user).

Offline DavidR

  • Avast Überevangelist
  • Certainly Bot
  • *****
  • Posts: 88899
  • No support PMs thanks
Re: Avast won't let me "stop" USB drive
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2012, 05:00:03 PM »
Well if you are going to talk of the OP, then you should be aware that the topic was created on: 06 May 2010, so the reference you make isn't about the OP but Ansatsuken.

What hasn't been asked of Ansatsuken is, have you modified the file system shield settings as it shouldn't be scanning the USB only files that are active/being accessed ?

So if avast is scanning something on the USB, it is because something else is accessing them, what that is is the $64,000 question.

I honestly don't believe that removing the USB drive without first having used the eject USB is wise, even if it is configured for "Quick removal," whatever that might be.

If windows is doing delayed writes, then that could be what is accessing the drive then that could be a problem which could result in data loss and a scan being in progress at the time of pulling USB. Now if the configured for "Quick removal" means that windows doesn't do delayed writes, this 'theoretically' shouldn't be an issue.
Windows 10 Home 64bit/ Acer Aspire F15/ Intel Core i5 7200U 2.5GHz, 8GB DDR4 memory, 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD/ avast! free 24.2.6105 (build 24.2.8918.824) UI 1.0.799/ Firefox, uBlock Origin, uMatrix/ MailWasher Pro/ Avast! Mobile Security