Thanks for the help, Sven.  The scanner is HP ScanJet 4200C.  Will it hurt anything if the "safely remove software" is not available, as long as I only unplug the card reader (or scanner) when the PC is turned off?   

It really means a lot to have people like you who are willing to share your knowledge with the rest of us.  Thanks again,        -Ann Fennell
  ----- Original Message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
  From: Sven 
  Try shutting down the computer, remove (unplug) the card reader, restart and once Windows is ready, plug the card reader back in. At that point Windows should recognize the reader with an audible sound and the icon, "Safely Remove Hardware", should appear in the System Tray. The reader will also show in Windows Explorer and My Computer as a "Removable Disk". If your card reader accepts more than one type of card, a removable disk will be shown for each one. You can treat it as any other drive in that respect, drag and drop to/from, write to it, copy from it, etc.When you double-click the icon and the "Safely Remove Hardware" window appears, it should only list the card reader. Does it include the scanner? If so, what type of scanner is it and do you have software installed for it?          -Sven Swanson, Sr.

  ----- Original Message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  From: "a fennell" <[log in to unmask]>
  Sven, there used to be an icon on my system tray that was to "safely remove hardware"  (for scanner & Sony card reader),  but it has disappeared.   Is there a way to find it and get it back?  -Ann Fennell
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