What is the difference between Eject and Safely Remove Hardware in Vista?

December 13, 2009 12:12 AM

What is the difference between Eject and Safely Remove Hardware in Vista?

When I use my Kindle with Windows Vista, and I plug it into the computer through USB, the Kindle shows a message that I should eject the Kindle to continue to use it while it recharges.

I tried doing "Safely Remove Hardware", and the message remains. I then unplugged and reconnected the Kindle, and then tried to "Eject" the Kindle from My Computer, and that worked fine, the message disappeared.

I always thought Safely Remove Hardware and Eject did the same thing. Obviously the Kindle can detect the difference - so what is the difference?

posted by dave99 to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

Best answer: "Eject" is a physical act, for things like DVD drives. It sends a signal to the device that tells it to do something, like open the tray.

"Safely remove hardware" means that the operating system stops using the device. If it's a storage drive, all write-behinds are settled and the file system is left clean. Then all device drivers are shut down.

I have no idea why your Kindle did what it did. Maybe they're using the "eject" signal to do something strange.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:22 AM on December 13, 2009

By the way, "eject" doesn't guarantee that the device is clean and can be unplugged safely. It's still considered to be attached to the computer.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:24 AM on December 13, 2009

Response by poster: Makes sense - strange though that the iPhone, for example, can detect when it's stopped, while the Kindle needs an eject signal... Thanks!
posted by dave99 at 12:38 AM on December 13, 2009

I just wish there was a way to do what you're trying to do with an Ipod.
posted by Chamunks at 1:03 AM on December 13, 2009

I have no idea why your Kindle did what it did. Maybe they're using the "eject" signal to do something strange.

Okay, so USB provides power regardless of whether or not the device actually makes a data connection to the computer (by default). However, the Kindle is showing up as some sort of a storage device for whatever reason. So when you plug it in, the Kindle flips over to a storage device mode and doesn't run its normal software.

They're using the eject signal to indicate to the Kindle that it should stop pretending to be a harddrive and go back to doing its job, despite being connected to the bus.
posted by Netzapper at 1:07 AM on December 13, 2009

Best answer: My Kindle does the exact same thing. My casual understanding is "Safely Remove Hardware" has Windows flush everything to the device and forget about it, but doesn't tell the device anything about what just happened. "Eject" does all the flushes and also tells the device to eject itself. For a CD drive that'd spit out the disc; for the Kindle it turns it back to normal view mode.

OTOH, "Eject" leaves the drive letter in place for the Kindle whereas "Safely remove" removes the drive letter, too. So I'm confused.
posted by Nelson at 8:12 AM on December 13, 2009