Good afternoon, dear readers and subscribers of the blog site. I'll tell you a short story about how people break USB flash drives and how to restore them later. My colleague gave one of the employees a flash drive to transfer data from one computer to another. The user completed the transfer and gave us the media. Next, my colleague inserted this flash drive and tried to write something on it and was very surprised that it was not visible at all, only a window immediately appeared that it needed to be formatted, we tried and got an error " Disc is write protected". Let me show you how to solve this problem and return the media to working condition.
Let me show you what the error looks like. On the first window for formatting a removable disk, you will see “The disk is write protected.”
By clicking ok, you will see another interesting warning:
Windows cannot format. Check that the drive and disk connections are correct, make sure the disk is not read-only, and then try again. For more information, see Help by searching for information about read-only files and how you can change
If you open Disk Management, you will find that the media has a Read-Only status.
There is also a situation where the flash drive is visible and opens, but writing to it does not give anything, even if you take into account that write rights are present on the “Security” tab. Here you already see the message "."
We can easily cure all these symptoms.
Let's look at the most common reasons that lead to failure of a USB storage device, both at the physical and logical levels:
When everything is clear with the reasons, then let's start practicing. I’ll immediately show you a working method that removes the Read-Only media lock. The Formatter SiliconPower utility will help you with this.
You can download Formatter SiliconPower either from the official website or from me.
The utility is completely portable and does not require installation. Launch Formatter SiliconPower.
Before starting, I advise you to leave only the non-working flash drive on
You will see a window in which you will be asked to format, agree and click “Format”
You will be warned that all data will be deleted, we continue the operation.
The recovery process begins; under no circumstances remove the flash drive until you see a window that everything was successful.
This is what the window looks like, that everything is done and now the USB drive is not write-protected and works in your usual mode.
This method will help in 99 percent of cases when your flash drive is visible, but does not allow you to write anything on it. The whole problem here is in one registry key that needs to be corrected or recreated. And so, press the Win and R buttons at the same time, and in the “Run” window that opens, write regedit.
Go to the section:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
If there is no such section, then you will have to create it via right-click and give it the name StorageDevicePolicies
In the StorageDevicePolicies section, you need to create a "QWORD (64-bit) Value" registry key named WriteProtect and give it a value of 0.
If the WriteProtect key was already in your registry and had a value of 1, then it prohibited formatting the flash drive and wrote that the disk is write protected, change it to zero.
After making changes to the registry, you need to restart your computer, otherwise the settings will not take effect.
If your removable storage device still displays the message “The USB disk is write-protected,” don’t rush to get upset, we have the Diskpart utility in stock. You can run it through the Windows command line as an administrator.
As you can see, the diskpart utility has worked, now you can check the result of its execution.
There are also specific methods for USB drives from certain manufacturers, for example, for Trancend, there is a special JetFlash Online Recovery utility.
As you can see, everything was completed successfully and the flash drive opened quietly.
As you can see, the error with the inability to read or format a flash drive can be solved very simply, for this there are both built-in utilities and utilities from manufacturers, choose the method that suits you and repair it, if you have questions, write them in the comments, I will try to answer them, thanks to all.
Useful advice from user Sergey (Fin)
Now I dissected the corpse and discovered oxidation of the USB contacts. Radio amateurs have a spray called Contact CLEANER, so I used it. The contacts are shiny, the flash drive is read, written and formatted. I hope she will continue to please me with her performance (although this is already a big question, her total age is about 8 years).
Ivan, thank you for the article and all the best!
I hope it helps the rest of your readers.
PS: for those who washed the flash drive or dropped it in water, disassemble it, dry it, then clean the board itself on both sides with a toothbrush and alcohol. It should come to life - I did it myself several times =) Good luck!
With the development of information technology, floppy disks went out of use. They have been replaced by USB drives. It should be noted that flash drives have become more popular even than CDs and DVDs. Removable media allows you to record information repeatedly.
Unfortunately, when users try to add new documents to the media, they may see the following message on the screen: “USB media is write protected.” Before you start eliminating the blocking, you need to figure out why the write protection of the flash drive worked.
Before removing write protection from a flash drive, users are advised to consider the reasons for installing a protective function on the media. Protection is enabled for the following reasons:
Most of the reasons can be eliminated using the operating system. It is important to carefully familiarize yourself with the methods, and only then apply them.
Having discovered that the disk is write-protected, newcomers begin to panic. You need to calm down and try to correct the situation. First of all, it is recommended to inspect the appearance of the USB drive. Many flash drives have a miniature jumper, which serves as protection.
Having discovered a miniature “lever” on the body of a removable disk, users are advised to move it in the opposite direction. After this, you need to check the media by inserting it into the system unit. It is best not to use the ports located on the front side, as they may have poor contact and the drive will not be detected.
If physical switching does not help, it is best to return the “lever” to its place and then move on to other methods. Some flash drives have writing on them. The jumper must be installed opposite “Unlock”. The same applies to the memory card used in cameras.
The Windows platform has a tool called the registry, which contains settings for programs and the entire OS as a whole. Sometimes there are situations when malware changes the registry value, as a result of which protection appears on the flash drive that prevents the writing of any types of files.
To change the setting, you must activate the system registry editor. To do this, open the Start menu, and then type “regedit” in the search bar.
It should be noted that the system registry can be launched using the task utility. To call it, press the combination of two keys Win + R. In the form that launches, type the word “regedit” and then click on the “OK” button.
After opening the system registry, users should open the branch: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SYSTEM->CurrentControlSet->Control”.
The next step is to find the “StorageDevicePolicies” subsection in the “Control” section. If such a directory does not exist, it should be added. It is recommended to press the right button of the manipulator under the “Control” section. As soon as the menu opens, you will need to select the “create” item, and then click on the “Section” inscription. The new section should be called “StorageDevicePolicies”.
Now we need to add a parameter. In the window located on the right side, you need to right-click and then select “Create”. When the submenu opens, it is recommended to select “DWORD Value (32-bit).”
It should be noted that the “StorageDevicePolicies” section with the “WriteProtect” parameter can be created, but its value will be “1”. To remove write protection, you need to set the value to “0”, after which it is better to restart the computer.
Many users do not know how to remove protection from a flash drive using CMD commands. To launch the console, you need to launch the task execution utility, or open Start, and then type “cmd” in the search bar.
After starting the console, you need to use the Diskpart command. Immediately after this, another console will appear in which all actions will be performed.
Before removing protection, you need to decide on the disk. To do this, enter the command “list volume” in the console and then press Enter. After this, a table with all devices will appear. The last volume will be removable media. It is of a removable type, and will also have a size indicated (for flash drives, the size can be indicated in megabytes, i.e. for 8 GB it will be written 7788 MB).
The next step requires entering the command “Select volume #”, where instead of “#” the volume number corresponding to the removable media is indicated.
When the volume is selected, you need to use the “Attributes volume clear readonly” command. After that, just press Enter.
After the operation is completed, all parameters will be cleared and the write protection will be removed. To check, it is recommended to reinsert the USB flash drive and then send the files to the media.
If the disk is write-protected, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the security policy. First, you should call the “Run” utility, and then enter “gpedit.msc” in the field. In the application that opens, you need to enter the computer configuration, and then expand administrative templates. In the list that opens, find the system, and then select “Access to removable storage devices.”
A list will be displayed in the right window. The user will need to find the “Removable drives: Deny writing” option. To start editing a policy, you need to “click” on the entry with the right button of the manipulator, and then select “Edit”.
Now remove the write protection by checking the box that says “Disabled”. You can get rid of a protected recording by checking the box that says: “Not specified.” After this, all that remains is to click on the “Apply” button and “OK”.
Users often have to deal with the fact that a USB drive is write-protected, but they do not know how to remove the protection. If manipulations with OS utilities do not produce a positive result, you should seek help from specialized software.
Each program is unique and released by developers to recover specific flash drives. It is best to check with the manufacturer which program is best suited.
If the flash drive does not allow the user to move or add files, and the manufacturer of the USB device is unknown, we recommend using the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. The utility is distributed completely free of charge. Thanks to the program, it is possible to completely restore the operation of a removable disk. The only thing worth remembering is that all information on the media will be deleted.
After downloading the file, the program is launched as an administrator. The next step requires you to select the media and then format the flash drive. In this case, all parameters will be restored.
This program is capable of correcting errors in USB drives manufactured under the Transcend brand, as well as A-data. The advantage of the utility is that it can:
It is best to download the application from the manufacturer's official website. After downloading the utility, you must run it as an administrator. After this, you can begin to resuscitate the host, remove the protection or select any suitable action.
The utility is designed to resuscitate flash drives produced by Apacer Technology Inc. The application allows you to:
After downloading and launching the program, a form with a “Format” button will appear. After clicking it, the disk will be formatted. The data will of course be deleted, but the write protection will be eliminated.
The program can be downloaded from the official Internet resource. Even a beginner can handle managing the program.
If all of the above methods do not help, all that remains is to infect the host with viruses. First of all, you should check USB drives for viruses. This can be done with any antivirus programs. It is also recommended to check the media with Anti-Autorun utilities.
Even if antivirus software detects Trojans and other malware, it is recommended to format the flash drive. This can be done using Windows. If all else fails, your best bet is to boot into Safe Mode and then repeat the procedure. To do this, you need to restart the computer, and when it turns on, press F8. After this, you need to select a download method. When the computer turns on, you just need to format it.
It is important to note that before performing any procedure, it is recommended to check how full the disk is. Perhaps the disk space is simply full, so a new file cannot be written. This can be done by opening the media properties and first opening “My Computer”.
Faced with blocking the recording of information on removable media, many users despair. There is no need to be upset, because in 90% of cases, the methods described above allow you to restore the functionality of the flash drive. There's no need to rush. It is necessary to gradually test each of the existing methods.
If nothing helps, then physical damage to the media has occurred. Of course, in this case, you can restore everything, but you will have to contact the experts. It should be noted that this is not profitable. The cost of repairs may be more expensive than the cost of new removable media.
Although optical discs are still in demand, there is no longer any talk about the popularity of this type of media. Today they have almost been replaced by portable flash drives or simply flash drives. These small devices are versatile, reliable, and capable of storing large amounts of information for long periods of time. And yet, despite their reliability and resistance to physical damage, flash drives, like all devices, can eventually begin to malfunction.
One of these errors, and, by the way, very common, is the spontaneous activation of write protection. It manifests itself in the fact that when you try to write or delete a file from the media, the system displays the message “The disk is write-protected.” It also happens that a flash drive is not formatted using Windows, but usually this happens in more complex situations. However, the problem is not so insoluble, and today we will look at the main ways to eliminate it.
The reasons for the occurrence of the malfunction described above may be different, but, as a rule, they are all associated with either a failure in the configuration of Windows settings, or with the failure of the device’s flash memory, or with damage to the file system. Hardware failures and failures in the microcontroller cannot be ruled out. It often happens that the user himself blocks the device by switching a special hardware toggle switch, but this only applies to those flash drives that are equipped with a similar mechanism.
Drive blocking can also be caused by lack of free space on the disk, viruses, natural wear and tear of flash memory (the device is switched to read-only mode), incorrect formatting, removal from the USB connector while data is being written, thermal and electrical effects, getting inside moisture, removal or damage of the corresponding driver, the appearance of a large number of bad sectors, and less often, changing the file system after using a flash drive on devices with a different operating system. So, how can you remove protection from a flash drive that you can’t write data to?
Some flash drive manufacturers equip the drives with a small mechanical switch that allows you to enable or disable write protection. If your device has a similar toggle switch, make sure it is set to the UnLock position (towards the open padlock icon).
Insert the flash drive into the USB port and try to write something on it. If you suspect that the switch is broken, do not disassemble the device, but rather take it to a service center.
If write protection is not related to hardware problems, you can try to remove it through the registry. The fact is that a parameter may be set in the registry that prohibits making changes to the file system of the drive. Click on your keyboard Win+R, enter the command regedit and press enter.
Expand the following branch in the left column of the editor that opens:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/StorageDevicePolicies
Now see if there is an option in the right column of the editor WriteProtect. If it is present and its value is 1, then you have found the reason why the flash drive is write-protected. Double-click on the parameter line with the mouse and change the current value from 1 to 0. Save the settings, restart the computer and check the result.
Attention, it is likely that you will not have some element of the path indicated above. In this case, it must be created manually. Let's say there is no StorageDevicePolicies directory. Right-click on the previous subsection and select “New” → “Section” from the menu.
Naturally, you will also need to create a WriteProtect parameter. It must be of type DWORD, but can also be QWORD on 64-bit systems.
Using the Command LineWe've figured out how to remove write protection from a flash drive through the registry, let's look at another method - using the built-in console utility Diskpart. After connecting the USB flash drive to the computer, open a command prompt as administrator and run the following commands:
diskpart
list disk
select disk N(where N is the serial number of the flash drive)
attributes disk clear readonly
exit
The first command launches the Diskpart utility, the second displays a list of all disks connected to the computer.
With the third command we select the serial number of the removable media, with the fourth we remove write protection from it. The fifth command terminates the Diskpart utility.
This tool can also be used to format a write-protected flash drive, but this is when the files on it are not valuable. In this case, after the fourth step, you should run the following commands:
clean
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs
Unlocking a flash drive through local group policyAnother way to remove write protection involves using the Local Group Policy Editor. By pressing Win+R call the “Run” window, enter into it gpedit.msc and press enter.
In the left column of the editor, follow the path Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Access to Removable Storage Devices.
Now in the right column, find the “Removable drives: Deny read” option, double-click on it and make sure that the radio button in the settings window that opens is set to “Disabled” (the default should be “Not set”).
In some cases, it is not possible to remove protection from a USB flash drive using the system alone. In this case, it is often not only impossible to write anything to the media, but when formatting a flash drive, Windows writes that the disk is write-protected. In such situations, special utilities can be of great help. It is important, however, to understand that most of these programs completely format the drive during the unlocking process, so you should take care of creating a backup copy of all files on it in advance.
JetFlash Recovery Tool is one of the most popular flash drive recovery utilities. It is intended mainly for repairing Transcend and A-Data flash drives, but can also work with other types of media. The utility supports removing write protection, restoring from the RAW file system, formatting with preliminary saving of data, and correcting file system damage. The program can be used even in cases where the flash drive is not recognized by the system at all.
A utility for restoring flash drives based on Alcor microcontrollers. Like the previous tool, it allows you to remove write protection, as well as restore normal operation of the device. The utility supports the creation of protected partitions on the disk, flashing the controller and analyzing flash memory. Unfortunately, support for the utility has been discontinued by the developer, however, it continues to be successfully used to “treat” Alcor drives.
And at the end of the review, we suggest you get acquainted with another utility for unlocking flash drives. This is HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - a universal free program used mainly for formatting different models of flash drives. The utility supports unlocking USB devices, selecting a file system when formatting, assigning labels, and applying data compression for NTFS. In addition, with its help you can create a bootable MS-DOS flash media.
It is very frustrating when habitual manipulations performed many times suddenly, at one unfortunate moment, fail. It would seem that writing files to a flash drive is a routine operation that is already performed “automatically”. And so, when I try to transfer several files to this portable media once again, a message pops up that this flash drive is write-protected and it is not possible to perform the operation.
Is this a death sentence, or can the problem be dealt with? Let's figure it out.
There can be many versions of why it is impossible to write to the media - from mechanical damage to the flash drive to a stupid joke from someone you know. What led to the blocking in this case is not important. It is much more important to use the portable media correctly. Common recommendations include:
It is much more interesting and useful to find out a way to get rid of the error and write to a flash drive.
Let's start everything simple. Having made sure that the flash drive is intact externally, nothing is broken and it has not been dipped into liquid, we will step by step find out why it turned out that this disk is write-protected.
Inspect the storage media carefully. SD memory cards (microsd through an adapter) and some flash drive models have a mechanical switch that blocks the ability to write and format. Check what position it is set to; if it is in “Lock” mode, then all you have to do is move it and remove the write protection.
It is useful to connect the flash drive to a different USB port, or try recording on another computer. This will eliminate the possibility that there are problems with USB on this computer.
If the flash drive does not open on any computer, then most likely the drive is damaged and will have to be replaced.
Please note what kind of file you are trying to write to. As a rule, new flash drives are initially formatted in the FAT32 file system. If the file being written is 4 GB or more in size, you will first have to change the file system to NTFS. Only then will it be possible to record files of any size. 
Before you continue trying to unlock your flash drive, it is extremely useful to check it for viruses. The reason may be hidden in some malicious program blocking the ability to write information to the disk. 
Use an installed antivirus program, or download a verification utility from the website of the developer of such software.
You can enable disk writing by entering (or checking) the value of the parameter in the registry. To call it, you need to click the “Start” button, enter “regedit” in the search bar, then right-click on the found utility and select the menu item that runs it as administrator. 
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR"
and find the “Start” parameter. 
The value “3” of this parameter means that the entry is allowed, but if a different value is set, then most likely the cause of the error has been found.
It is possible that the ability of some users to write to removable media is blocked on the computer. To remove the ban, you need to make changes to local group policy. You should click the “Start” button, enter “gpedit.msc” in the search bar, right-click and run the snap-in as administrator.
“Computer Configuration->Administrative Templates->System->Access to Removable Storage Devices.” 
The value of the “Removable drives: Deny writing” parameter should be “Not configured” or “Disabled”. Otherwise, recording to external media is prohibited.
You need to reboot the system and then try again to write to the flash drive.
If there is still no result, then you can use the command line and the Diskpart program included in the OS. You need to click the “Start” button, enter “Diskpart” in the search bar, and on the line that appears with the name of the program, right-click to run it as administrator. In the window that appears, enter the following commands.
If no recording was made because the “read-only” attribute was set, then steps 5-7 can be skipped. Otherwise, it is advisable to format the flash drive, first saving all important data.
It is possible that the flash drive is not formatted, giving one or another error. In this case, to solve problems, it is advisable to use proprietary utilities produced by many flash drive manufacturers. Some of them can be listed:
All utilities must be run as administrator.
You can clarify the type of controller used in the flash drive by using, for example, the “Flash Drive Information Extractor” utility. 
If none of the recommendations help solve the problem, then the drive will probably need to be replaced. You can use specialized utilities designed to work with a specific type of controller. There is a possibility that the flash drive can be revived. The question is how much you can trust this drive after a serious failure.
