leaving card reader connected to USB?

I have a new Lexar 2.0 compactflash card reader and 1GB card.
It all works fine, except I had hoped I could leave the card reader
permanently connected, and just plug the card in and out. But if so,
then I cannot use the "Safely Remove Hardware" tool.

I can connect just the empty reader, and get the USB beep, and see the
"Safely Remove Hardware" toolbar icon appear. It shows there as
hardwa USB Mass Storage Device, with a subitem Lexas Media CD USB
Device, with its subitem Generic Volume (I

Then I can plug in the card, and there is not another beep, but the card
is seen, because the program immediately appears to fetch the card data,
and it works. Fine so far.

If I unload the USB Mass Storage Device (safe disconnect), then it all
disappears. Plugging the card in again is not seen. To be seen
again, I have to unplug and reconnect the USB cable, which works fine,
but which I'd rather not do. I cant "safe disconnect" just the card, it
has to be the USB Mass Storage.

I guess I acquired the notion I needed to use the "Safely remove
hardware" tool because of other non-removable USB memory devices I have,
no issues with them.

If I dont ever do the safe disconnect, then it works as I'd like.
I can plug the card in and out, and it is seen each time. The (safely
remove) Properties says "Optimized for quick removal", with write
caching disabled (which would seem to be the entire point).
I'm thinking this all sounds reasonable?

Is there anything I'm missing? Any better way to unplug just the card
and leave the reader connected for next card insertion?

In article ,
John A. Stovall wrote:

If you had a Mac you would have that problem.

Uh, how about, "If you had a Mac you would NOT have that problem."?

Just leave it plugged and eject the card and put in the next card.

On my G4, I just leave my Lexar CF reader (USB 2.0) plugged-IN and swap cards
as needed. No flaming hoops to jump through. It just works.

So, of course, the OP simply needs to scrap his peecee and all its software
and buy a Mac. Yep. That should do it.

big grin
JR

Wayne wrote:

I have a new Lexar 2.0 compactflash card reader and 1GB card.
It all works fine, except I had hoped I could leave the card reader
permanently connected, and just plug the card in and out. But if so,
then I cannot use the "Safely Remove Hardware" tool.

I can connect just the empty reader, and get the USB beep, and see the
"Safely Remove Hardware" toolbar icon appear. It shows there as
hardwa USB Mass Storage Device, with a subitem Lexas Media CD USB
Device, with its subitem Generic Volume (I

Then I can plug in the card, and there is not another beep, but the card
is seen, because the program immediately appears to fetch the card data,
and it works. Fine so far.

If I unload the USB Mass Storage Device (safe disconnect), then it all
disappears. Plugging the card in again is not seen. To be seen
again, I have to unplug and reconnect the USB cable, which works fine,
but which I'd rather not do. I cant "safe disconnect" just the card, it
has to be the USB Mass Storage.



I was able to do that with win98, but unless I wait a LONG time after even
just looking at someothing on the card, win2K gives me error screens....
Seems win2K explorer writes crap on the card even if just viewing the
content cause it gives an error about not being able to write to device
____. This is a firewire card reader but I assume a USB card reader does
this as well?

--

Stacey

On Mon, 30 May 2005 01:06:32 GMT, Wayne wrote:

I have a new Lexar 2.0 compactflash card reader and 1GB card.
It all works fine, except I had hoped I could leave the card reader
permanently connected, and just plug the card in and out. But if so,
then I cannot use the "Safely Remove Hardware" tool.

I can connect just the empty reader, and get the USB beep, and see the
"Safely Remove Hardware" toolbar icon appear. It shows there as
hardwa USB Mass Storage Device, with a subitem Lexas Media CD USB
Device, with its subitem Generic Volume (I

Then I can plug in the card, and there is not another beep, but the card
is seen, because the program immediately appears to fetch the card data,
and it works. Fine so far.

If I unload the USB Mass Storage Device (safe disconnect), then it all
disappears. Plugging the card in again is not seen. To be seen
again, I have to unplug and reconnect the USB cable, which works fine,
but which I'd rather not do. I cant "safe disconnect" just the card, it
has to be the USB Mass Storage.

I guess I acquired the notion I needed to use the "Safely remove
hardware" tool because of other non-removable USB memory devices I have,
no issues with them.

If I dont ever do the safe disconnect, then it works as I'd like.
I can plug the card in and out, and it is seen each time. The (safely
remove) Properties says "Optimized for quick removal", with write
caching disabled (which would seem to be the entire point).
I'm thinking this all sounds reasonable?

Is there anything I'm missing? Any better way to unplug just the card
and leave the reader connected for next card insertion?

Open up Explorer (a.k.a. 'My Computer', not IE), right-click on the drive
(quite often identified as 'Removable Disk'), select 'Eject', remove card.

I do it all the time with my Lexar multi-card reader.

"Wayne" wrote in message
news:sGtme.3743$vK5.3101@trnddc03...
I have a new Lexar 2.0 compactflash card reader and 1GB card.
It all works fine, except I had hoped I could leave the card reader
permanently connected, and just plug the card in and out. But if so,
then I cannot use the "Safely Remove Hardware" tool.

I can connect just the empty reader, and get the USB beep, and see the
"Safely Remove Hardware" toolbar icon appear. It shows there as
hardwa USB Mass Storage Device, with a subitem Lexas Media CD USB
Device, with its subitem Generic Volume (I

Then I can plug in the card, and there is not another beep, but the card
is seen, because the program immediately appears to fetch the card data,
and it works. Fine so far.

If I unload the USB Mass Storage Device (safe disconnect), then it all
disappears. Plugging the card in again is not seen. To be seen
again, I have to unplug and reconnect the USB cable, which works fine,
but which I'd rather not do. I cant "safe disconnect" just the card, it
has to be the USB Mass Storage.

I guess I acquired the notion I needed to use the "Safely remove
hardware" tool because of other non-removable USB memory devices I have,
no issues with them.

If I dont ever do the safe disconnect, then it works as I'd like.
I can plug the card in and out, and it is seen each time. The (safely
remove) Properties says "Optimized for quick removal", with write
caching disabled (which would seem to be the entire point).
I'm thinking this all sounds reasonable?

Is there anything I'm missing? Any better way to unplug just the card
and leave the reader connected for next card insertion?


Wait until the light stops flashing and pop out the card. No big deal.

Tom

In article .com,
says...

Open up Explorer (a.k.a. 'My Computer', not IE), right-click on the drive
(quite often identified as 'Removable Disk'), select 'Eject', remove card.

I do it all the time with my Lexar multi-card reader.


Thanks Richard. I didnt even realize that was there. Not sure how its
different than unplugging it, but I like it.

Richard Hempsey wrote:


Open up Explorer (a.k.a. 'My Computer', not IE), right-click on the drive
(quite often identified as 'Removable Disk'), select 'Eject', remove card.



Thanx!

--

Stacey

"Wayne" wrote in message
news:sGtme.3743$vK5.3101@trnddc03...
I have a new Lexar 2.0 compactflash card reader and 1GB card.
It all works fine, except I had hoped I could leave the card reader
permanently connected, and just plug the card in and out. But if so,
then I cannot use the "Safely Remove Hardware" tool.

I can connect just the empty reader, and get the USB beep, and see the
"Safely Remove Hardware" toolbar icon appear. It shows there as
hardwa USB Mass Storage Device, with a subitem Lexas Media CD USB
Device, with its subitem Generic Volume (I

Then I can plug in the card, and there is not another beep, but the card
is seen, because the program immediately appears to fetch the card data,
and it works. Fine so far.

If I unload the USB Mass Storage Device (safe disconnect), then it all
disappears. Plugging the card in again is not seen. To be seen
again, I have to unplug and reconnect the USB cable, which works fine,
but which I'd rather not do. I cant "safe disconnect" just the card, it
has to be the USB Mass Storage.

I guess I acquired the notion I needed to use the "Safely remove
hardware" tool because of other non-removable USB memory devices I have,
no issues with them.

If I dont ever do the safe disconnect, then it works as I'd like.
I can plug the card in and out, and it is seen each time. The (safely
remove) Properties says "Optimized for quick removal", with write
caching disabled (which would seem to be the entire point).
I'm thinking this all sounds reasonable?

Is there anything I'm missing? Any better way to unplug just the card
and leave the reader connected for next card insertion?

I'm always forgetting to use the eject hardware and just pop my cards in and
out. No problems -- yet. I just make sure the card is not reading or
writing when I do this, and that there are no critical images on the card
and nowhere else.

On Sunday 29 May 2005 18:14, John A. Stovall wrote:

On Mon, 30 May 2005 01:06:32 GMT, Wayne wrote:

I have a new Lexar 2.0 compactflash card reader and 1GB card.
It all works fine, except I had hoped I could leave the card reader
permanently connected, and just plug the card in and out. But if so,
then I cannot use the "Safely Remove Hardware" tool.

If you had a Mac you would have that problem. Just leave it plugged
^
NOT
and eject the card and put in the next card.

Or if you had a PC running GNU/Linux...

--
Stefan Patric
NoLife Polymath Group

In article lXMme.1399$4p.1334@fed1read03, Stefan Patric
wrote:

Or if you had a PC running GNU/Linux...

Then you'd be a real loser...