Datatraveler 111 disk is write protected. The flash drive is write protected how to remove protection. Low-level formatting - as one of the ways to restore the performance of a locked flash drive

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FAQ

General USB FAQs

Can the DataTraveler be used as a bootable USB device?

FAQ: KTD-082913-GEN-27

Is there a security or write protection feature on this DataTraveler?

Unfortunately, this device does not contain a built-in security or write protection feature. If you receive a write protection message while using this drive, check the following:

1. Verify that the current user has permission to write to removable storage devices. Your OS may have a security setting that disables write access to removable storage devices.

2. Check that you have not enabled write protection on the drive using third party software.

3. If all of the above options are incorrect, the drive may be defective. Contact service technical support Kingston for more help.

To transfer files larger than 4 GB, the DataTraveler drive must have file system NTFS or ExFAT. Unfortunately, the FAT32 file system does not allow individual files, which are larger than 4 GB (more precisely, the file must be one byte less than 4 GB). Follow the steps below to format your DataTraveler to use the NTFS file system. Warning! All data on the DataTraveler will be permanently deleted! Before continuing, do backup data stored on the DataTraveler.

1. Open "My Computer" ("Computer" in Vista and 7). Click right click mouse over the Kingston drive and select "Format...".
2. Select NTFS or ExFAT file system from the dropdown list.
3. Select "Quick Format" as the formatting method and click the "Start" button.
   Note. If the NTFS file system is not available for selection, close the "Format..." window and follow steps 4-9.
4. Select the "Hardware" tab and click the "Device Manager" button.
5. Select the Hardware tab and click Device Manager.
6. 6. Expand the drive list and right-click the Kingston drive. Select "Properties".
7. Go to the "Policy" tab and select "Optimize for performance".
8. Click OK
9. Repeat steps 1-3.

Please be aware that macOS 10.6.5 supports full access to disks with the file system to ExFAT (read and write). Even modern versions of MacOS only support reading disks with the NTFS file system.

My DataTraveler is no longer working, or I can no longer view files stored on the DataTraveler. Is it possible to recover files on DataTraveler ?

If you have stored important data on your DataTraveler, we highly recommend using one of the two possible ways data recovery (see below). Kingston does not provide data recovery services. For more information about our warranty policy, please visit our website.

1. Contact a data recovery company such as www.drivesavers.com and Ontrack (www.ontrack.com) . You can also use Google to find companies that provide data recovery services.
2. 2. Go to www.download.com to find and download one of the many fairly easy-to-use data recovery utilities. We recommend using one of the free versions, which is almost as functional as the paid versions. However, to take advantage of this feature, the computer must assign a drive letter to the device. And even in this case, data recovery cannot be guaranteed. If the data could not be recovered, then the first option will be the best solution.

KDT-012611-GEN-25

Not all of the capacity of the DataTraveler drive or flash storage device is available for data storage. Why is this happening?

Part of the nominal capacity of some flash storage devices is used for formatting and other functions, so it is not available for data storage and you do not see the full capacity.

During the manufacturing process of a flash storage device, steps are taken to ensure the reliability of the device and the ability of the host device (computer, digital cameras, PDA, etc.) to access its memory cells; those. provides the ability to store data on a flash device and retrieve data from the device. These steps, informally known as "formatting", use some of the device's memory locations, thereby reducing the free space for end user data storage.

Formatting includes the following operations:

1. Testing each memory cell in a flash memory device.
2. Identification of all defective cells and actions to prevent data from being written to or read from these cells.
3. Reserving some of the cells as "spare". Flash memory cells have a long, but still finite, lifetime. This allows you to keep some cells in reserve to replace those of the cells in which failures will be found during operation.
4. Create a file allocation table (FAT) or other directories. To provide the opportunity convenient storage data on the flash memory device and accessed by the user, it is necessary to create a file management system that allows any device or computer to identify the files stored on the flash memory device. The most common type of file management system for flash storage devices is the file allocation table (FAT), which is also used to format hard drives.
5. Reservation of some cells for use by the controller of the flash memory device, for example, for storing firmware updates and other information, which differs depending on the controller.
6. 6. If necessary, some cells are reserved for special functions. For example, the specifications for Secure Digital (SD) memory cards require reserved areas to support special copy protection and security features.

The Kingston drive boots up properly. However, the drive does not appear in the My Computer window. If you open the device manager, find the "Disk drives" list and look at the properties of the Kingston drive, but in the settings window you will see that the drive has not been assigned a drive letter (the corresponding field is empty). Another USB device works fine with this port, so we know the port is enabled. How to solve this problem?

Disconnect other USB devices, insert the DataTraveler drive and restart your computer. After setting up the DataTraveler, you will be able to connect other USB devices.

What operating systems support exFAT?

When I plug a memory card reader into a USB port on my keyboard, monitor, USB hub, or front of my computer case, the device is not recognized or an error message appears. Why is this happening?

My DataTraveler is not detected in Windows. Why is this happening?

1. DataTraveler may conflict with a pre-assigned drive letter. To resolve this error, do the following (don't do this if you're using a "Confidential" drive that has two drive letters assigned):

1. Insert DataTraveler and open "Control Panel". Then open Administration.
2. Open "Computer Management"
3. Select "Disk Management" in the left pane of the window.
4. Locate the memory card reader in the right pane of the window.
5. Right-click on the drive and select "Change Drive Letter or Drive Path".
6. Click "Change" and select a new drive letter from the drop-down list. Then click OK.

2. DataTraveler may conflict with existing software. Before installing Data Traveler, disable any applications running in the background.

3. Make sure you have the latest windows updates, USB controller drivers, and computer system BIOS.

4. If you have a desktop computer, make sure the DataTraveler is connected directly to one of the main USB ports on the back of the computer. The ports on the front panel, on the keyboard, or USB hubs may not be able to supply enough power to operate the high-speed DataTraveler drive properly.

5. Check for conflicts with another USB device, such as a printer or USB memory card reader. Disconnect other USB devices, insert the DataTraveler drive and restart your computer. After setting up the DataTraveler, you will be able to connect other USB devices.

The DataTraveler drive has free space, but when I try to save data to it, I get the error message "Unable to create file or directory." Why is this happening?

This is a limitation of the file system. To transfer additional data to this device, you must delete the current data from the drive and create folders on the drive to copy files to. By doing this, you will be able to transfer additional data to the Data Traveler.

When using a DataTraveler USB drive in conjunction with a download utility or other third party software, the capacity of the drive becomes much smaller than the original. How to restore disk capacity?

Typically, this phenomenon is caused by a program that repartitions the drive into smaller partitions in order to be able to use them. Built in Windows tool formatting drives format, as a rule, does not allow for recovery of capacity. We suggest you find a third-party drive formatting utility on the Internet and solve this problem with its help.

Windows-related FAQs

My USB drive works fine on Windows 7, but when I connect the drive to a computer running another operating system, such as Windows XP, I'm prompted to format the drive. Why is this happening?

You have probably formatted the drive to use the ExFAT file system with Windows 7. To resolve this issue, reformat the drive to use the FAT32 or NTFS file system. You can also update your operating system to be ExFAT compliant. Be aware that some devices (MP3 players, digital photo frames, etc.) cannot read NTFS or ExFAT file systems.

The computer recognizes the DataTraveler USB drive if it is connected during boot, but does not recognize the drive if it is connected to the computer after the OS has loaded. How to solve this problem?

This may be due to the power supply settings on the computer's USB ports. Follow the steps below to change these settings.

1. Select Start > Control Panel.
2. Click the "Performance and Maintenance" link.
3. Click the "System" link in the Control Panel.
4. Open the Hardware tab.
5. Click the "Device Manager" button.
6. Press the "+" symbol in front of the menu item "Universal controllers". serial bus" to open that category of equipment.
7. Right-click "USB Root Hub" and select "Properties".
8. Go to the "Power Management" tab and uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for each of the additional USB Root Hubs listed.
10. Restart your computer.

The computer has mapped network drives. Windows reports that the drive is installed correctly, but it has not been assigned a drive letter. Why is this happening?

Windows assigns new drive letters to the next available physical drives in order of priority. In some cases, the physical drive may get the same drive letter as the network drive. This is a common issue with removable storage devices.

To resolve this issue, open the Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management menu. Pay attention to the disks in the right pane of the window. Check if the Kingston(x) drive is recognized. (x) represents the drive letter that Windows assigned to Data Traveler.

If the DataTraveler is using the same drive letter as one of the other drives, right-click on the Kingston drive letter and select Change Drive Letter or Drive Path.

In the next dialog box, click the "Change" button and assign the drive letter to the drive that is not currently in use.

Note. Do not manually change drive letters when using a DataTraveler Privacy Drive that assigns two drive letters to its partitions.

I have formatted a DataTraveler drive that is 64 GB or larger, but now I want to reformat it to use the FAT32 file system. How do I do this?

Because the DataTraveler drive you are using is 32 GB or larger, Windows 7 will not allow you to format it to use the FAT32 file system. You will have to convert the file system using the command line. Click Start -> Run, type CMD and click OK. At the command line, enter the following command (see figure), where F is the letter of your drive, replace it with the letter you are using. Pay attention to the spaces between parts of the command.

When I try to format a drive larger than 32 GB using Windows XP or Vista, I cannot select the file system. File system selection options are not displayed. How to solve this problem?

Follow the steps below to format your DataTraveler drive to use the NTFS file system using a computer running Windows control.

Note. Administrator rights required.

1. Disconnect all other external flash memory devices from the computer.
2. Right-click "My Computer" ("Computer" in Vista) and select "Properties".
   If User Account Control (UAC) is enabled in Windows Vista, a warning will be displayed. Click "Continue" to continue.
3. On the right side of the window, double-click Storage Devices, and then double-click Disk Management.
4. On the right side of the window, right-click on the Kingston removable drive and select "Format...".
   Note. You may receive the following warning: "This is the active partition on the disk. All data on the partition will be lost. Are you sure you want to format this partition?" Click the "Yes" button to continue.
5. 1. In the "Format..." window, select the NTFS file system and check the box next to "Quick Format". Click OK.
6. Click OK on the format warning window.

The Kingston Removable Drive window will display "Formatting", indicating that the formatting operation is in progress. After the formatting is completed, the drive status will change to "Failed".

After plugging the DataTraveler USB drive into the USB port of a computer running Windows Vista or Windows 7, an AutoPlay dialog box appears with the option to "Speed ​​up the system with Windows ReadyBoost". What is this feature and how can I enable it?

ReadyBoost in Windows Vista and Windows 7 is a feature that allows you to use the free space on your USB flash drive to improve system performance. The DataTraveler does not support Windows ReadyBoost technology.

Are Kingston Data Traveler drives compatible with Windows ME?

Unfortunately, none of the Kingston Data Traveler drives are supported on Windows ME.

Unable to install the DataTraveler on a computer running Windows Vista. Why is this happening?

There are several possible reasons why the DataTraveler might not be recognized in Windows Vista.

1. 1. If the Add Hardware wizard is looking for a device driver, point it to the Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository folder and select the Include subfolders check box in the Browse window. If this does not allow installation, specify the path to one of the subfolders in the FileRepository:

   FileRepository\usbstor.inf_...
   FileRepository\disk.inf_...
   FileRepository\volume.inf_...
   FileRepository\wpdfs.inf_...

2. If specifying the location of the FileRepository folder does not solve the problem, specify the following location: Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers and select the Include Subfolders check box in the Browse window.
3. 3. Microsoft has released a hot fix for USB devices not automatically detected in Vista. For details, please visit the following link or copy and paste it into address bar browser: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940199/en-us
4. If the hot fix does not resolve the issue, the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files are probably corrupt or missing.
1. Plug in the DataTraveler USB drive, if the Found New Hardware dialog appears, click Cancel and unplug the DataTraveler USB drive.
2. G2. Navigate to the (C:)>Windows>inf folder to check for usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files. If they are missing, they may have been corrupted or removed during a Vista installation or upgrade, preventing them from loading. If the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files are missing, follow these steps.
1. Find latest versions usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files in the Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\usbstor.inf directory

   Note. There may be several usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files. Select files with the earliest creation date. To do this, sort the files by date.

2. Copy the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files to the Windows>inf directory.
3. Reconnect DataTraveler.

   If the above instructions did not resolve the issue and/or the usbstor.inf and usbstor.pnf files exist in the Windows\Inf directory. Remove the drive and reconnect it, wait for the "Found New Hardware" dialog box to appear. Select "Find and install driver software (recommended)". Click the "Continue" button to have the system search for the driver. Select "Don't search the web". Select "I don't have a disc, show me other instructions." Select "Look for drivers on my computer (advanced)." Specify the following folders to search for the driver (check "Include subfolders" in the "Browse" window):

a) Windows\Inf
c) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\
d) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\usbstor.inf_...
e) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\disk.inf_...
f) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\volume.inf_...
g) Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\wpdfs.inf_...
h) Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers

Are there DataTraveler drivers for Windows 95 or Windows NT?

No. The Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems do not have support for USB devices. Unfortunately, Kingston is unable to provide a driver that will enable these operating systems to support USB flash drives.

After installing Data Traveler, two drive letters are visible. This happens when using Win98SE. How to solve this problem?

Set the option that is responsible for supporting legacy USB devices (Legacy USB) in the BIOS to Disabled (Disabled), or simply change the value to the opposite.

I plugged my new Kingston Traveler drive into a USB port and the computer shows the removable drive as a D: drive, but my computer's CD drive is no longer available. Also, in Device Manager, there are exclamation marks next to the primary and secondary IDE controllers. How to solve this problem?

To fix this problem, you need to edit the registry. Careless editing can cause serious damage to your computer. Click the "Start" button and select "Run...". Enter the word regedit and click OK. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\IOS and look for the word noide in the right pane. Delete this entry, save changes and restart your computer.

Mac/Linux related FAQs

Does the DataTraveler drive support the operating system? Linux system?

Yes, the DataTraveler is supported by Linux when using the kernel Linux versions 2.6.x and up.

Note. If the DataTraveler is included software, then it will not work on Linux. Only the drive itself is compatible with Linux.

The DataTraveler drive is not recognized by Mac OS X. How can I solve this problem?

To solve this problem, connect the drive to a USB port located directly on the computer. The USB ports on the keyboard and some USB hubs may not provide enough power to properly operate the Kingston DataTraveler drive. Also open Finder> Preferences (Settings)> Sidebar (Sidebar) to make sure that CD, DVD and iPod, as well as External Disks ( External drives) are marked with a checkmark.

When connected to a Mac, DataTraveler does not show free space after deleting files. How to solve this problem?

When using a Mac, you must first empty the Deleted Files Recycle Bin to restore the required amount of free space. You may need to reconnect the drive after emptying the trash.

If this does not solve the problem, you need to perform a full format of the device. Follow the instructions below to format your Kingston device.

WARNING! Formatting will delete all data, so make sure you have a copy of this data before continuing.

1. Go to Start > Programs > System Tools and open Disk Utility.

2. Select a disk in the left pane and click the "Clean" button on the right.

3. Select "Format Volume". If you choose file MS-DOS system, then the drive will be able to run the operating system for Mac and Windows. If you intend to use the drive only on a Mac, select the file Mac system OS Extended as the format for the volume.

To format a DataTraveler USB drive for Mac OS 10.3.x, follow these steps. To format a DataTraveler USB drive for Mac OS 10.3.x, follow these steps.

1. Press the GO button in the menu.
2. Double-click Utilities. If you don't see this menu item, double-click Programs, and then double-click Utilities.
3. In the Disk Utility dialog ( disk utility) click once on the active section of Kingston DataTraveler.
   Note. This window will have two lists for Data Traveler: the first one is active partition, and the second is the label of the volume.
4. Click on the Erase tab located on the right side of the screen.
5. Click Erase.

Remember that MacOS 10.6.5 supports full access to ExFAT-formatted drives (read and write). Therefore, formatting the drive to use the ExFAT file system can also solve this problem. Even modern versions of MacOS only support reading disks with the NTFS file system.

Some devices (MP3 players, digital photo frames, etc.) cannot read NTFS or ExFAT file systems.

Windows XP and Vista operating systems will also require an update to access files in the ExFAT file system.

For help using the USB DataTraveler, CLICK HERE to watch quick reference videos on using the DataTraveler.

After formatting the DataTraveler in Mac OS X, it refuses to work properly under Windows. Why is this happening?

After formatting the DataTraveler on Mac OS X, you may experience the following symptoms.

• * Disc is not readable in Windows XP.
• * When trying to format the drive in Windows, only 2 GB is formatted. In addition, two partitions are created.
• * After adding these files to the disc using a Mac computer, operating system Windows cannot read this data.

This is most likely the result of using the GUID partition table, which is the default partition table for Mac computers based on Intel processors. The GUID Partition Table is only supported on Windows Vista. Windows 7 and Windows XP do not support this file system. To solve this problem, you need to perform Disk Cleanup in Mac OS X by selecting the appropriate options. Follow these steps to properly clean up a disk in Mac OS X.

• * Open Disk Utility
• * Highlight the drive and select the "Partition" tab
• * Set the volume scheme to "1 Partition" (1 partition)
• * Change format to "MS-DOS (FAT)"
• * Click the "Options" button at the bottom of the screen and select the "Master Boot Record" partition table.
• * Click "Apply" to save changes and re-format the drive/li>

After formatting is complete, check that the drive is now using the primary boot record(MBR) by viewing the "Scheme Partition Map" in the lower right corner of the Disk Utility window. It should display "Master Boot Record".

When trying to copy files from a computer to Mac control OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 flash drive shows "Error code-36" error. What could be the problem?

This issue is related to copying directories (created with the Finder utility) from and back to a USB storage device if it is formatted with the MS-DOS/FAT file system. Bye Apple company will not release an update to fix this problem, you can use the following safe workaround.

1. Launch the Terminal program using the Tools > Programs menu and enter the following command, making sure it contains a space at the end:
2. 2. Select the folder that causes the "Error code-36" error to appear. Drag the folder directly to the terminal window.
3. 3. The path to the problematic folder should appear at the end of the command entered into the terminal. For example, the path might look like this:

   Dot_clean /Users/UserName/Desktop/Test_Folder

4. 4. Press the ENTER key to execute the command. It may seem like nothing happened, but copying the folder from the USB storage device to your computer should now complete without error.
5. Repeat this procedure for other folders as needed.

My DataTraveler drive is recognized by MacOS, but Windows is prompting me to format the drive. Why is this happening?

The Windows operating system may not recognize file macOS systems Extended or macOS Standard. To resolve this issue, format the drive to use the MacOS DOS file system so that the drive can be used in both environments.

WARNING! Formatting will permanently delete all data from the DataTraveler USB drive. Back up your data before you start.

1. Connect the DataTraveler USB drive to your Mac OS X computer and wait for the device to mount.
2. Click on the "Go" button on the menu bar.
3. Double-click Utilities. If you don't see this menu item, double-click Programs, and then double-click Utilities.
4. Double-click the Disk Utility icon.
5. In the Disk Utility dialog box, click once on the active Kingston DataTraveler partition. Note. This window will have two lists for the Data Traveler, the first is the active partition and the second is the volume label.
6. Click the "Erase" tab located on the right side of the screen.
7. From the Volume Format drop-down list, select MS-DOS File System.
8. Click Erase.

Hello dear readers! More recently, I ran into one problem, I wanted to reinstall Windows, found a sandisk cruzer 8gb flash drive, burned the image and just got it out of the computer, everything was as usual, I reinstalled Windows and decided to format the flash drive, but when I tried to format it, I got the error “the disk is protected from records. Remove protection and try again. ”, when copying files from a computer to a usb flash drive, I got an error about nickels “the disk is write-protected”.

I began to look for the cause of this problem, searching the Internet for what the problem of this error could be, I came to the conclusion that the causes of the “write protection” error may be as follows:

• The file system of the usb drive was violated - this is exactly what happens due to the fact that we ignore the message about "safely remove the device" (because of this, my flash drive broke, sandisk usb drives become unusable because of this). In my opinion, this is the most common reason.
• The flash drive was infected with viruses.
• Damage to the usb drive itself. She fell somewhere, got wet and shorted out, or you hit her hard, etc.
• Also, the most common reason is a special switch on the flash card, which protects against unauthorized writing to your usb drive.

So we figured out the reasons, now I will describe the methods that will help you remove write protection. Before starting, inspect your flash drive for a switch. If you find such a switch, then move it up or down depending on the model of the flash drive, an open lock is usually drawn on usb flash drives, if not drawn then logically, just move it in the opposite direction. On flash cards that use adapters, this is usually micro-sd, then move the slider to the very top of the adapter or in the opposite direction from the "Lock" inscription.

How to Remove Write Protection from a SanDisk Flash Drive

- This universal utility, which is suitable for almost any usb drive and for microsd flash cards using adapters. Download the program and run the exe-file (the program does not require installation). After launching, the program will automatically detect your device. After that, simply select the type of file system and click the "Start" button. (downloads: 8887)

Advice! If the flash drive is up to 4GB, then select the "FAT32" file system, in other cases, select "NTFS".

How to remove write protection from a Transcend, JetFlash and A-DATA flash drive

How to remove write protection from Apacer flash drive and Phison controller

Apacer 8 Repair Utility - A set of eight programs for formatting flash drives Apacer Handy Steno and other models. (downloads: 2459)

AH320_Utility_LFormat
Handy Steno AH320
HS2.0_Utility_FDU1.20
Handy Steno AH123
HS20_LFormat
HS20_RepairTool
Repair_V2.8.1.1

Repair_v2.9.0.4
Handy Steno AH161 plus, Handy Steno AH221
Handy Steno AH222, Handy Steno AH223
Handy Steno AH225, Handy Steno AH321
Handy Steno AH322, Handy Steno AH323
Handy Steno AH326

Repair_v2.9.1.1
Handy Steno AH123, Handy Steno AH124
Handy Steno AH125, Handy Steno AH160
Handy Steno AH220, Handy Steno AH320
Handy Steno HC202, Handy Steno HC212
Handy Steno HA202, Handy Steno HN202
Handy Steno HN212, Handy Steno HT202
Handy Steno HT203 200X, Handy Steno HS120

Repair_v2.9.1.8A
Handy Steno AH522 200X
These flash drives mainly use Phison controllers. Some utilities do not work under Windows 7.

How to recover a flash drive and remove protection from Silicon Power

This program is specially designed to recover usb Silicon drives Power, it works great with 2.0 and 3.0 interfaces, suitable for any silicon power flash drive. (downloads: 4480)

1. Check your usb drive for viruses with various antivirus programs.
2. Change the USB port, it happens that the port may be damaged and not enough energy is supplied to the USB flash drive from the computer.
3. Check your USB drive for security switches.

Well, that seems to be all the advice that will help you remove protection from a flash drive or restore its performance.

Hope these tips help you. Thank you for your attention!

Sincerely, Dmitry Arseniev

Miniature USB flash drives are our reliable electronic storage devices for various data. With their help, information can be easily "carried" in your pocket.

USB flash drives are convenient, compact, mobile, have a stylish design and allow you to connect to any modern device with USB connector for reading and writing information.

How flash drives work

The USB Flash Drive uses non-volatile NAND flash memory controlled by a microcontroller. The controller chip contains information about the manufacturer, available memory and service information necessary for the operation of the device. The storage time of information in memory cells is quite long, but limited. The number of data rewriting on a flash drive ranges from five to ten thousand cycles.

Typically, flash media with a small amount of memory uses the FAT family file system (FAT 16, FAT 32, ex FAT), and for Flash larger than 64 GB, NTFS or ex FAT systems are used.

Protecting information on flash drives

To ensure the security of storing confidential information and prevent viruses from entering flash media, we use various ways protection. This:

In this case, when you try to change the data on the connected flash drive, for example, when formatting, copying, transferring, deleting information, messages about the write protection of the disk appear on the monitor screen.

This review provides several options for removing protection in case of mechanical and software blocking of a flash drive.

This article will also consider possible reasons failures in the flash drive or software, causing a ban on overwriting, as well as ways to eliminate such malfunctions.

Flash drive problems associated with system messages that the disk is write-protected

Blocking a flash drive from being overwritten can be caused by:

• Special user actions to protect confidential information during mechanical blocking and data encryption;
• Software write prohibition set in the current operating system;
• Personal computer hardware settings that prohibit writing to USB devices A;
• Limiting overwrite cycles when the flash drive has exhausted its resources. In this case, Flash is put into read-only mode;
• Disk overflow and lack of free space for recording data;
• Malfunction and disconnection of the USB ports of the computer;
• Incorrect formatting;
• File system errors;
• Damaged (Bad) blocks (sectors) of the memory chip caused by wear;
• Removal or absence of a special program - a “driver” designed for the correct recognition of devices by the operating system;
• Unsafe removal of the device from the USB connector during running processes recording, moving, renaming, deleting, downloading, reading open files;
• Running (hanging) system processes accessing the disk;
• Using flash drives in devices with various types operating and hardware systems. For example, after watching movies on a TV and recording video data from it, the flash is not detected and is not read by the computer. In these cases, each operating system changes the file structure of the flash drive, while writing data under its own unique scheme;

  Malfunctions of the main hardware components: memory chips and microcontroller (including failures of its program);

• Poor manufacturing when buying "fakes" of leading brands;
• Under thermal and electrical influences. For example, during discharges of static electricity and overheating;
• Mechanical damage as a result of breaks, cracks, scratches, desoldering and impacts during falls;
• Exposure to moisture and electromagnetic radiation;
• Instability of power supply;
• Malicious software - viruses.

The main ways to remove protection from overwriting information from a flash drive

Hardware way

Some manufacturers of USB drives implement mechanical protection against changes in the form of a switch (Lock), which allows or prohibits writing. Usually, it is located on the side of the media and is marked with a padlock icon.

To release the mechanical lock, move the lever in the opposite direction.

Software ways to unlock flash media using standard Windows tools

Removing overwrite protection using the Windows Registry Editor

The registry is a hierarchical database of parameters, hardware and software settings, information about user profiles of the Windows system.

The registry editor is a special program included in the standard set of Windows operating systems. It allows you to add, edit registry keys and settings, set default values, import or export keys to save, and restore a registry file from backup during system failures.

There are three options to enter the Registry Editor:

Using the software utility "Run". For this:

After the registry editor has been launched, namely the following window has opened

you need to find the registry branch

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\

Color: #008000;">Control and then the StorageDevicePolicies subsection, if it exists, and in the right part of the program interface, pay attention to the binary parameter WriteProtect (Reg_Dword ), the value of which can be (0 ) or (1 ).

If this parameter is present and equal to (1), this is the reason for blocking the flash drive.

To remove protection, you must:

• double click on the parameter WriteProtect (Reg_Dword) ;
• manually change its value from (1) to (0);
• confirm changes OK ;
• close the registry editor;
• to restart a computer;
• check the removal of protection from the device.

If the registry key is missing HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\ StorageDevicePolicies, it must be created using the "Editor" described above in this way:

Removing protection from overwriting a flash drive using the Windows command line

For advanced users, the Windows operating system provides the ability to enter text-based computer and MS-DOS commands using a command-line shell program.

The command console can be run with rights ordinary users or administrator.

To remove the overwrite protection or read-only attribute from USB drives it is recommended to work in the console with administrator rights.

There are several ways to start the command line interface:

Launching Command Prompt in Windows 7

Using the software utility "Run".

For this:

Through Search in the Start menu. For this:

Launching Command Prompt in Windows 8

Launching Command Prompt in Windows 10

Similarly, you can find the console application " Command line(cmd)"through the Start menu and run it through the context menu" On behalf of the administrator»

With any of the above methods, the next console window opens.

Using the interface for entering text commands, you must do the following:

Removing overwrite protection using the Local Group Policy Editor

Group Policy is a set of rules that allows you to manage user settings and policy settings in Windows operating systems.

Editor group policy is a Microsoft Management Console snap-in available as a standard set of utilities for operating systems starting with Windows Server 2008R2 and Professional editions for Windows 7 and Windows 8.

With this tool you can:

• configure various personal computer settings,
• set some restrictions for individual users or their groups on the launch and installation of programs, services, processes,
• prohibit changing information on any media, including removable drives, etc.

There are several ways to launch the editor:

After opening the Local Group Policy Editor, to remove write protection from removable USB disks, you need to go to the following console tabs:

Software ways to unlock flash media using special software

If the standard tools of the Windows operating system described above did not lead to the desired result and the flash drive remains blocked, you can use special software (hereinafter referred to as software) from various manufacturers to remove protection and restore functionality.

In most cases, such software formats a flash drive, deleting all data on it.

Selecting Flash Recovery Software

The choice of utilities for servicing a USB Flash Drive is based on the conformity of the flash drive model, its memory chip and controller.

All well-known manufacturers of USB Flash are developing for their product special utilities, restoring the performance of devices and correcting possible flaws. Such programs can be found on official websites and downloaded.

When selecting software for a particular model of a Flash device, it is desirable to know such values ​​as:

• Vendor - manufacturer;
• Product - model;
• VID - Vendor Identifier, manufacturer identifier;
• PID - Product Identifier, product identifier, that is specific model devices;
• Serial Number - serial number;
• Controller Model - controller model, etc.

If determining the model (Product) and manufacturer (Vendor) will not cause any particular difficulties, then to discover other information, you will need to use third party programs or built-in operating system tools.

In order to find out the VID and PID of a USB device through the built-in system tools, you must do the following:

You can also use the ChipGenius program from Chinese developers to determine the information about the flash drive, which displays a report on the following data: Vendor, Product, VID, PID, SerialNumber, ControllerModel, FlashID, Channel, etc. This program is compatible with various controller models. You can download ChipGenius for free from the official website of the developer at this link.

Below is the ChipGenius interface with a sample device scan report Flash USB 32GB and defining values ​​such as:

1. Device Vendor, Product Model (Innostor);
2. Device Name (PenDrive);
3. VID (1F75);
4. PID(0903);
5. serial number;
6. controller manufacturer (Vendor Innostor);
7. Controller Part-Number and other parameters.

When installed desired parameters, then with the help of special sites with extensive databases of known flash drives (for example, http://flashboot.ru/iflash/), it is easy to find a utility to restore them or even “flash” the controller.

Below we will consider popular programs that will help remove protection from a flash drive and restore its performance.

Users should remember that during the operation of such software, data from flash drives will be permanently deleted.

AlcorMP

AlcorMP is a recovery program for flash drives with controllers manufactured by Alcor. It allows you not only to remove protection from a flash drive, but also to restore its performance, “flash” the controller and create protected partitions on the disk.

When using AlcorMP, all data on the USB drive is permanently deleted as a result of formatting.

Therefore, if the data on the media is important to you, then try to restore it first. deleted files from a flash drive. Since the official developer no longer supports this utility, our site recommends downloading AlcorMP for free from this link.

After downloading the program, you need to unpack it and run the AlcorMP.exe executable file as administrator and then connect the USB flash drive.

To recognize the device, press the Refresh (R) button. After reading the data, the program window will display media data marked with a black letter or number (in the example shown, the letter G). If the letter is red, then you need to use another software, because the flash drive cannot be processed in AlcorMP.

If desired, you can configure the utility for in-depth analysis of flash memory. To do this, go to Settings (Setup S) and set the value of the scan speed.

To start formatting, press Start (Start A) and wait for the process of removing attributes from the flash. Depending on the volume, speed of the media, the state of the memory, this process takes from two minutes to an hour.

Upon completion of the process, first disconnect the drive from the USB connector, and then close the program, check the performance of the flash drive and the success of removing the read-only attribute.

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool is a freeware program designed to format any models of flash media. With its help, you can partially restore inoperable flash drives and format disks even in cases where this fails. standard means operating system. You can download the Russian version of HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool for free on the official website.

The functionality of the utility allows you to unlock any USB device, select the file system (NTFS, FAT32), quick format option, assign a label to the disk, enable information compression for NTFS.

There is also an additional option HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - creating boot flash media using MS - DOS files located on the hard drive.

The program does not require installation. After downloading, the executable file HPUSBDisk.exe is launched (as administrator) from the archive, a disk is selected, the necessary values ​​\u200b\u200bfor the file system, label and formatting method are set, and the Start button is pressed. At the end of the process - close the interface Close (Close) and check the unlocking of the flash drive

jet flash recovery tool

JetFlash Recovery Tool is a program designed to recover flash drives manufactured by Transcend (JetFlash) and A-Data, available for free use. You can read an overview of the program on our website.

Functionality:

• Correction of errors in reading blocks of records on high speed data processing;
• Unblocking in case of impossibility of recording;
• Recognition of media with file RAW system having a damaged structure;
• Formatting with the possibility of pre-saving data.

Download the program JetFlash Recovery Tool from the official website of the developer at this link.

After downloading the program, you need to run the JetFlash Recovery Tool.exe application file as administrator and wait for installation on HDD

Then run the JFRecoveryTool.exe executable file to download the application, connect a non-working or blocked USB flash drive and click Start. Upon completion of work, check the normalization of the state of the media

Apacer Repair

A small Apacer Repair program was developed specifically for flash media from Apacer Technology Inc. With it, you can perform a quick format if other options did not help, as well as repair USB Flash. As a result of software processing, you can remove the overwrite protection and correct errors in memory blocks.

You can download the Apacer Repair utility for free from the official website of the developer at this link.

After downloading the program and connecting the USB flash drive to the USB connector, launch the utility and follow the instructions on the screen.

Disk formatting starts with a warning: "" ( This will destroy all data on the flash drive, do you want to continue?)

Clicking the Format button starts quick formatting. Successful operation cleaning will remove the write protection from the flash drive.

Other reasons for blocking USB devices from being overwritten and how to fix them

Viruses blocked the flash drive for writing

Computer viruses are malicious software that disrupts the operation of operating systems, file structure, deletes information, blocks media, and encrypts data without authorization.

The term viruses includes such types of malware as trojans, downloaders - droppers, phishing sites, worms, spam bots, spiders, etc.

These programs are able to create their own copies and be introduced through communication channels into systems, boot sectors computers. They bring a lot of trouble to users by stealing confidential information and disrupting entire computer systems.

According to statistics, the most common cause USB media malfunctions are precisely malware or viruses.

When connecting an external drive to an unprotected computer, there is a high probability of infection, i.e. copying viruses to a flash drive.

Many viruses are designed to block access to a flash drive and prohibit any operations to change data on it in order to "protect themselves" from forced deletion or movement.

For example, such a common virus as Autorun is written to system file computer Autorun.inf , which allows you to run applications from removable media. When a flash drive is connected, Autorun copies files like: Autorun.exe** , Autorun.inf __ and others to it. The symptoms of infection with this virus are as follows:

• The USB drive does not open at all, or when you try to access it, it suddenly appears in another Explorer window;
• it is impossible to delete or open suspicious files, and the system may display a message about write protection or inability to access the file;
• task manager and registry editor do not start;
• on the flash drive hidden folder RECYCLER , which contains the executable file of the virus.

To combat this type of virus, special programs Anti-auto run.

In cases where a flash drive is infected with a virus that blocks any action related to changing information, you must do the following:

1. Install antivirus software on your computer.
2. At USB connection disk to perform a thorough scan installed antivirus with updated bases. It is advisable to check the flash with several programs.
3. If possible, format the flash drive using the built-in tools of the operating system or additional utilities described in this article.
4. If it is impossible to format in normal mode, try to perform this operation in safe mode booting the operating system (diagnostic mode, using only basic files and drivers). Why reboot the system while holding down the F8 key and select " Safe mode».
5. Must Check hard disks personal computer for viruses, so as not to spread them to other removable drives in the future.

Checking if the disk is full and removing protection from files intended to be copied to disk

To check the availability of free disk space, do the following:

Physical damage to the flash drive

The reason for blocking the flash drive for writing may be mechanical damage.

It usually occurs in the following cases:

• when buying low-quality goods ("fakes");
• when exposed to high temperature and overheating of parts of the device;
• electrostatic discharge;
• as a result of breaks, cracks in the electronics board, chips, scratches and impacts during falls, when the main elements are damaged: a memory chip and a microcontroller;
• improper storage conditions (for example, a humid environment) and violations of operating rules;
• voltage surges when power is applied to the carrier elements;
• a limited period of work with a decrease in data write-erase cycles;
• loosening the usb connector (interface)

If the integrity of the memory chip is not violated during physical damage, the data can be saved or restored. Such operations are carried out by specialists in service centers.

Malfunction or disconnection of the USB ports of the PC

Sometimes the reason for the appearance of write protection on USB flash drive there may be a malfunction or disconnection of the USB ports of a computer, laptop or other device by software or technical means.

To check for a port problem:

• insert the disk drive into another USB port;
• connect other USB devices to the connector. For example, a camera mobile phone, printer, tablet. If the devices are not recognized by the personal computer, are read in jumps with significant interruptions, system connection error messages pop up, then the USB port is not working.

Thus, you can eliminate the possibility of problems with USB ports when you receive messages that the disk is write-protected

Prohibition of writing to flash devices when software and hardware disable USB ports

To restrict access to connected removable media (flash drives, portable hard drives, phones, etc.) or even prohibit their use, computer system administrators disable USB ports. The purpose of such measures is to prevent the theft of valuable information or the infection of computers with malware and spyware through flash drives. This causes system messages about the ban on writing to the memory of Flash devices. If you got behind such a computer, then you need to enable the USB port.

There are several ways to disable (enable) USB ports:

1. Through BIOS.

   This is a small program written in a special chip on the motherboard. system block. It is designed for the initial startup of the computer, testing its main components, performing input-output functions, storing information about the hardware components of the PC and their settings.

   To disable USB ports need to:

   • enter BIOSby holding one of the following keys: Del, F2, F10, Esc, F8;
   • find all the values ​​\u200b\u200brelated to USB Controller (or Legacy USB Support) and set the parameter Enabled for them;
   • press the F10 key to confirm the changes in the settings;
   • to restart a computer.
   
   
2. Using the registry editor.

   This method is convenient because, unlike the previous one, USB devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, scanners are not disabled, but only flash drives.

   This article has already covered the process of downloading the registry editor, how standard utility operating system.

   To disable ports through the editor, you must:

   
   
3. In the device manager. For this:
   
4. Uninstalling (deleting) the USB controller drivers.
5. Using special software to set access levels and prohibit users from connecting USB devices. For example, these functions perform Microsoft programs Fix It 50061 and USB Drive Disabler.
6. Disconnecting USB from the computer's motherboard. In this case, you can disable only the ports on the front and top of the system unit case by disconnecting the adapter cables that go to the motherboard.
7. You can also allow/deny access to removable storage devices using the Group Policy Editor. This method was discussed above in the article.
8. IN reverse order you can check and connect all controllers and USB ports, allowing access to them by personal computer users.

Thus, by checking all options for disabling USB ports, you can eliminate the possibility of blocking flash media for overwriting.

Microcontroller software failures and flash memory wear

Each flash media includes a controller chip designed to communicate with the flash memory and the computer. The controller is controlled by firmware, part of which is stored in the chip. This program is responsible for the memory parameters, the operation of the translator, contains the values ​​of product identifiers and the so-called write prohibit flags.

In cases of improper operation, unsafe ejection of media during running recording and transfer processes, power surges, the controller software crashes. One of the signs of such a malfunction is the blocking of the device for recording information.

Blocking of the device can also occur due to the wear of the memory chip, in which bad blocks appear and the threshold of rewrite cycles is exceeded. In this case, the microcontroller marks the blocks as unused, blocks the flash for writing, and goes into data protection mode to prevent further destruction of the NAND memory.

To eliminate software failures, you should reprogram (“reflash”) the microcontroller using special software. Firmware programs are selected in accordance with the controller model and flash media identifiers (VID and PID). More details about the selection of such software were described above in the article.

Flash drive file system errors

Damage to the internal structure of the file system is a violation of the order of storing and naming data in the memory of a flash drive. Logic errors can be caused by unsafe removal of the device from the USB connector, power surges, viruses, memory wear and other reasons. As a result of such failures, the disk is blocked for rewriting, there is no access to it, in the properties USB disk an undefined RAW file structure is displayed and a system message is displayed that the drive needs to be formatted.

In these cases it is necessary:

• using special software, selected for a specific model of a flash device, try to recover valuable information;
• perform a high-level format that will restore the file system.

The selection of utilities for recovering and formatting Flash USB was described above in the article.

Low-level formatting - as one of the ways to restore the performance of a locked flash drive

If attempts to recover information on a locked USB device did not lead to the desired results and the data stored in memory is not important to the user, it is best to perform a low-level flash format (Low Level Format), which will allow you to fix the damaged memory.

Low Level Format is the basic markup in the data storage area with a record of control information, which is usually carried out at device manufacturers and remains unchanged. However, there are a number of programs whose capabilities allow users to carry out low-level formatting themselves.

The Low Level Format process completely deletes data from the device memory and it is no longer possible to restore it. This action is carried out in order to block damaged areas of the USB Flash, which will not be recorded during further operation, as well as to prevent the theft of confidential information.

The most popular program for carrying out the process of low-level formatting of USB devices is HDD Low Level Format Tool. It allows you to change the size of the drive. Works with removable drives via USB and Firewire interfaces. During the erase process, the partition table, boot sectors (if any), manufacturer data, and every byte of data are cleared. The program is shareware.

In the free version (free) there are restrictions on the speed of formatting, and there is no access to program updates.

After downloading the program, you need to install it following the instructions on the screen.

Choose one of the options for using the program:

Since low-level formatting deletes all bytes of information, in order to resume working with the device, you need to carry out high-level formatting using the usual standard operating system tools, having decided on the file system of the flash drive.

Results

In this article, the possible causes of flash drive malfunctions that cause a ban on overwriting have been discussed in detail. The main measures to eliminate such problems were listed.

In some cases, in case of serious mechanical damage and software failures of the Flash USB, users are advised to contact service centers. Specialists use highly specialized software on special equipment to restore and repair USB devices.

If all the methods listed in the article did not help to “save” the flash device, and it remained inoperative, then you should think about buying a new one.

So that the purchased flash drive lasts a long time and is a reliable carrier important information, you must follow the simple rules for using Flash USB:

1. do not expose them to mechanical shocks;
2. isolate from moisture, high temperature and exposure to electromagnetic fields;
3. remove only using "Safely Remove Hardware";
4. periodically defragment the memory area;
5. check for errors using system utility chkdsk (scanning and fixing data errors);
6. be sure to use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date to protect against virus infection.

Writing files to removable storage is the simplest operation on personal computer that millions of users use every day. But not all users understand the real reasons such a mistake. In this article, we will understand the causes of the error and how to fix it.

Causes of the "Disk is write-protected" error. Why microsd card is write protected

The verbatim text of the notification looks like this: “The disk is write-protected. You need to remove the protection or use another disk." The appearance of this message is quite logical if the operating system does not have the ability to write to disk - for one of the reasons it is prohibited.

Causes of failures can be software or hardware. Software and hardware failures occur both in the computer OS and in the file system of the drive. But before deciding what to do, you need to understand the causes of this phenomenon.

The main ways to protect a flash drive (memory card) or disk from writing

Methods for protecting information on a flash drive, as well as types of failures, can be conditionally divided into two groups: hardware and system.
One of the options for hardware protection is a mechanical switch on the drive case in the “lock” position.

System protection is a set of programs and utilities specially designed to ensure data security. For example, a lock is set to Windows registry or disable recording by group policy.

The easiest way to remove protection from a flash drive - Total commander

Total Commander- one of the oldest Windows managers, but is still popular with users, as it has good functionality and easy to handle. You can remove protection in TC using the following algorithm:

• Open "Configuration".
• Open the File Operations tab.
• Select "auto copy".

hardware method. Windows Command Prompt - Diskpart

Important: You need to run the command prompt as an administrator.

To remove protection using the command line, you need to follow the following algorithm:

1. Go to the start menu.
2. Find the application "Command line" (also the command line is launched by the key combination Win + R).
3. Enter in Diskpart command and press the "Enter" key in the command line, thereby launching the disk manager application on the system.
4. Enter the Attributes disk clear readonly command and press the “Enter” key, thereby disabling the read-only mode.
5. Enter the Clean command and press the “Enter” key, thereby deleting all partitions and volumes of the disk.
6. Type in the Create Partition Primary command and press the “Enter” key, thereby creating the primary disk partition from scratch.

The ability to write to a flash drive is often blocked by numerous malicious programs that enter the computer system through other external media connected to the device or the Internet.

To find and eliminate them, you need to download an antivirus, such as Dr.Web CureIt, and scan the system for malicious code.

Mechanical protection. Flash card recording mode switch

Some flash drives are equipped with special write protection mechanisms. They are located on the body of the device, on the outside. The device looks like a small switch.

Important: Such switches are more common on SD cards, but some USB models also have them.

To activate the ability to write to a disk, just put the switch slider in the desired “OnLock” position.

Windows Tools. Group Policy Configuration (gpedit.msc)

How to remove protection set as a result of local group policy settings? This restriction is removed according to the following algorithm of actions:

1. Activate Windows key + R command line.
2. Enter in search line command Gredit.msc, click OK.
3. In the new window, navigate through the tabs: Configuration>Administrative Templates>System>Removable Storage Access.
4. Go to the line "Prohibit reading".
5. Double click on the line.
6. In the new window, activate "Apply"> OK.

Registry editor. Removing write protection with regedit

Registry Editor is a standard program built into modern system Windows. The application edits registry keys, sets new default settings, restores files from backups.

To remove protection using the editor, you need to follow the following algorithm:

1. Make an entrance to the registry editor program by activating the Win + R keys.
2. Type Redegit in the search bar and click OK.
3. Find one of the registry branches called: HKey Local Machine
4. From the drop-down list, select the branch System.
5. From the drop-down list under this branch, select Current Control Set, then Control
6. From the list of subsections select StorageDevicePolicies
7. Check the WhiteProtect parameter in the program interface
8. Change the parameter value from 1 to 0.
9. Close the editor, restart the OS.

What to do if the disk is write-protected and the flash drive is not formatted - Low-level formatting

If the above attempts to remove protection did not bring results, then it is worth using the low-level formatting method of the drive to clear and recreate all tables of the flash card file system. At the same time, you need to remember that in this case the recorded data will be lost, but the damaged disk memory will be restored. A full format will block the damaged areas of the USB and the system will not be able to write data to them in the future.

To carry out the operation, the Low Lewel Format Tool program is suitable. The application clears the partition table, boot sectors, and even manufacturer data - every last byte. Available on the Internet free version program, but it works slower than a paid counterpart.

Non-typical causes of the "Disk is write-protected" error

The reasons why disk writes are blocked can be conditionally divided into common and atypical, more rare ones. The second group includes file system errors, wear or physical damage to the flash drive, microcontroller failures, and USB port failures.

— fatal errors flash card file system
In case of violation of the sequence of storage and naming of information in the memory of the drive, the structure of the file system is damaged. Logical errors are made after incorrectly removing the flash drive from the connector, memory wear, power surges and other processes. The disk is blocked, and the system reports the need to format it. To correct the situation you need:

• Attempt to recover data using the correct software for this media.
• Perform a high-level format with file system recovery.

The role of physical damage to the carrier is a factory defect, cracks, overheating in motherboards and microchips. Also, physical damage is provoked by violations of operating and storage conditions, power surges, loosening of USB connectors.

- Microcontroller failures or complete wear of the flash drive
The flash memory and the computer "communicate" with each other using a controller chip built into the external drive. The controller is controlled by a microprogram recorded in the chip. Sometimes, in case of unsafe removal of a flash drive or horse races electric current, a software failure of the controller occurs. A clear sign of the onset of such a malfunction: a write lock. Also, blocking occurs due to wear of the memory chip, overcoming the threshold of rewriting cycles. The system goes into information protection mode to stop the process of memory destruction. Flashing the microcontroller with the help of special programs will help to eliminate failures.

The USB port turns off spontaneously on the computer rarely, but still this error happens. To check if the port is working, you must first try to connect other devices to it. If the port sees the smartphone, keyboard and other devices unstable or completely refuses to notice them, then it does not function. If the user sees a system message about the write protection of the disk, it is not associated with a malfunction of the USB ports. But the administrator can disable them intentionally to protect the data from being downloaded. How to remove write protection from a flash drive if the port is disabled?
In this case, you need to enable USB according to the following algorithm of actions:

1. Enter BIOS system while holding the F2 or F10 keys.
2. Find values ​​for USB Controller.
3. Set the Enabled parameter for these values.
4. Confirm the changes by activating the F10 key.
5. Restart PC.

How to remove protection from excel sheet

If the Excel sheet is not allowed to be edited, the application toolbar is inactive, and the user does not have access to most functions. When you try to make changes, the program will display a message stating that the sheet is protected. To unlock a sheet, the following steps will be required:

1. Click on "File".
2. Activate the Unprotect link in a new window.
3. Enter password. Without knowing the password, the protection cannot be removed.

IN old version Excel to remove the lock you need:

1. Activate the "Service" item.
2. Select the Protection tab from the list.
3. Activate the Unprotect Sheet command.
4. Enter password.

Programs for fixing write errors and formatting protected flash drives

Flash drive manufacturers understand that failures can occur in their products for various reasons, so every well-known brand creates utilities to fix them. Useful programs available on manufacturers' websites. For example, the program for Kingston is called Kingston Format Utility, Transcend - JetFlash Recovery. The programs are in free access on manufacturers' websites.

How to remove write protection from a flash drive - instructions! The error "disk is write-protected" or "flash drive is write-protected" usually happens at the most inopportune moment. If you started reading this article, then you turned out to be one of those "lucky ones" who at one fine moment decided to throw something on their flash drive, and as a result received a system message that it was impossible to write data to the disk and now this very protection must be removed. A person who has encountered this for the first time reasonably appears completely bewildered. Let's try to find out the reasons why you can't write files to a USB flash drive and figure out how to fix this problem.

Causes of the error "Disk is write-protected. Remove protection or use another disk."

It is quite logical that such a problem occurs if the operating system polls the disk, but does not receive write permissions. At the same time, it is not possible to write files, although data can be read at the same time without any problems. The reasons for this behavior are different, but are clearly divided into two groups:

1. Software failure.
2. Hardware failure.

It is important to understand that both types of problems can happen both on a flash drive and on your computer.

Types of write protection

By analogy with the causes of the “media is write-protected” error, write protection methods can also be divided. A classic example of hardware protection is the presence of a special switch (on the body of a flash drive), which enables and disables the ability to write to a flash drive.

Software protection is a variety of software systems designed to prevent unauthorized use of the drive.

When deciding how to remove protection if “The disk is write-protected”, first of all check if there is a special small switch on the case. It is always present on SD cards, and is somewhat less common on conventional USB drives. Random switching is not uncommon when a flash drive is worn in a pocket.

Also, be sure to check the performance of the flash drive in other USB ports, or even better, on another computer. If you are the owner desktop computer with the system unit, it is preferable to check the flash drive by connecting to the ports on the back of the system unit. The problem may lie in poor contact, poor-quality wires, USB controller failures.

Software release of write protection

After making sure that there is no mechanical protection problem, we proceed to check the software.
By default, the flash drive is formatted using the FAT32 file system. A small number of users are aware of the limitation in this file system for a maximum file size of 4Gb. It turns out a twofold situation, formally there is permission to write, but a message about the impossibility of doing so appears. Having the need to transfer files big size, format the drive using NTFS, a system where there are no such restrictions. To do this, open "My Computer", right-click on your removable drive and select "Format". In the window that appears, in the "File system" line, select NTFS, click "Start".

Important! It's always best to use "safe removal" before removing a flash drive from a slot. Due to some features regarding flash drives formatted in NTFS, this should be a mandatory rule.

The blocking can be set in the Windows registry. The keyboard shortcut Windows + R will bring up the Run window, type regedit and click OK.

In the editor window, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ StorageDevicePolicies section, where you will see the WriteProtect parameter on the right. Double-click on the parameter to call the parameter change dialog, set the value to 0. The StorageDevicePolicies section may be missing and you will have to create it. To create, right-click on the previous Control section, select New > Section, the name should be StorageDevicePolicies. In the empty area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe right part of the window of the newly created partition, right-click again, select New > DWORD Value in the menu, select 64 or 32 bit depth, depending on the bit depth of your system. Name the parameter WriteProtect and set the value to 0 as described above. Be sure to reboot and check the result.

Make sure that writing to removable devices is not prohibited by group policy. Similarly, with the launch of the registry editor, execute gpedit.msc, which will bring up the "Local Group Policy Editor". Go through the branches "Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - Access to Removable Storage Devices". On the right, check the "Removable drives: Deny writing" option. It must be disabled or not set. If the setting is enabled, double-click on it, select "Disable" and apply the selection. Don't forget to reboot before checking.

Check the system good antivirus with fresh bases. There are a number of malicious programs that block the ability to work normally with connected portable storage devices.

Significant amount Windows users prefer file manager Total Commander, offering extensive features and user-friendliness. It is important to understand that Total Commander is essentially just a convenient add-on for Windows, so everything described in the article applies to it. However, there are nuances. Try copying your files in Windows Explorer, if there are no problems with copying in Explorer, open "Configuration > Settings: File Operations" and select "Automatic selection of copy method". The authors of some assemblies of this manager expose settings that cause such failures.

Remove write protection in the command line (cmd)

How to remove protection from a write-protected flash drive using the command line. The method is a little more complicated. Find the Command Prompt application in the Start menu and run it as an administrator. Next, enter the following commands in sequence, confirming each entry by pressing Enter.

Attention! All contents of the flash drive will be permanently deleted!

1. diskpart- launches the disk management utility;
2. list disk- will display all the disks connected to the system, you need to determine which one is your flash drive, for which you can navigate by the size of the disk;
3. select disk X– targets the program to a disk, instead of X specify the number of the required disk;
4. detail disk- will show detailed information about the selected drive to make sure the selection is correct;
5. attributes disk clear readonly– resets the read-only attribute;
6. clean– all volumes and partitions on the disk will be deleted;
7. create partition primary– re-creates the main partition;
8. formatfs=fat32– formats the partition using the FAT32 file system (you can select the NTFS file system with the fs=ntfs command);
9. exit- terminates the program.

Programs for removing write protection

Flash drive manufacturers take care of solving various kinds of problems that arise with their products, releasing proprietary utilities for restoring problematic devices. Do not forget that you need to run any of these utilities with administrator rights. These useful programs can be freely downloaded from the respective manufacturer's websites. Transcend calls it , Silicon Power calls it , Adata calls it , Kingston calls it . Their use is quite simple and does not cause difficulties even for beginners.

The programs listed below are designed for an advanced user and you should read the documentation before using it. Independent developers release their own universal programs that are not tied to any vendor, but have similar functionality.

Popular representatives:, AlcorMP.

The latter only works with drives on the controller of the same name, but everyone has the same task - to help restore the problem device. When faced with finding a solution on how to remove protection from a flash drive, as a last resort, you should try to reflash it. Full information Flash Drive Information Extractor will tell you about the type of controller, the memory used and even the production date

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MiniTool Power Data Recovery - recover flash drives quickly and easily

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