Android does not seem to properly eject flash drive/card reader - known issue?

[Grabber5.0]

I have searched Google and the forums here and at XDA, and can't find anything about this. Every time I use a flash drive or card reader on my Nexus 5X via OTG, and the put the flash drive or SD card into my laptop, Windows says there may be problems and wants to scan it. I always properly eject it (which usually I have to do twice, because after I eject it using ES Explorer, the built-in file explorer mounts it and I have to then eject it from Explorer settings.) It do more reading from the cards than writing when I have them on my phone, but occasionally I copy files from the phone to card, and I don't want to end up with a corrupt file and have to do it again.. Are others experiencing this as well?

 

[rhea]

I have this message frequently (and did with Vista, Windows 7 and now Windows 10), and not just with Android devices. I just ignore it. If you're interested, this article and this one may give you more info including how to disable the message. I haven't bothered to drive it on Windows

 

[Grabber5.0]

Yes, I saw those articles during my Google quest. They really only address ejecting from Windows though, so it wouldn't address this. I never get the message when I use them in Windows, as I always (well, almost always ) eject them properly. My concern is that it appears that Android is not ejecting them correctly, and it could potentially result in data loss. I don't have many devices to test it on, but I'll try it with the Nexus 4 and see if it does it on that too. I think that supports OTG..

 

[Grabber5.0]

I did some more playing around, and I may have narrowed it down slightly. I uninstalled ES File Explorer and Nexus Media Importer and just used the internal file explorer, and I didn't get the pop-up on my laptop. Then I reinstalled ES and used it to browse the device, followed by the built-in explorer, and got the pop-up again (I also did some other tests only using on or the other in a particular session). I don't know the root cause yet, but I think it could be a particular action or sequence. My short test with the Nexus 7 did not cause the pop-up. It seems the 4 does not have OTG, or at least with 5.1.1 on it..

 

[rhea]

Yes, N4 does not have otg unless you use a special y cable and a special kernel. It's interesting that you identify EStrong (which I use and very well could be the culprit on Android) because I get the same pop-up at times using the card from my Sony a6000. The articles mention that improper removal is the most common reason for the message which doesn't address the issue of getting the msg with a card taken from a camera (or, presumably, another device). I don't think I've gotten the message from Mac OS, though. There is an eject feature in MM. I don't remember one for LP. I usually used Stick Mount which had it's own unmounting feature. Sometimes it didn't appear to work, but I've never had any issues with corrupted files despite the Windows scan message.

 

[Grabber5.0]

It kind of almost acts like contention between ES and the built-in explorer. For sure, as soon as you eject it from ES, the OS automatically mounts it and you have to eject it there too, which makes sense. Fortunately using the built-in explorer in my last testing has consistently worked right. If I find a repeatable sequence that triggers it I'll post it. The real advantage of ES is more easily switching between internal and USB storage.

 

[rhea]

I really like ES for the LAN connection-so easy to move small files between devices and computers wordlessly.

 

[Grabber5.0]

I really like ES for the LAN connection-so easy to move small files between devices and computers wordlessly.

Haven't tried that.. Does it require two devices with ES?

 

[rhea]

No. You have to set up folders on pc for sharing. On ES, you choose Network/ LAN, scan for devices on your network, choose your PC, sign in, then you have access to your shared folders. Set up is a little different on Mac. Of course, "wordlessly" was wirelessly.

 

[Grabber5.0]

This has not happened again since I stopped using ES Explorer as my primary app for copying to/from the OTG devices. I suppose it's worth reporting. Hopefully it's something that can be addressed.

I did actually have some files I copied to it get their filenames screwed up as a result of the eject conflict, so I always copy instead of cutting, and never delete the originals before validating the drive.