How to prevent WinUSB device to show in Safely Remove Hardware?

Question

Answer 1

Hello.

If you want a WinUSB device not to appear in the "Safely Remove Hardware and Pop Media" tray icon on Windows, you can do so by modifying the registry.

Note, however, that modifying the registry may have irreversible effects on the system, so make sure to back up important data before doing so.

Here is one possible way to hide a particular USB device:

1. Create a system restore point or backup your registry to prevent any unwanted issues.
2. Open the Registry Editor:

• Press the 'Win + R' keys to open the run dialog.
• Type 'regedit' and press Enter to open the registry editor.

1. Navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesusbstor

1. Inside the 'usbstor' key, find the sub-key named 'Parameters'. If it doesn't exist, you need to create it. Right-click on 'usbstor', select the new > item, and name it 'Parameters'. Look for or create a DWORD (32-bit) value called 'DisableRemovalInterface' inside the 'Parameters' subkey. Double-click on the value and set its value to '1' (either hexadecimal or decimal), then click OK.
2. Restart your computer: For the changes to take effect, you may need to restart your computer.

Finally, this method doesn't work in all situations, especially if your device isn't a standard USB storage device. In addition, hiding the device may affect the safe removal process of the device, leading to data loss or other issues. So, make sure you understand the potential risks before making any changes.

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