Unable to eject USB discs when Photo Supreme is running

[barneagle]

If I attach a removable USB disc (or SD card) then try to eject it, whenever Photo Supreme is running Windows 10 pops up a message reading "Windows is unable to stop the device ... Close any programs using this device ... " If I then close Photo Supreme I am able to eject the disc. Any suggestions, please?

[Preston B]

I was able to verify the behavior you are seeing. I got the same message. External UBS drive, Win 10.

My guess is that PSu expects that we will read or write to the drive during a PSu session, and/or PSu checks to see if data is being read or written.

When I exit PSu, I am able to eject the drive.

I do not know if there is workaround. Perhaps Hert can fill us in?
--P

[barneagle]

I should have added that this happens even if I don't use Photo Supreme while the disc is attached.

[Hert]

This is a known issue. PSU is monitoring file changes and as soon as a drive is attached, PSU will start monitoring it causing the disk to be in use.

[DirkS]

I do not know if there is workaround.

Just pull the plug / card?
I have never bothered with 'safely' ejecting a drive or card and never had any problems...

[barneagle]

You're a braver man than I, Dirk!

It's interesting to learn that PSU is monitoring file changes. What changes does it notice and what does it do about them? If I use the PSU option to open a photo in Photoshop then save an edited version it doesn't automatically update the thumbnail to reflect the change. If I use Photoshop's "Save As" option to create a new image and save it in the same folder, PSU doesn't notice that there is a new image: I have to Verify the folder to get it imported.

[sanphotgn]

What changes does it notice and what does it do about them?

I use PSU and Lightroom. I use both to update metadata (yes, I know, not advised).

In my experience, PSU (when it is running) notices Lightroom metadata changes and updates PSU. I have found it isn't perfect sometimes (the timing of metadata changes vs file monitoring? ... maybe I should be more patient). I typically use Verify folder after Lightroom metadata updates in case something was missed.

[Preston B]

I do not know if there is workaround.

Just pull the plug / card?
I have never bothered with 'safely' ejecting a drive or card and never had any problems...

There have been instances of SD cards or USB drives being corrupted when the card or drive is removed without using 'Safely Remove Hardware' to eject the media. Corruption occurs when a 'write' operation is in progress when the drive is 'pulled'.

If I use the PSU option to open a photo in Photoshop then save an edited version it doesn't automatically update the thumbnail to reflect the change

.

I see the exact same behavior. I just use ctrl+alt+T to update the selected thumbnail(s).

If I use Photoshop's "Save As" option to create a new image and save it in the same folder, PSU doesn't notice that there is a new image: I have to Verify the folder to get it imported.

Same here. This does make sense, though, because PSu has no way of knowing a new file been added to a folder.
--P

[Stephen]

Can the problem not be solved simply by exiting PSu? If not then I cannot solve the problem regarding USB drives / sticks. However, SD cards are probably better copied to a hard drive first and then imported into any program. It's one step more, but much safer.

[barneagle]

PSu has no way of knowing a new file been added to a folder

Some other apps manage to monitor such changes. Windows Photo Gallery was able to detect the arrival of new photos in a folder that it was monitoring. This was a very convenient feature.

Can the problem not be solved simply by exiting PSu?

Of course. But why is this necessary? As I asked before, what is PSU monitoring and what does it do with changes it detects? Hert says that as soon as a disc is inserted PSU starts monitoring for file changes. This happens even for discs that have no photos in the PSU catalog.

[Stephen]

I don't know how often this happens daily, but if this frequently affects your workflow, then I agree that it's undesirable. I rarely use a USB drive and have never noticed this. PSu possibly have some competitive secrets which they do not want to divulge and which cause this. You could naturally file a report in Mantis.

[fbungarz]

This is a known issue. PSu is monitoring file changes and as soon as a drive is attached, PSu will start monitoring it causing the disk to be in use.

This has been an issue since I first started using IDI and it still persists in PSu. I find it annoying. I typically end up just removing the drive, while it is running, but also I feel rather uncomfortable about it and I ever so often am told that "windows needs to scan the drive for errors..." So far I have not experienced data loss, but I mostly do this with USB sticks that do not usually contain important files and are just used fro quick copying...

Some questions/suggestions/ideas...
(1)
Obviously I am completely ignorant to the technical programming details, but why is it not possible that, if PSu monitors a drive it also recognizes when Windows receives a request to eject that drive? This works with other programs too: if I play a DVD or Blue-Ray and in the kidle of a movie tell it to eject the disk the film stops and the disk is ejected almost instantaneously. Why does that not work with PSu ???

(2)
Why does PSu even need to monitor a drive that is not part of its database??? This is beyond me!
Yes, I would understand that PSu monitors a drive that contains files included in the PSu database. But monitoring just any USB stick? What sense does this make? I specifically disabled the function to start the importer, when I insert a card. I rather start that one manually. So, the easy way out would be an option to disable the monitoring of drives that are not part of the database...

That option would have the additional benefit of freeing-up resources that are currently completely wasted. Monitoring a drive which does not even contain files that are a part of the PSU database clearly makes no sense. These resources could much better be used for improving how monitoring actually performs: Ironically, in my experience, even though PSu supposedly monitors the drives "permanently" it still regularly fails to detect changes! Say, I rename an image file outside PSu. Even when PSu is running, it still ever so often fails to detect the name change! Exiting and restarting PSu every time I insert a simple USB-stick is not convenient at all...

(3)
What about offline (= travel) mode? Can I at least eject a drive if I switch to travel mode? That would make sense, wouldn't it? Telling PSu there are no drives attached (= travel mode) logically should turn the monitoring subroutine off. Does it?

I don't mean to be nagging, honestly! I jut wonder whether there are any possibilities to resolve this "eternal" bug once and for all...



Cheers,
Frank

[Stephen]

This is a known issue. PSu is monitoring file changes and as soon as a drive is attached, PSu will start monitoring it causing the disk to be in use.

(2)
Why does PSu even need to monitor a drive that is not part of its database??? This is beyond me!

I'm just guessing, but maybe PSu is preparing for a possible import? Files that are unknown in the PSu database are ideal candidates for importing.
If PSu ignores all unknown drives, how would it work if you want to import from one? Would you still be able to select the drive? Just a thought...

[fbungarz]

Hi Stephen,
I did not mean to suggest to completely "ignore" the drives, but instead "ignore continuously monitoring them". That is a difference!
Clearly, PSu should be able to recognize that a new drive is mounted without necessarily having to constantly monitor that drive for file changes.
Besides: why does PSu monitor a drive in offline mode? I now have tested it: you cannot even eject a USB-stick after switching to travel mode. That's simply bizarre! You tell PSu that all drives are offline and it still keeps monitoring them

Also: I mentioned that I have the option turned off to auto-start the importer. I much prefer to invoke the import of files manually and not have it pop-up every time a new drive is mounted. Clearly that is personal preference. The option is enabled per default, so I presume many people use it. They stick in a memory card and the import starts. can be convenient, no doubt about that. BUT: this again has nothing to do with monitoring file changes on an external drive. For the importer to auto-start PSu just needs to be aware that a new drive is attached.

It all is analogous to a DVD drive, where you have these different configuration options:
(1) You insert a disk, the Windows file explorer starts reading the disk and it shows up as mounted with a drive letter.
(2) You insert a disk, not only the file explorer recognizes the disk, but your movie player starts playing the movie. Before ejecting the disk you must stop the movie player reading it(= playing the movie), but there is no need to exit the movie player.

I think PSu should work in a much analogous way. You insert an external drive and you have these configuration options:
(1) PSu recognizes the external drive, but since it is not part of the catalog (yet) it does not show up and it is accordingly not being monitored for file changes.
(2) PSu recognizes the external drive and starts the importer, you need to cancel the importer to avoid it searching the drive for files available for import.

Then, of course there is a third, additional scenario (but not a configuration option): the drive is already included in the catalog. Only in that scenario will the drive need to be recognized and matched to the drive letter it got in the catalog and only then does it make sense that PSu keeps monitoring that drive for file changes - because, once mounted, you can modify the files on that drive and modifying these files need to be reflected by changes in the PSu database...

Sorry, if I haven't been clear in my previous post.

Cheers,
Frank

[tumirnix]

There is a 3 years old entry in Mantis describing this issue:
<http://mantis.idimager.com/view.php?id=2809>