Win 7 won't eject usb drive

When I switch usb drives (often), I eject them to insure the buffer is written, etc. After I switched from McAfee to ESET Smart Security 4 recently, this no longer works. I have to shut down the PC to switch usb drives, a real pain. I tried disabling ESET functions, but the only thing that works is to disable ESET startup using msconfig. I did a quick Help and Forum search and can't find anything. Is there some way to eject the usb drives without shutting down my PC.

- version and platform of the operating system, including installed service pack:
Win 7 Professional 64 bit Ver 6.1.7601 SP1
- the name of the ESET product, the version number:
Smart Security Ver 4.2.71.2
- information about installed ESET modules (Help -> About):
I downloaded and installed ESET Smart Security 4 on 6/12/11 so it should be up to date. If you need this, let me know (a lot of info to type - is there any place I can copy this info and paste it here?)
- step-by-step instructions to reproduce the issue, if not straightforward. If there's a connection with other software, provide its exact version number as well as a download link, if possible:
Right-click the "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" button in the task bar, select Eject usb drive, wait for message saying it failed because some program is still using the drive. My backup software causes the problem also, but shutting down the app solves the problem.

 

Since you mentioned the fact that you just switched from McAfee, are you sure it was entirely removed before you installed ESET?

Many times a simple uninstall is not enough to remove antivirus software. Sometimes it requires the use of a removal tool. Try uninstalling ESET, run McAfee’s removal tool, reboot and install ESET.