For this problem, many "hardware veterans" may tell you: you must unplug the storage device after it is safely ejected, otherwise there may be a risk of data loss; some netizens said that they have always been hot-swappable and have never encountered device damage.
As we all know, "data is priceless", and a damaged storage device can compromise data security. Today, let's discuss whether it will be damaged if you unplug storage devices such as USB flash drives and mobile hard disks.
1. Why should the hard drive be "safely ejected" before unplugging it?
Before unplugging the storage device, you need to find the "USB device" icon in the taskbar, click and select "Safe Ejection" before unplugging. This process is believed to be a common step for everyone to plug and unplug the device.
"Safe Ejection" is like a "peace of mind" that can provide security for storage devices. However, few people know how "safe ejection" works.
In earlier versions of the Windos system, Microsoft introduced a "caching" mechanism to improve the read and write speed of external storage devices. When your USB flash drive, portable hard disk and other storage devices are connected to the computer, the Windows system will automatically cache the recently used files.
When you need to read and access the files in the external storage device, the system will automatically read the cached files, which is equivalent to a "preloading" step, which can be simply understood as putting a "pre-dish" on the table, which is more efficient.
As we mentioned earlier, since file caching is automatic, we can't tell when this is happening. Unplugging the storage device while the cache is in progress can result in system slowdowns, explorer crashes, and even data loss!
Because of this, Microsoft has introduced a "safe ejection" mechanism in the Windows system. The significance of "Safe Ejection" is to add a detection link to detect whether the current storage device is in use, and after confirming that it is not, it will prompt "Safe Ejection", which reduces the probability of device damage.
2. Can storage devices be hot-swapped?
However, even if the "safe pop-up" setting is added to the Windows system, many users will still choose to hot-swap the device directly, which is undoubtedly more convenient.
In order to reduce the cost of users' device use, Microsoft has also set "Quick Delete" as the default option in the new version of Windows. This means that you can directly unplug the device without manually clicking "Safe Eject".
And this can also be regarded as Microsoft's official answer to "whether storage devices can be hot-swapped". However, not all types of storage devices can be "hot-swapped".
Let's just say the conclusion: SSDs can be hot-swapped, while HDDs are not recommended. Due to the physical structure of the disk, head, etc., which is used to write data, the sudden unplugging of the device may cause the head to fail to hom, the platter to produce bad sectors, etc., which can permanently damage the data.
Solid-state drives, on the other hand, use flash memory chips to store data, so there is no risk of damaging the physical structure, and they are more reliable than mechanical hard drives.
Therefore, if your device is a USB flash drive, portable SSD, or SSD enclosure, then you can hot-swap it, and if it is a portable mechanical hard disk, mechanical hard disk cabinet, etc., you need to safely eject the device and then unplug it to ensure data security.
3. Summary at the end of the article
Although some storage devices support "hot-swappable" operation, it does not mean that this operation is 100% safe and reliable. It is safer to unplug the storage device after it has not been transferred for a period of time, which can minimize data loss.