I have a SD memory card reader that pluggs in to the USB port and the SD memory card plugs into the memory card reader, my question is would it hurt if i just pulled out the memory card out of the memory card reader without stopping the USB device (card reader)
yes it would as far as I know at the moment
With Windows XP, it should be no problem - usually. Windows 2000, it can corrupt the data easier. It is best to stop the device before removing if possible.
It will IF - the OS is still writing data to that card. If this is the case - the data on the SD card will get corrupt and you'll have to reformat the whole thing. The safe way is to disconnect the USB device. It can be a pain, but I always do that just to make sure none of my stuff gets messed up. :)
