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Can I pull out a USB cable without first disconnecting the device via software?
MonMotha:
There is no damage to be had from connecting/disconnecting a USB cable at will in terms of power applied. The connector is specifically designed to be hot-pluggable (and unpluggable). The only issues that can arise are software.
All OSes I'm aware of (that support USB) handle hotplug/unplug events just fine for devices without memory. Most OSes also handle IO on memory devices synchronously to prevent corruption due to cache desync, but there is still the possibilty of getting unlucky, so such devices should be "stopped" (whatever that means on your OS of choice) before unplugging.
fjl:
My sister claims she ruined her I-pod from pulling it out of the USB socket without first disconnecting it through windows.
Namco:
--- Quote from: ChadTower on November 19, 2007, 04:33:57 pm ---
Does "shutting down" a USB device also cut power to that port? I'm curious if there is potential for damage to the power circuit of higher current USB items if you don't "shut it down" before removing.
--- End quote ---
In my experience, Windows 2000 will cut USB bus power to the device when you use Unplug Devices option, but in Windows XP, it stays powered, but will disappear. In both cases unplugging it and reinserting will restore power/functionality.
ChadTower:
--- Quote from: MonMotha on November 19, 2007, 06:37:36 pm ---There is no damage to be had from connecting/disconnecting a USB cable at will in terms of power applied. The connector is specifically designed to be hot-pluggable (and unpluggable). The only issues that can arise are software.
--- End quote ---
They're not designed to be 15 cent Chinese manufactured sockets/plugs, though, which is what almost all of them are now.
missioncontrol:
--- Quote from: efjayel on November 20, 2007, 02:14:17 am ---My sister claims she ruined her I-pod from pulling it out of the USB socket without first disconnecting it through windows.
--- End quote ---
If the PC was writing to the Ipod at the time, yes it could damage the file structure thus rendering it unusable. I've seen a few thumb drives get ruined because users pulled them out without disconnecting them. Usually a low level format will fix it, but the data will be gone.
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