Safely remove hardware icon is missing

I have my USB flash drive plugged in to my Windows XP system. Normally, when I go to unplug this device, I click on the little icon located in my notification area (lower right corner). However, I have just noticed that the icon is missing and am now afraid to unplug my device. I have been told that you could lose the data on that drive by just unplugging it. How can I restore the icon to my task bar?

Method 1:
Unhide the icon:

• Right click your notification area (next to the clock)

• Select Properties

• Uncheck the entry titled: Hide inactive icons

• Click OK

Method 2:
Invoke the Safely Remove Hardware window:

• Go to Start>> Run. Type in:
  
  RUNDLL32 SHELL32.DLL,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll
  
  (you may want to copy and paste the above command in to the run text box for accuracy sake)

• Press Enter.

• Double click the Entry in the body of the windows to view all installed USB devices.

• Select the one that you would like to Stop.

• Unplug the stopped device

Method 3:
Reboot to restore Safely Remove Hardware icon:

• It has been reported that a simple reboot will restore the subject icon to the notification area

Method 4:
Make sure Safely Remove Hardware is set to "always show":

• Go to Start>> Control Panel

• Select Taskbar and Start Menu

• Scroll the list to find the "Safely Remove Hardware" entry

• Be sure that it is set to "Always show" or "Always hide" is OK. If it is set to "Always hide", click the "Always hide" entry and select one of the other two listed options.

• Click OK and exit all open windows