I returned a WD My Passport Ultra HD because I couldn't access all the info on it and my laptop wouldn't recognise the drivers. This was the first time I'd tried to use it since using it to backup my files. They have sent me a brand new one (lost all the info from the old one of course) and I just installed it, but when I wanted to remove it (it's still empty) there was no eject button, so I just had to pull the USB plug. Is that normal and the eject button isn't there on a portable hard drive, or does the eject button only appear after info has been stored?

Assuming by eject button, you are talking about the USB icon on the bottom right of your task bar?

When you plugged in the new drive by USB, did the computer recognise it?

If it didn't, then you will have to initialize the drive through Disk Management.

To get there, you need to get to Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Computer Management\Disk Management. (I have put the long path here as it differs with different flavours of the windows operating systems on how to get there easily.

In Disk Management you will see the new drive. Right click (on the left hand side of the disk) and click Initialize. Follow the instructions and your disk will be workable.

Assuming by eject button, you are talking about the USB icon on the bottom right of your task bar?

When you plugged in the new drive by USB, did the computer recognise it?

If it didn't, then you will have to initialize the drive through Disk Management.

To get there, you need to get to Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Computer Management\Disk Management. (I have put the long path here as it differs with different flavours of the windows operating systems on how to get there easily.

In Disk Management you will see the new drive. Right click (on the left hand side of the disk) and click Initialize. Follow the instructions and your disk will be workable.

There's an easier way to get there. Just right click My Computer- manage and you can see disc management.

Then you might have to assign it a letter that Windows recognises it.

I have a WD Passport Ultra 1TB external drive. If your computer is properly recognizing the drive the Safety Remove Hardware/Eject Icon will appear in the lower right hand corner of your screen...in the task bar...looks like below...I took the snapshot after plugging in my WD drive.

Unsure from your post if you have formatted the drive yet?

You can also go to 'windows explorer' and right click on the drive, there's an 'Eject' button on the popup menu which appears after clicking. It's right under the 'format' link.

It should be there regardless of whether you've written anything to the drive or not. This is my experience with Windows 7 Pro.

Different versions of windows might behave differently.

Assuming by eject button, you are talking about the USB icon on the bottom right of your task bar?

When you plugged in the new drive by USB, did the computer recognise it?

If it didn't, then you will have to initialize the drive through Disk Management.

To get there, you need to get to Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Computer Management\Disk Management. (I have put the long path here as it differs with different flavours of the windows operating systems on how to get there easily.

In Disk Management you will see the new drive. Right click (on the left hand side of the disk) and click Initialize. Follow the instructions and your disk will be workable.

Ok, I found it. I was looking on the task bar the same place there is an eject button for my flash drives.

You can also go to 'windows explorer' and right click on the drive, there's an 'Eject' button on the popup menu which appears after clicking. It's right under the 'format' link.

It should be there regardless of whether you've written anything to the drive or not. This is my experience with Windows 7 Pro.

Different versions of windows might behave differently.

With my Win 10 Pro at least the Eject icon under the format icon only appears for USB sticks, SD cards, or CD/DVDs; it won't appear for an external USB hard/SSD drive. Pretty durn sure same way when still on Win 10 Home.

I just checked by inserting a CD, SD card, USB stick, and USB hard drive....the first 3 showed the Eject selection under the Format selection...but the USB hard drive did not show the Eject selection....have to use the Safety Remove Hardware/Eject icon in the task bar for the USB hard drive. I'll check my other computer running Win 7 Home system later if I remember once I fire it up again but I think it's the same way as described above.

You can also go to 'windows explorer' and right click on the drive, there's an 'Eject' button on the popup menu which appears after clicking. It's right under the 'format' link.

It should be there regardless of whether you've written anything to the drive or not. This is my experience with Windows 7 Pro.

Different versions of windows might behave differently.

With my Win 10 Pro at least the Eject icon under the format icon only appears for USB sticks, SD cards, or CD/DVDs; it won't appear for an external USB hard/SSD drive. Pretty durn sure same way when still on Win 10 Home.

I just checked by inserting a CD, SD card, USB stick, and USB hard drive....the first 3 showed the Eject selection under the Format selection...but the USB hard drive did not show the Eject selection....have to use the Safety Remove Hardware/Eject icon in the task bar for the USB hard drive. I'll check my other computer running Win 7 Home system later if I remember once I fire it up again but I think it's the same way as described above.

Cheers. I think it's safe to remove an external HD as long as it isn't running or copying files, but I could be wrong.

Cheers. I think it's safe to remove an external HD as long as it isn't running or copying files, but I could be wrong.

You are correct "if" the drive's "Polices" setting available from Disk Management have not been changed from the Default setting. Sometimes people change the setting to "Better Performance" to possibly get a little faster performance from the drive. Below is a snapshot of the Policies setting of my WD Passport Ultra....I left it on the default setting for safety versus possibly squeaking out a hair more drive speed.

But even in using the safe Default setting I still use the the Safely Remove Hardware/Eject icon...call that double safety. But on those few occasions where the Safely Remove Hardware/Eject icon errors out (usually says some program still has the drive in use) and I just can't get it to Eject after repeat tries (Windows just gets confused sometimes), then I just pull the drive's USB cord from the computer because I know I have retained the Default Policies setting.

Well, I can safely eject all of my external USB drives in Win 10. BTW, the easiest way to get to disk management is to press the Windows and X keys simultaneously and select disk management from the menu that pops up.

I can safety eject also, but it's just I must use the Safely Remove Hardware/Eject icon in the task bar for an external USB hard drive since no eject button appears if just highlighting/right clicking the drive in File Explorer. At least on my laptop running Win 10 Pro I don't get an eject button in File Explorer with a USB external drive plugged in...I have to use the Safely Remove Hardware/Eject icon in the task bar. But for a USB card or stick, CD/DVD I do get the eject button in File Explorer.

Below is a snapshot with an external USB drive hooked up...this snapshot is of a Seagate drive...get the same picture with my external WD Passport hooked up--no Eject button...only the Format button.

Haven't got around yet to checking my other laptop running Win 7 Home to see if the eject button shows with a USB hard drive in File Explorer ....I almost always just from habit use the Safely Remove Hardware/Eject icon in the task bar.