port_sw_fan: This software is meant to be used instead of the Safely Remove Hardware feature, but it is not intended to be BETTER than it. I would have been surprised if it DID work for you... it probably uses the same Windows API functions.

Google for Sysinternals and use their "Handle" program (or Process Explorer if you're more comfortable with a GUI) to search for in-use handles. Windows XP's Explorer itself is notorious for leaking file handles... at least in my personal experience.

There is also another way to eject drives in Windows using a different API that may work for you; it worked for me when a bug in Vista kept the drive from showing up in the Safely Remove Hardware list (when it had no such problem in XP): Go to the drive(s) in Explorer, right click the actual drive letter(s), and click Eject. When the drive(s) disappear(s), you can unplug your USB drive.

A program like this has been requested on the PortableApps.com forum for a while now. Won't they be thrilled. :)

A helpful program. However, most hardcore portable application users often use application launchers like Pstart. USB Disk Ejector will not work if you've got an application launcher loaded. You would have to exit the application launcher, and then find USB Disk Ejector to open the application and use it. Too many steps for me. Anybody have a different solution?

I have been working on something similar for my own personal use (as mentioned above I am one of the users who has Pstart running all sorts of malarky so a clean eject is often hard).

Anyhoo, the app I am working on parses the pstart.xml file in order to cleanly terminate processes that could lock the drive open, it would be easy enouhg to add functionality to check ALL open file handles if I thought enough people were interested.

Send me an email - mr.bansheeATgmailDOTcom if you have any ideas or indeed would like to get a copy of the current version that just checks for all launcher started progs.

Banshee

Omar: There's a solution to that. I use PStart on my flash drive but I set it to run this app on closing. It ejects itself when I close PStart. Grouped with autorun, this is perfect.

I use this application in conjunction with ASuite v1.5 (beta) and execute it during my launcher shutdown. I've only tested it briefly but looks like it works so far. If it additional testing pans out, it may replace the RemoveDrive exectuable I've been using thus far.

Zan. Thanks for the suggestion. Can you let me know how you set up the autorun to do what you describe? Thanks.

This could be done with an autoit script. The autoit script name could be added to the autorun.inf file. Essentially you create a script (with or without tray icons) that pauses until a certain process closes ("ProcessWaitClose(***PSTART***)"), then executes your shutdown procedure.

Thanks to all who've made suggestions. I found a better alternative with Removedrive.exe utility. See http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1914 for additional information.

Not up to date...
See : USB Disk Ejector - 1.2 Beta

What does this do that left-clicking the icon in the system tray doesn't do? Or am I missing something?

aka Muttley, try to disconnect 5 USB devices using that method and then try to disconnect the same 5 USB devices with this program. Then you'll see the difference... It's just much easier, and requires less clicks in diferent places! ;)

I'm using this program for over 8 months without any problem.
It works great, a run an autoit script that close Pstart and other custom programs from my USB drive and then executes the USB Disk Ejector.

Didn't work for me on win7 pro ent sp1!