[Turb0flat4]

My iBook G4 has this issue with Sandisk Cruzer thumb drives : they get auto-mounted normally; however, when I eject them (Cmd-E), the icon disappears but the LED at the rear of the drive remains lit. There's no warning suggesting an improper removal (the warning would come on if I yank it out without ejecting it first). Two separate Cruzer models have this very issue with this system.

I have another brandless flash drive with an indicator LED, which *does* go off the usual way after ejecting it. So it seems to be a problem peculiar to the Sandisk drives.

No issues with Windows PCs - the LEDs of all the drives go off when removing them via the tray icon.

I used to think there was no problem with pulling out the drive (after ejecting it in OS X) even if the light remained on, but someone today insisted I was corrupting the data by doing so, and someone else with an Apple had a procedure for safely removing these drives such that the light went off (as they did on Windows/PCs).

Can someone please shed a little light (no pun intended) on this matter? Thanks.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

I'll give it a shot...

The reason that light stays on is because the machine is still giving it power, windows cuts the power to the device because of the way windows mounts volumes.

It does the same on my Mac and my Linux box, its just windows way of doing it and OS Xes way of doing it, you're not corrupting anything.

[Turb0flat4]

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO 

I'll give it a shot...

The reason that light stays on is because the machine is still giving it power, windows cuts the power to the device because of the way windows mounts volumes.

It does the same on my Mac and my Linux box, its just windows way of doing it and OS Xes way of doing it, you're not corrupting anything.

Thanks, I'm glad to hear it. I got into rather an ugly situation yesterday - important visitor from the US (I'm in Singapore), and I was showing her a file on my iBook. She wanted the file, passed me her Cruzer thumb drive and I copied it in, ejected it and unplugged it while the light was still on, and she got *really* mad. Claimed that a colleague of hers had corrupted another drive on an Apple, and that I wasn't doing it right, I was risking her data, etc. etc. I tried reassuring her that I had a Cruzer and had the same issue and had ejected mine numerous times without corruption, but she kept insisting, she was being a bit of a bitch about it, really. She also insisted that there were colleagues with Apple PCs that knew a certain procedure that got the light to go off, and that I just wasn't doing it right, etc. etc.

[EndlessMac]

I also have a SanDisk Cruzer and don't have any problems with corrupt files. Just do what you are doing by ejecting the driver first before pulling it out. If you ever meet that visitor again just bring some blank CDs and burn your files to disk in order to avoid the argument. People will believe what they want to believe especially if it's based on fear so you'll probably never convince her that it's safe.

[Turb0flat4]

Thanks everyone for your reassuring replies.