So, I know that we should use “remove hardware” icon or programs like usb safely remove or usb disk eject before pulling out the cable, otherwise we might loose data. But what about if you connect your usb drive \ flash to a smart tv or smartphone or something… We just pull the cable out, since there is no “remove hardware” icon (that I know of) but is it safe?
Technically speaking the Safely remove hardware option is only needed if the device is set to Better Performance; not when it is set to Quick Removal. The latter is the default setting. The former is more suited when using a hard drive with a USB connection; that’s when write caching makes sense.
My Smart TV says that a USB stick should only be inserted or removed when the TV is off. Vizio says that it may not be recognized if inserted with the set on. They also say that data corruption could occur.
My computer doesn’t care. I can add and remove my thumb drives or even my USB external HDD without even looking at the remove hardware options. Microsoft claims it’s not necessary in Windows 8.