We've all been there: rushing to grab your USB drive only to be stopped in your tracks by an ominous warning about "safely removing" it first. But does this advice from the days of yore still apply in the era of Windows 10 and 11

Way back when, forgetting to eject a drive before unplugging could lead to all sorts of issues. Partially saved files, corrupted documents, blue screens of death oh the horror! Tech websites and manuals drilled it into our heads that the "Safely Remove Hardware" notification was not to be ignored. Failure to follow procedure meant facing the wrath of your poor, suffering PC.