Though optical discs are still in demand, there is no need to talk about any popularity of this type of media. Today they have been practically supplanted by portable flash drives or simply flash drives. These small devices are distinguished by their versatility, reliability and the ability to store large amounts of information for a long time. And yet, despite its reliability and resistance to physical damage, flash drives, like all devices, can start to work with errors over time.

One of these errors, and, by the way, very common, is the spontaneous activation of write protection. It manifests itself in the fact that when you try to write or delete a file from the media, the system displays the message "The disk is write-protected." It also happens that the flash drive is not formatted Windows tools but this usually happens in more difficult situations. Nevertheless, the problem is not so insoluble, and today we will just look at the main ways to fix it.

Why does the "Disk is write-protected" error appear?

The causes of the above malfunction may be different, but, as a rule, they are all associated either with a configuration failure Windows settings, either with the failure of the flash-memory of the device, or with damage file system... Hardware failures and failures in the microcontroller cannot be ruled out. It often happens that the user himself locks the device by switching a special hardware toggle switch, but this applies only to those flash drives that are equipped with a similar mechanism.

The blocking of a drive can also be caused by a lack of free disk space, viruses, natural wear and tear of flash memory (the device is put into read-only mode), incorrect formatting, removal from the USB connector while data is being written, thermal and electrical shock, ingress moisture, removal or damage to the corresponding driver, the appearance a large number bad sectors, less often by changing the file system after using a flash drive on devices with a different operating system. So, how can you remove protection from a USB flash drive that you can't write data to?

Removing protection from a USB flash drive in a hardware way

Some flash drive manufacturers equip drives with a small mechanical switch that allows you to enable or disable write protection. If your device has a similar toggle switch, make sure it is set to the UnLock position (towards the open lock icon).

Insert the flash drive into a USB port and try to write something to it. If you suspect that the switch is broken, do not disassemble the device, but rather take it to a service center.

How to remove protection using Registry Editor

If write protection is not related to hardware problems, you can try to remove it through the registry. The fact is that a parameter can be set in the registry that prohibits making changes to the file system of the drive. Click on the keyboard Win + R, enter the command regedit and press enter.

Expand the following branch in the left column of the opened editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control / StorageDevicePolicies

Now see if there is a parameter in the right column of the editor WriteProtect... If it is present and its value is 1, then you have found the reason why the flash drive is write-protected. Double click on the parameter line with the mouse and change the current value from 1 to 0. Save the settings, restart the computer and check the result.

Attention, it is likely that you will not have some element of the above path. In this case, it must be created manually. Let's say there is no StorageDevicePolicies directory. Right-click on the previous subsection and select New → Section from the menu.

Naturally, you also need to create a WriteProtect parameter. It must be of type DWORD, but it can also be QWORD on 64-bit systems.

Using the command line

We figured out how to remove protection from a flash drive from writing through the registry, we will consider another way - using the built-in console utility Diskpart... Having connected the USB flash drive to the computer, open the command line as administrator and sequentially run the following commands:

diskpart
list disk
select disk N(where N is the serial number of the flash drive)
attributes disk clear readonly
exit

The first command runs the Diskpart utility, the second displays a list of all disks connected to the computer.

With the third command, we select the serial number of the removable media, with the fourth, we remove the write protection from it. The fifth command exits the Diskpart utility.

This tool can also be used to format a write-protected flash drive, but this is when the files on it are of no value. In this case, after the fourth step, you should run the following commands:

clean
crеаte partition primary
format fs = ntfs

Unblocking a USB flash drive through local group policy

Another way to remove write protection is to use the local editor. group policy... By pressing Win + R call the "Run" window, enter into it gpedit.msc and press enter.

In the left column of the editor, follow the path Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Access to Removable Storage Devices.

Now in the right column, find the parameter "Removable drives: Deny reading", double-click on it and make sure that the radio button in the settings window that opens is set to "Disabled" (by default, it should be "Not set").

Utilities of popular manufacturers for removing protection

In some cases, it is not possible to remove protection from a USB flash drive using the system alone. At the same time, it is often not only impossible to write something to the medium, but also when formatting Windows flash drives writes that the disk is write-protected. In such situations, they can help out great special utilities... It is important, however, to understand that most of these programs produce full formatting drive, so about creating backup all the files on it should be taken care of in advance.

JetFlash Recovery Tool is one of the most popular flash drive recovery utilities. It is intended mainly for repair flash drives Transcend and A-Data, but can work with other types of media as well. The utility supports removing the write protection, recovering from the RAW file system, formatting with the preliminary saving of data, correcting damage to the file system. The program can be used even in cases where the flash drive is not recognized by the system at all.

Utility for recovering flash drives based on Alcor microcontrollers. Like the previous tool, it allows you to remove the write protection, as well as restore the normal operation of the device. The utility supports the creation of protected partitions on the disk, flashing the controller and analyzing flash memory. Unfortunately, the support for the utility has been discontinued by the developer; nevertheless, it continues to be successfully used to "cure" Alcor drives.

And at the end of the review, we propose to get acquainted with another utility for unblocking from flash drives. This is HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - Universal free program used mainly for formatting different models flash drives. The utility supports unlocking USB devices, choosing a file system when formatting, assigning labels, applying data compression for NTFS. In addition, you can use it to create MS-DOS bootable flash media.

Often, removable drives store an important and necessary piece of information that you want to keep always at hand. The memory cards, in turn, contain a lot of pleasant music or films. Unfortunately, there are times when these devices stop working. There are many reasons for this behavior. But the main thing is how to bring back a flash card, micro sd, memory card to life.

All the reasons due to which failures occur in memory cards, flash drives and other removable media can be divided into five large groups:

The benefits of write protection on memory card and micro sd

In fact, write protection is a very useful thing and only thanks to it you can somehow protect your device from erasing important information. But besides the fact that write protection prevents the files contained on the device from being changed, it effectively resists unauthorized use of the media.

The latest SecureDigital cards (SD) have new write protection and file erasure mechanisms. These are both mechanical and software methods. To prevent the start of recording or erasing processes, such cards have a Lock switch on the right side surface of the card. In addition, the security of the contents of the micro sd card is guaranteed by 4C Entity LLC, which was the first to develop and apply the original CPRM (Content Protection for Recordable Media) encoding method.

Such know-how partially prevents misuse of memory cards, but also makes life difficult for their owners.

Troubleshooting removable media problems

Formatting

During formatting, the process of extraordinary marking of the information storage area is started. A negative feature of this procedure is that at this time all existing files from the media are irrevocably erased.

Why format a USB stick?

Reasons why you should format your flash card:

• the presence of viruses;
• inability to write a large file to the medium;
• fight against slow work devices ( low speed data transmission).

Formatting can be quick and lengthy. The most popular way is simple quick formatting, when this process is started by right-clicking on the flash card icon. In the emerging context menu you must select the "format" command.

5 ways to format a flash card

We offer a choice of 5 simple ways to format a flash card:

What do you need to know to unlock removable storage media?

BitLocker is used primarily to encrypt removable drives. It is important to keep in mind that it is only available for Windows 8.

Also for operating system Windows, you can use a utility called Repair. This simple device can easily cope with unlocking a flash drive or micro sd card.

If the previous options were not successful, you can use one of the newest options - JetFlash Recovery Tool. Unfortunately, this application restores the original parameters of the media, thus, all information from it is lost. You can download the application from the link to the JetFlash Recovery Tool. Install and run it. In the window, select an incorrectly working USB flash drive, press START. Formatting of the media will start. After that, it should be removed using a safe method.

Let's analyze the most efficient way. You can remove protection in the Windows Registry Editor. To start the registry editor, hold down on the keyboard Windows keys+ R, then type regedit, and press Enter. We open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ StorageDevicePolicies. It is necessary in the WriteProtect data to change the value from 1 (this means write protection) to 0 (remove protection). At the end of the procedure, save the changes, turn off the USB flash drive and restart the computer.

Methods for preventing problems with removable media

conclusions

We have considered all the most popular and effective methods Troubleshoot removable media.

The reader can only choose the appropriate method for him. However, the more important information is stored on a USB flash drive and the more often you use it, the more careful you should be with this device. Because most of the breakdowns occur precisely because of the "human factor".

Therefore, before removing a USB flash drive, memory card or HDD from electronic device, use safe removal. This prevents many problems with removable media from occurring. And in case the flash or sd cards started to work incorrectly or are not displayed, you can always fix this with the help of a properly selected "treatment".

Any user may one day face a situation when, when trying to copy information to a USB flash drive, the system will display a message about the prohibition of such an operation. How can you remove write protection from USB media?

What is flash drive write protection

Write protection, installed using various programs and methods, allows you to protect the flash drive from getting on it unnecessary information to the user, unauthorized copying or deleting any files. The flash drive is blocked, as a result, all functions, except for reading, become inaccessible.

For example, you store a computer health analysis program on a USB flash drive and do not want to add to the media extra files, and even more so to lose existing ones. In such cases, you need to enable write protection.

When write protection is enabled, the system will display a message about the impossibility of copying a file from a USB flash drive

Causes of the blocking message

USB flash drive lock is able to turn on automatically as a result misuse device (non-observance of the attached instructions), malfunctions Windows system external virus attacks... There are also USB drives with a special mechanical switch that allows you to manually enable and disable protection. In some cases, the user can configure access restrictions himself in order to protect important information.

Thus, the main reasons for the blocking message are:

• improper use of the flash drive;
• problems in the Windows system;
• virus attacks;
• mechanical locking by means of a switch;
• enabling protection programmatically.

How to remove protection

When it becomes necessary to release a write lock, two methods are used:

• hardware;
• program.

Hardware method

To unlock the write lock by hardware methods, it is enough to move the mechanical switch, usually located on the side of the flash drive, towards the icon with the image of an open lock or the inscription UnLock. This method is used only on flash drives with the switch installed.

It is very easy to install and remove write protection on a USB stick with a switch

Programming method

When unlocking the programmatically, the flash drive controller, which is responsible for recording information, interacts directly with the Windows operating system.

The software method includes different ways unlocking:

• through the Windows registry;
• using the Diskpart utility;
• through the local group policy editor;
• using external programs.

Unlock Windows Registry Editor

Removing the write lock on a USB flash drive through the registry editor - video

With Diskpart

Through the Local Group Policy Editor

Through external programs

Exist as general programs for unlocking recording from a flash drive, intended for various removable media, and proprietary (for specific models).

Features and nuances

Open all programs that work with flash drives as administrator.

You must run programs that work with flash drives as an administrator

If none of the ways to remove the write lock came up, then there is a high probability that the flash drive is out of order or its working life has simply come to an end. If such a situation occurs, the USB storage device must be replaced.

How to remove protection from a flash drive - video

Removing write protection from a flash drive is not difficult. Just do not forget that in this case you can accidentally delete information from the carrier in the future. When the lock is on, the system will definitely remind you of this.

When trying to enter data on a USB flash drive, the computer may display an error message "The disk is write-protected." Therefore, it is important for any person to know how to remove write protection from a flash drive. It is difficult for the user to check the cause of the phenomenon, but often this serves as a precaution against downloading viruses from laptops, computers, and other devices to the drive. It is difficult to clear a USB flash drive from them, it is much easier to protect it, and then remove the record.

How to unlock a write-protected USB flash drive

Unlocking is done via a lock switch on a number of flash or removable SD cards. If you find the switch, then the method of how to remove write protection from usb flash drive, will switch the lock lever in the desired direction of the image of the open lock. After that, re-insert the media into the PC port, access to it will become free, and you will be able to record information. To return to the "Flash drive is write-protected" state, switch the lever to the "Protect" position. The same goes for the step on how to remove protection from the memory card.

Launch windows registry editor

The System Registry Editor is a way to get a flash card back online using simple steps... Follow simple points:

1. To begin with, you need to click on the "Start" icon and type in the search box "Regedit", right-click on the drop-down file, press the "Run administrator" button from the menu found.
2. Select the "StorageDevicePolicies" subsection via the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ StorageDevicePolicies" command channel. Absence of this section in your PC requires you to make it. To do this, right-click on the "Control" subsection, click "New", select "Section". Then you can give the subsection the name "StorageDevicePolicies", after removing the quotes. While on this registry branch, create a "DWORD (32 bit)" element called "WriteProtect".
3. Make sure that the renamed WriteProtect element is 0. To verify this, click on the element, select "Change", correct the unit to zero, making sure the selection is OK. The change may not be required if the value is already zero.
4. Close the program, get the media, restart the PC. A reboot will return the inserted card to its original working state.

Command line recovery

The command line is an alternative method for solving the question of how to remove protection from a USB flash drive. The process includes items:

1. Click "Start", enter "cmd" into the search box, right-click on the drop-down program, find "Start Administrator" and click on the parameter.
2. Enter the command "diskpart", click "enter", then type "list disk", click "enter" again.
3. Determine the disk number. If it is the only one, it will be "Disk 1". If you have multiple devices, knowing the capacity or memory of the USB storage will help determine the number.
4. After selecting the protected disk that you want to fix by typing "select", you need to clear the read-only attributes by typing "attributes disk clear readonly". Additional formatting can be done if desired. For this purpose, use the input of the command "clean", create a subsection "create partition primary", format the flash drive to the desired format. Done - the disk is working again.

How to remove the protection of a transcend flash drive

Holders of Transcend flash cards can use a utility created exclusively for the brand. The file is called "JetFlashRecovery" and download it is feasible on the company's formal website. The utility is completely free in access, eliminates write protection problems and other difficulties that arise. To make it easier to find the utility, use the file name.

In addition to this utility, the already described methods are suitable for the "Transcend" brand. command line or Registry Editor. A means of removing the blocking by switching the blocking lever will become an alternative method of removing the write protection from such a flash drive. You can try everything, because at least one of them should be suitable and help to eliminate this painful problem.

Video: what to do if the flash drive is write-protected

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 disks - the removable disk is locked and cannot be used to write files.

We will consider in detail how to solve this problem in our today's article.

So, you need to write some information to a flash drive, you insert it into the slot and you get a message like "The disk is write-protected, remove protection or use another disk."

This problem can be quickly resolved, and we will talk about it a little later, but now a few words should be said about the purpose of installing write protection on a flash drive.

Note! Usually, this operation is performed with only one purpose - to protect the flash drive from viruses that can spontaneously copy to removable media without the user's knowledge.

Ways to remove write protection from a flash drive

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

The hardware method is to install a lock switch, which is present in some models of USB flash drives and SD cards. Typically, the switch is located on the side edge of the drive.

Look closely at your existing drive and look for an open / closed lock icon or Lock sign on it.

Note! Removing the protection is very simple - you need to move the locking lever in the opposite direction. Write protection removed. Insert the flash drive into the appropriate slot and try the file write operation again.

The software method involves software interaction between the operating system and the controller of the flash drive, which is responsible for the ability to record information.

You can remove write protection programmatically using the command line, registry editor, or local group policy of Windows 7/8. Let's take a closer look at all the methods.

Removing protection with regedit

Step 1."Start", in the search field, enter the name of the Windows registry editor - regedit. Right-click (RMB) on the program and in the context menu go to the item "Run as administrator".

Step 2. Let's move on to the StorageDevicePolicies section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ StorageDevicePolicies

Important! If there is no such section, you need to create it. To do this, right-click on the section Control - Create - Section. We name the section "StorageDevicePolicies" without quotes.

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

Step 3. You need to make sure that the value of the WriteProtect parameter is 0. Right-click on WriteProtect, select "Change". If the value "1" must be changed to "0" and click "OK".

Step 4. Close the registry editor, remove the flash drive and restart the computer. We insert the flash drive. The flash drive now works in normal mode allowing you to write files.

Removing protection with Diskpart

If the USB flash drive could not be unlocked using the registry, we will try to do this using the Diskpart command interpreter, which allows you to manage disks and partitions using commands entered by the user in the command line.

Step 1."Start", in the search field enter the name of the command Windows strings- cmd. Right click in the program, in the context menu we carry out "Run as administrator".

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

Step 3. In the above list, you need to determine which serial number in the name of the flash drive.

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

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

If the flash drive needs to be formatted, enter the following "clean" commands, create a "create partition primary" partition, format it in NTFS "format fs = ntfs" or FAT "format fs = fat".

Remove Protection Using Local Group Policy Editor

Step 1. We open the editor by pressing the key combination Win + R, after which you should enter the command gpedit.msc and press "OK" or Enter.

Step 2. In the editor, open the branch: Computer configuration - Administrative templates - System - Access to removable storage devices. And we look at the status of the parameter "Removable drives: Deny reading".

If the parameter is enabled, you must disable it.

Step 3. To disable the recording restriction, double-click on the parameter and in the window that appears, select "Disable", "OK".

If all the above methods did not help to solve the problem with recording, you can try to go to the official website of the manufacturer of the flash drive and look for proprietary utilities for working with the drive.

It is also possible that a flash drive has exhausted its resource (there is a limit on the number of overwrites, after which the drive is switched to read-only mode) and the only way out of the situation is to buy a new flash drive.