Can't put back external hard disk

Hi,
I can never put back my external hard disk (USB). There's an alert it was in use and can't be ejected.
In use by which process?
Thanks a lot!
Peter

Thank you, Mark!
Yes, I meant "unmount". I'm translating this into English.
It must be a background app; even with all "frontend" apps quit, this message persists. When I restart, I have the same problem again if I don't turn the drive off quickly when everything is down. This is no solution.
I tried Disk Utility, TechTool Pro… – no way to analyze it because it can't be unmounted.
I have found a root process called "mds". If I force-quit it, I can unmount the HD.
What is "mds" for?

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