I had my latop searched my US customs

[Ninewives]

A slightly off topic but related question. Given I am almost computer illiterate; any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I save my photos, trip reports and any downloads on a password encrypted USB storage device. When I travel through customs there is never anything on my laptop only the USB stick. I am sure if there was a serious search they would find it but there is not anything illegal, just embarrassing. (The reason I use the password stick is not for any serious protection, it is for the off chance that I leave it lying around the house or the office).

My question is this.......

I sometimes open and view the material on my laptop at work (I know I shouldn't but my job can sometimes be mind numbing and every three weeks I work the back shift €“ no excuse of course).

Before opening the stick, I disconnect my laptop from the system, do not save anything on the laptop and only use the laptop to open the USB stick and view the material.

When I close the stick and click on the icon to safely remove it from the laptop, the following message comes up:

PROBLEM EJECTING USB MASS STORAGE DEVICE
The device €˜Generic Volume' cannot be stopped because a program is still assessing it.

Can anyone tell me what that means? I can't see how it can be being assessed because I am not connected to the system. I don't have any other open files in the USB stick and it only happens on my work laptop.

Thanks.

[BAM]

(Ninewives @ Jan. 04 2009,08:19) Can anyone tell me what that means? I can't see how it can be being assessed because I am not connected to the system. I don't have any other open files in the USB stick and it only happens on my work laptop.

Thanks.

Any drive management software will do that like Partition magic, also Anti virus , and Spybot Tea timer , Windows file search, Browser open, etc..Check through services in program manager. Turn off the ones you are allowed to stop (Usually have yor user name listed beside each one) one at a time Your drive will be released .
Then in the property sheet for that program look for a way to disable the inclusion of that drive in the software propram.
Eg. Diskeeper would check my removable drive ,so I removed that drive from Diskeeper's seach

[Ninewives]

Thanks Bam