• Silicon power disk is write protected. Ways to remove write protection from a flash drive

    There are cases when a file is write protected. This is achieved by applying a special attribute. This state of affairs leads to the fact that the file can be viewed, but there is no way to edit it. Let's figure out how to use Total programs Commander can be removed from write protection.

    Remove write protection from a file file manager Total Commander is pretty simple. But, first of all, you need to understand that when performing such operations, you need to run the program only as an administrator. To do this, right-click on the Total Commander program shortcut and select “Run as administrator.”

    After that, we look for the file we need through the Total Commander interface and select it. Then we go to the top horizontal menu program, and click on the name of the “File” section. In the drop-down menu, select the topmost item - “Change attributes”.

    As you can see, in the window that opens, to this file The Read-Only (r) attribute has been applied. That's why we couldn't edit it.

    In order to remove write protection, uncheck the “Read Only” attribute, and for the changes to take effect, click on the “OK” button.

    Removing write protection from folders

    Removing write protection from folders, that is, from entire directories, follows the same scenario.

    We highlight the desired folder, and go to the attributes function.

    Uncheck the “Read Only” attribute. Click on the “OK” button.

    Removing write protection via FTP

    Write protection of files and directories located on remote hosting when connecting to it via FTP protocol, is removed in a slightly different way.

    Login to the server using an FTP connection.

    When you try to write a file to the Test folder, the program throws an error.

    Checking the attributes of the Test folder. To do this, like last time, go to the “File” section and select the “Change attributes” option.

    The folder has “555” attributes set, which completely protects it from being written to by any content, including by the account owner.

    In order to remove the write protection of a folder, check the box next to the “Record” value in the “Owner” column. So we change the attribute value to "755". Don't forget to click on the "OK" button to save the changes. Now the account owner is on this server can write any files to the Test folder.

    In the same way, you can grant access to group members, or even all other members, by changing the folder attributes to “775” and “777” respectively. But it is recommended to do this only when opening access to these categories of users is justified.

    By following the specified algorithm of actions, you can easily remove the write protection of files and folders in Total Commander, both on your computer’s hard drive and on a remote server.

    The era of floppy disks is long gone, but sometimes when trying to write to a flash drive, the user may encounter a situation known since the days of using floppy media - it is blocked and cannot be used.

    We will look at how to solve this problem in detail in our article today.

    So, you need to write some information to a flash drive, you insert it and receive a message like “The disk is write-protected, remove the protection or use another one.”

    This problem can be solved quite quickly, and we will talk about this a little later, but now we should say a few words about the purpose of installing protection from downloading on .

    Pay attention! This operation is performed for only one purpose - which can be spontaneously copied to removable media without the user's knowledge.

    Methods for removing write protection from a flash drive

    There are 2 key ways Removing protection from a flash drive: hardware and software.

    The hardware solution is to install a lock switch, which is present in some drive models, as well as SD cards.

    Most often, the toggle switch is located on the side edge of the drive.

    Carefully inspect your existing drive and look for an open/closed lock icon or the word Lock on it.

    Pay attention! Removing the lock is very simple - just move the lock lever in the opposite direction. That's it. Insert the media into the appropriate slot and repeat the file writing operation again.

    The software solution involves the interaction of a flash drive controller, which is responsible for the ability to record information.

    You can remove write protection using this method using command line registry editor or local group policy.

    Learn more about all of the above methods.

    Removing protection using regedit

    1. Click “Start” and enter - in the search field. Right-click (RMB) on the program and in context menu go to the “Run as administrator” item.

    2. Go to the StorageDevicePolicies section:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

    Important! Important! If there is no such thing, you will have to create it. To do this, click on the section Control - New - Section. We call it “StorageDevicePolicies” without quotes. If there is no such section, you need to create it.

    Create (RMB in the right column of the registry) a DWORD parameter (32 bits) in the created branch. For convenience, let's call the element WriteProtect.

    3. Make sure that the WriteProtect value is 0. Right-click on WriteProtect and select “Change”. If the value is “1” you need to change it to “0” and click “Ok”.

    4. Close the registry editor, remove the media and restart the computer. Insert the flash drive. Now the flash drive works in normal mode, allowing you to write files.

    Removing protection using Diskpart

    If you couldn't unlock it using regedit, let's try to do it using command interpreter Diskpart, which allows you to manage the commands that the user enters into the command line when working with partitions and disks.

    1. “Start”, enter the name - cmd - in the search field. Right-click in the program and select “Run as administrator” in the context menu.

    2. Now you should enter the commands: diskpart and list disk, and after entering each of them, press the Enter key.

    3. In the list above, determine what serial number in the name the flash drive has.

    This can be done based on the specified size, in our case an 8 GB flash drive, presented in the table as “Disk 1” with a capacity of 7441 MB.

    4. Select the disk with the “select” command, clear the attributes that allow only reading “attributes disk clear readonly”.

    If, you should enter the following commands: “clean”, create a partition “create partition primary”, format it in NTFS “format fs = ntfs” or FAT “format fs = fat”.

    Flash drives and memory cards have almost completely occupied the niche of portable storage media for several years now. At times it gets to the point where it is almost impossible to buy a blank disc in some places. Agree, it is much more convenient to purchase a small accessory once, on which you can rewrite various data a huge number of times, without worrying that if you suddenly write something down, you will have to record everything again. In addition, by using flash drives, you practically protect yourself from the situation when a disc recorded on one computer may not play correctly on another. Well, you can’t always stock up on blank disks either.

    Despite its durability and virtually indestructibility, from time to time a flash drive or memory card may experience problems with various errors. One of the most unpleasant is write protection. You can copy information from a portable storage device, but if you want to write something onto it or change the location of files already placed on it, the system displays a window with the inscription: “The disk is write protected.” The first thought that comes to the mind of almost every user is that the accessory is broken. In some cases this is exactly the case, but very often the reasons lie elsewhere. We invite you to familiarize yourself with all possible reasons, why write protection can be installed on a flash drive or memory card, and we’ll also look at everything possible ways, how to remove this protection.

    Method 1: Hardware switch

    This method is the simplest and can be truly effective for older models of USB flash drives, as well as almost all SD memory cards. What is its essence? On the drive body there is a small button in the form of a slider, which manual mode You can activate write protection mode. If you use a card microSD memory, then you probably use an SD card adapter to connect to your computer directly standard size. It is on this adapter that the slider will be located. Look at it carefully and you will see the word Lock or an image of a padlock, as well as an arrow indicating the direction in which you need to move the slider to activate write protection. Since in most cases the problem does not occur on its own, it is likely that the last time you just accidentally touched the switch with your finger. Slide it in the opposite direction and try again to record the file you need. It is very likely that the problem will be resolved at this stage.

    Next, we will list software methods on how to remove write protection. In this way, you influence the controller responsible for the operation of the drive chip. Choose one, since each of them leads to the same result, only the sequence of actions and the tools involved are different.

    Method 2. Format the flash drive

    A very simple and yet effective method in almost 100% of cases. A flash drive is formatted in two ways: via Windows Explorer or through the command execution utility. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

    Through Windows Explorer.

    1. In Explorer, depending on the version of Windows, open the My Computer, Computer or This Computer tab, find your flash drive in the list of disks and devices.
    2. Right-click and select Format.
    3. In the window that opens, select file system(we recommend choosing FAT32) and click the “Start” button. After just a few seconds, formatting will be completed.

    We would like to point out that if the flash drive is write-protected, then you are unlikely to succeed in anything this way. It's better to use a command execution utility.

    1. In Explorer, look at what letter the flash drive or memory card is identified by in the system.
    2. Press the key combination Win + R, then enter the command in the window that opens

    format<буква_диска>: /q

    format<буква_диска>: /q /fs:fat32

    1. After the command prompt opens, wait until the window is automatically closed, and then try again to write some .

    Method 3: Through the Registry Editor

    If for some reason the previous method did not help, let's try to dig deeper into the system. To do this, we will use the regedit utility - editor Windows registry. You will need to change some settings.

    1. Click on the search button, located either in the Start menu, or, if you have Windows 10, in the lower left corner near the Start button, and type regedit, then find the utility in the search results and run it as an administrator.
    2. Go to the following branch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies.
    3. If the StorageDevicePolicies folder does not exist, create it in top menu by clicking Options - New - Partition, and name it StorageDevicePolicies without spaces or quotes.
    4. Right-click on the created section, select New - DWORD Value (32 bits) and name it WriteProtect.
    5. In the right part of the window, right-click on the name of the created parameter and select Change, after which you need to set the value to 0.
    6. Remove the flash drive, close the utility and restart the computer.
    7. Write the file to your drive again, everything should work.

    Method 4: Through the command line

    To unlock a portable drive using the Command Prompt, you will need to run it as an administrator, and then enter several commands that will help remove the write protection. To reach desired result, follow these steps:

    1. Click the Start button and enter “command prompt” or cmd in the search bar, right-click on the utility that appears in the search results and select run as administrator. If you are using Windows 10, right-click on the Start button and select “Command Prompt (Admin).”
    2. Enter the following commands sequentially:

    diskpart

    list disk

    1. The system will offer a list of disks connected to the computer indicating serial number. Based on the size, determine the number of your flash drive, then select it by entering the command select disk 3, where instead of 3, enter the number of your drive.
    2. After the utility notifies that the disk has been successfully selected, you need to remove write protection with the following command:

    attributes disk clear readonly

    1. If you need to format the flash drive, do it with one of the commands:

    format fs = ntfs

    format fs = fat

    1. After a few seconds everything will work, try again to copy something to the flash drive.

    Method 5: Using the Local Group Policy Editor

    1. To open the Local Group Policy Editor, hold down the Win + R button combination, then type gpedit.msc in the line that opens and confirm your entry with the Enter button.
    2. In the utility window that opens, go to Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - Access to removable storage devices.
    3. See if the "Removable drives: Deny read" option is enabled. If the checkbox is “Enabled”, select “Disabled”, then click Apply - OK.
    4. Check if writing files to the flash drive works.

    Method 6. Using proprietary utilities

    If for some reason none of the methods helps, try using a proprietary utility to fix problems with the flash drive from the device manufacturer. To do this, go to the official website, on the support page, look for software for external drives. The most famous utilities are HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, JetFlash Recovery Tool and Transcend JetFlash Online Recovery.

    If this does not help, then most likely your removable disk has become unusable. It is possible that the maximum rewrite cycles have simply been reached, making it impossible to record anything. Easier to buy new flash drive, their price today is completely affordable for everyone.

    Conclusion

    We hope that our guide will help you remove write protection from your flash drive or memory card and you will be able to use it again for a long time. We invite you to write in the comments what exactly helped you get rid of the problem.

    Having a problem with a write-protected flash drive? Don't know how to unlock a flash drive and make it readable? You are trying to write some file to a USB drive or SD card, and in response you receive a message: “The flash drive is write-protected.” If you urgently need to copy files to a disk or flash drive, I'll show you how to remove protection and format (or wipe) the storage media - for further work, familiar and correct.

    We use programs to format memory cards and USB flash drives

    Some flash drives come with proprietary software. It works better than standard tools Windows formatting. These programs - not always, but nevertheless - will help remove protection. The downside of this approach is that you lose all the data on the media. So if this is unacceptable to you, move on to the next chapter.

    2. More universal method Forcibly format a USB flash drive / SD card - use formatting utilities like Hp Disk Format Tool. You can select the file system and formatting type.

    Restoring access to a flash drive through the Registry

    The method of removing write protection is quite simple, but requires minimal skill and careful handling of the registry editor. If you are not 100% sure of your actions, do it using the RegOrganizer program.

    1. Open the Registry Editor as an administrator (Start – regedit).

    2. Go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ directory. If there is no StorageDevicePolicies folder inside this directory, create it. To do this:

    3. Right-click on the current directory Control

    4. From the menu, select New - Partition and name it StorageDevicePolicies.

    5. Right-click on StorageDevicePolicies and select a new value for the DWORD(32-bit) parameter for a 32-bit OS or DWORD(64-bit) for a 64-bit OS, respectively.

    6. Rename the dword parameter to WriteProtect, double-click on the line, specify the value 0 (HEX).

    7. Safely remove the flash drive and restart your computer.

    8. Connect the USB flash drive. If necessary, format it.

    Video version of the instructions:

    Another solution to remove protection from a disk: use the diskpart utility

    diskpart is a console utility included in Windows XP and higher that allows flexible management hard drives, file volumes and partitions at an advanced access level.

    We will try to access the problematic flash drive via the console, and then format the write-protected flash drive.

    1. Open a command prompt (cmd.exe). Type "diskpart" to open the utility.

    2. Type "list disk" to display a list of available disks on the system.

    3. Determine where your USB drive is in the list. Enter "SELECT DISK n", where n is your USB flash drive with a write-protected disk.

    Be very careful! Selecting the wrong media will result in you losing all data on the selected drive.

    4. Type "clean" (you may have to repeat this command twice or three times). If nothing works, try other ways to unlock the flash drive.

    5. Enter "create partition primary" to create a new partition on the USB flash drive.

    6. Enter "select partition" to select a partition on the disk

    7. Type "active" to make the drive active

    8. Enter "format fs=ntfs" to format to NTFS (before formatting the flash drive, make sure you have selected the correct storage medium!).

    By the way, the option with diskpart is one of best methods format a write-protected flash drive without resorting to third-party tools.

    Another way to remove protection from a memory card/flash drive. Diskmgmt.msc utility

    The protection removal method is suitable for both SD memory cards and USB flash drives. To implement it, we will need a standard Windows component for disk management – ​​diskmgmt.msc.

    1. Start – Run. Type diskmgmt.msc into the text line and press Enter
    2. Right button on the partition you want to format (the letter and partition will help you determine)
    3. Select "Delete volume..." and confirm the operation
    4. In the context menu, select the "Create Volume" command
    5. Select primary partition
    6. Leave all parameters as default
    7. Click ok

    Removing protection from a flash drive through the Windows Group Policy Editor

    In some cases, access to a flash drive is limited by local Windows Group Policy rights. We tell you how to remove protection in such a situation:

    1. Start – Run – gpedit.msc.
    2. In the panel that opens, go to the following section: “Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - Access to Removable Storage Devices.”
    3. Next you need to deactivate the option “ Removable drives: Deny reading”, switching to the “Disable” state.

    Other working methods for removing file write protection

    If none of the above recipes helped, well, other methods on how to remove protection from a flash drive will probably work (the list will grow over time).

    1. Check your flash drive for viruses. Some malicious applications establish their own control over the files, as a result, the flash drive is protected from writing data belonging to viruses. How to remove protection in this case? For scanning we recommend using .
    2. Check if the flash drive has a hardware button that allows you to physically unlock it (there is a switch on the side that needs to be moved towards the open lock). However, today similar usb flash drives and SD cards are very rare - these are mostly old device models.
    3. Update the firmware of the flash drive, find it on Google exact model You can use chip vendor and chip vendor model, see Device Manager.

    Conclusion. Although it is not always possible to determine why a flash drive is write-protected, of the many methods described, at least one works. If none of the methods for removing protection from a flash drive helped you, all you have to do is replace it usb drive- in other words, buy a new one.

    However, ask questions on the topic - you can do this through sidebar on our website. We'll try to help.

    The media is write protected: what to do? Questions and Answers

    32 GB flash drive WANSENDA when formatted. When you try to delete a file, it asks you to remove write protection from the disk or use another one. What to do, how to remove write protection? I can’t delete or transfer files to a flash drive.

    Answer. Try removing protection from your flash drive through the Registry, using the diskpart or diskmgmt.msc utilities (included in Windows). Format the flash drive special programs- Low level format or Disk format tool (see the beginning of the guide).

    All my formatting attempts produce the same result: remove the protection, the card is write-protected. I removed the protection in every possible way, but it comes back, I can’t do anything. The phone displays information about a card malfunction and cannot format it in any way. The computer and laptop accept it, but formatting fails.

    Can you tell me what to do, how to remove protection from the SD card? Other phones and digital camera didn't help.

    Answer. Try resetting the protection using the methods described in the article and immediately format the memory card to FAT32. Check if there is a switch on the SD card (it may be set in the wrong position, so the memory card is write protected).

    I can’t format a SONY 64GB flash drive, copy or delete files to it. The system says that the disk is write protected. What to do? I tried everything you have. Doesn't help. I bought Flash from Mvideo about 3 months ago, it worked fine before.

    Answer. Removing protection helps some users proprietary utility JetFlash Recovery. It allows you to format a flash drive at a low access level. If that doesn't help, try removing write protection from the disk through the registry or command line. After this, restart your computer.

    I have samsung phone S3600, stopped writing files to the card. The most interesting thing is that there are two photos and one video left on the card - there is NO way to delete them at all. They are deleted from the computer, but then they appear again on the map. I can’t write anything on the card - at first it’s as if everything is there, but on the phone there’s nothing... like nothing. I didn’t drop the phone, I didn’t drown it, the card just suddenly stopped working, and in such a weird way. He sees the card, but does not write anything to it and does not delete anything from it... How to remove write protection on a flash drive?

    Answer. You can remove write protection on a flash drive through forced formatting. This can be done through the console utility diskpart for Windows or various graphical utilities like SDFormatter or Hp disk format tool.

    It is possible that files are not deleted due to errors in reading the sectors on which the files that cannot be deleted are written. You can check the flash drive for errors via Properties - Tools - Check in Explorer.

    After navigating with ADRplayer, I can’t delete files (including write-protected ones) from the SD card. In Windows it is recognized as a 118 MB disk with the ADRplayer program on it. The files are all played by this program. Formatting is not possible in Windows.

    Answer. Since the SD card's disk is write-protected, you need to format it to NTFS via the command line (using the diskpart utility) or using system utility diskmgmt.msc. In addition, there is a wonderful program for SD cards called SDFormatter - it removes write protection.

    It’s not clear what happened to the flash card, when you connect the card to the computer it says “To use the disk in drive J, first format it.” You start formatting in fat32 format without quick cleaning and tried with quick cleaning, it says the disk is write protected. I tried the described ones the options didn't help.

    The method via diskmgmt.msc after right-clicking on the flash drive does not allow “delete volume” and other actions are simply not active. The file system of the flash card is Raw, and the system says that it is working. What to do, how to remove write protection from a flash drive and revive it?

    Answer. In addition to diskmgmt.msc, try removing write protection on the flash drive through the Registry or using the diskpart console utility. For formatting, use not standard Windows tools, but, for example, Low level format. If after these manipulations the disk is still write-protected, try opening the flash drive in another operating system, use to manage disks on a flash drive third party software- let's say Acronis Disk Director.

    I bought a mini sd for a 128gig SanDisk phone. I put it in my phone Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016), it works for a while and then it blocks recording to it. No matter what I did: I formatted it through a PC, and through a phone - it was all to no avail, it would work for a while and then it would block the recording again. How to format a protected flash drive?

    Answer. The file table on the memory card may be damaged, making it impossible to write new data. In such cases, it is recommended to check the disk for errors using the standard chkdsk tool (Start - Run - chkdsk). If that doesn't help, format the SD card using the sd formatter desktop application. Judging by the reviews, the utility has helped many users when formatting a flash drive. You can also format the SD card via Recovery menu by rebooting the phone in the appropriate mode and selecting the option Wipe cache partition.

    I ordered USB flash memory from the Internet. I initially formatted it, but I didn’t like that she didn’t read or see all the formats. I decided to format it completely, without a check mark, just (table of contents). Now a laptop with Windows 10 OS sees it, but requires formatting it. I format it, but the flash drive is not formatted - the disk is write-protected. I’ve already tried to do something (download programs), but I don’t understand, I’m still far from it.

    Answer. In your case, it is advisable to format the USB flash drive using non-standard formats. using Windows, I use specialized software - fortunately the choice is wide. First of all, look for programs specifically for your flash drive on the manufacturer’s website. If not found, use HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool or any disk manager like Acronis Disk Director. Specify NTFS or exFAT as the file system.

    1) Sandisk ultra USB 3.0 flash drive 16 GB. I tried everything, from renaming the letter to cleaning the registry. As soon as you start formatting (including through partition management), a message pops up that Windows cannot do this and the flash drive disappears from view. I also tried HDD Low Level Format Tool v4.40 Final - the same thing happens as described above. How to format a write-protected flash drive?

    2) I can't format the micro SD card. Writes: “Windows was unable to complete the formatting.” I’ve already tried different programs and the command line. It still doesn’t format. I can’t even delete the files. I click “delete,” removed the flash drive and put it back. The file that I deleted is there again I can’t delete or format.

    Answer. Try other formatting programs: SDFormatter or software available on the developer’s website (sometimes you can use them to format a flash drive bypassing system errors). In addition to Disk Management, you can use any disk manager like Partition Magic or Acronis Disk Director.

    You can also assume that the problem is related to Windows or the computer configuration. Try formatting the flash drive on another computer or in a different OS environment (Windows/Mac OS/Linux).

    Many users who try to write something to a USB flash drive or memory card sometimes experience unpleasant surprise. The system simply displays the error “The disk is write protected.” As a result, it is not possible to copy a file or folder to the storage device, and sometimes it is also impossible to delete or move data to another location. What to do in this case? What are the reasons for this problem and how to fix it? Let's try to figure it all out.

    There are many reasons why a flash drive stops saving data, displaying a “Disk is write-protected” notification and asking you to remove the protection or use another drive. However, most often the device does not work and no information is copied to it due to:

    1. Viral infection. Malicious software capable of this too. You can determine whether the virus has really installed write protection on the flash drive yourself. For example, if strange files with the name autorun.inf suddenly appeared on the media, or some folders and data became hidden. But it is best to use antivirus programs.
    2. Mechanical locking. There are flash drives with write protection, which is activated by a switch on the case. True, there are few such carriers. These are mainly “budget” models from the Middle Kingdom. It turns out that you can remove write protection simply by returning the lever to starting position. But, unfortunately, switches often break. Therefore, you have to use other unlocking methods
    3. OS security policies, special actions security programs . For example, some organizations prohibit copying data from work computers. The goal is clear - to prevent leakage corporate information. In this case, there is only one way out - to rummage through the OS settings or disable the security software.
    4. Incorrect formatting. Usually, when the procedure was interrupted before it was completed or low-quality software was used.
    5. File system errors. Most often they occur when the flash drive is pulled out of the connector before the operating system finishes updating the file system.
    6. Port problems. This mainly applies to USB drives. The good thing is that the problem is quite easy to detect. Just insert the flash drive into another slot.
    7. Physical damage to the flash drive. Mostly it occurs as a result of moisture, electrostatic discharge, power surge, etc.
    8. Hardware failure of the media, damaged firmware, etc.. Both USB flash drives and micro SD memory cards have a certain service life. For example, each device has a limit on rewrite cycles. So when the flash drive exhausts its resource, it will simply switch to “read” mode. The recording function will no longer be available. Of course, a flash drive can simply fail (often the controller or memory unit breaks down). Then the notification that the disk is full is a “symptom” of a problem.

    We found out what are the main reasons for this problem. Although there are many more of them. All that remains is to find out how to remove protection from a flash drive. We'll talk about this further.

    Hardware way to disable write protection

    This option is not suitable for all flash drives. It applies to devices with mechanical protection. They are easy to identify - they have special switch. You just need to move the lever in the direction where the open lock is shown or where the inscription “UnLock” is written. By the way, this mechanical protection worth not onlyUSB-drives, but also some microSD and SD memory cards, which are found in almost every Android device.

    If write protection cannot be removed using hardware, then it’s time to contact software solutions problems. Just start by checking your system and removable drives for viruses. Otherwise, no manipulation will help you. The malicious software again activates the overwrite protection. To scan and remove viruses, use any antivirus product with the latest databases. At the same time, check not only flash drives, but also everything hard drives computer.

    Disk formatting

    This is probably the simplest programmatic method remove write protection. You just need to do it low level formatting. It is also called Low Level Format. However, this procedure will delete all information stored on the flash drive. It will not be possible to restore it!

    To perform low-level formatting, we recommend using HDD program Low Level Format Tool. Installation file utilities can be easily downloaded from the Internet. How to use this software? Let's tell you in more detail:

    1. Open the installer. After a few clicks, he will offer you several types of launching the program - with a paid license, entering a code or free. Of course, for many users the latter option is preferable. Choose it, but remember - there will be speed restrictions and the program will take more time.
    2. In the main window of the program we see a list of all media that are connected to the computer and available for formatting. Click on our flash drive. Click “Continue”.
    3. Go to the tab " Low-level format" Click the “Format this device” button here. Click “Yes” to confirm the start of the formatting process.
    4. We are waiting for the formatting to finish.
    5. Close the utility. Now, in order to work with this flash drive without problems, you should format it high level. You can use standard means OS.

    Most likely, after formatting, it will be possible to record any information on the media again. The only negative is that all the files that were on it will be lost. That's why this method It is better to use it if write protection cannot be removed by any other methods.

    For reference! Don't forget that many flash drives come with the FAT32 file system, which has a limit on the amount of information that can be written. For example, data that weighs more than 4 GB cannot be copied to such media. When you try to transfer files to a flash drive, the error “The disk is write protected” will appear. What to do? Change the file system to NTFS.

    Removing protection using regedit

    As you already understood, you can use the registry editor. In most cases, it helps to disable write protection on a flash drive. Moreover, this method works both in “old” operating systems like Windows 7, and in modern Windows 8 and 10. All that is required from the user:

    1. In the Start menu, in the “search” or “find” lines, type “regedit”. Next, right-click on the icon that appears. Select run as administrator.
    2. Through left menu go to the StorageDevicePolicies section. It is located in the Control folder. You can find it through the following path - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet. If the partition does not exist, you will have to create it. Just click on Control, click “Create” and then “Section”. We call it StorageDevicePolicies.
    3. We turn to the right column of the registry. Right-click (RMB). Next, click on “Create” and specify “DWORD value (32 bits)”. The created parameter needs to be named something. We offer WriteProtect.
    4. Now we need to check if the value of our conditional WriteProtect is zero. So right-click on it and select “Edit”. In the window that appears, look at the value line. If “0” is written there, then everything is in order. If “1”, then change it to “0”. Then click “Ok”.
    5. Close the registry editor. Be sure to take out the flash drive. Reboot the computer. We are trying to write some files to the media.

    Removing protection from overwriting a flash drive via the command line

    Another simple way to remove overwrite protection for different media. You will need to launch the command line and do some manipulations, which, in more advanced language, allow you to remove the “Read Only” volume attribute:

    1. Press Win+R. Recruiting at cmd line and click “Ok”.
    2. Enter the command “diskpart”. Press Enter.
    3. Next, type the command “list disk”. A list of all disks will appear. You need to find a medium that does not record information. The easiest way to navigate is by size. After all, the memory capacity of a flash drive is several times less than that of a hard drive. In this case, pay attention to what number is assigned to the carrier.
    4. Enter “select disk X”. Naturally, X is the flash drive number that we found out earlier.
    5. All that remains is to type “attributes disk clear readonly”. This command will remove the read-only attribute for the given drive.
    6. We finish working with the utility. Type “exit” and press Enter.

    How else can you remove overwrite protection using Windows tools?

    The Group Policy Editor can also help you remove the write ban on removable devices. Moreover, this tool is available in a variety of Windows versions– from XP to “ten”.

    1. Launch the “Run” utility. We use the key combination Win + R.
    2. Next, enter “gpedit.msc” in the line and then click “Ok”. The editor has opened.
    3. On the left side of the menu, go to the “Access to removable storage devices” tab. To do this, click on “Computer Configuration”. Then we go to “Administrative Templates”. Select the “System” folder here. Agree, nothing complicated?
    4. Now you need to find the option “Removable drives: Deny writing” on the right. Disable it via double tap and selecting the appropriate item.

    Removing protection through access rights settings

    Sometimes the reason lies in the flash drive itself. More precisely in the access settings. Therefore, we find the problematic drive. Open "Properties". Next, select the “Security” tab, as well as the corresponding group or user. Pay attention to the “Record” line, where we look at who this function is allowed for.

    If there is a checkmark under the “Deny” column, then click the “Change” button. In the window that appears, check the box next to “Allow”. Click “Apply” and “Ok”. Also, don’t forget to restart your device.

    Are there any programs to remove protection from a flash drive?

    Certainly. Manufacturers of flash drives and memory cards produce special software for working with devices. Moreover, each manufacturer has its own utility:

    • Transcend – JetFlash Recovery,
    • Silicon Power – USB Flash Drive Recovery,
    • Kingston – Kingston Format Utility,
    • Sandisk – Formatter Silicon Power or SanDisk RescuePRO.

    These programs are easy to use. Moreover, they all allow you to remove overwrite protection.

    For reference! If you have on your computer or laptop total commander, then try removing the protection from writing data to removable devices through it. To do this, open “Configuration/Settings: File Operations” in this program and activate “Automatic selection of copy method”.

    In conclusion

    Now you know what to do. There are many ways to remove this protection. Choose any one. Just keep in mind that if the reason lies in a hardware malfunction or physical damage to the media or memory card, then the options described above will not help. It’s better to just purchase a new device or contact a service center.

    Read more: