How to unprotect a microsd memory card. Format the flash drive if it is write-protected - remove protection

Messages:

“My flash drive began to issue: “The disk is write-protected. Remove protection or use another disk." What to do?"

quite often found on various computer forums.

In this small selection of tips, I will share my own experience in solving the problem.

So, practice shows that owners of problematic USB drives, when such a message appears, usually lose the opportunity:

Access to information on the media;

Writing and deleting data on the media;

Media formatting.

What can be done in such cases?

Step 1: Check the mechanical write blocking switch.

Almost all SD memory cards, which are defined by Windows as removable drives, have hardware write protection in the form of an inconspicuous switch on the side of the case.

Pull the device out of the computer and check the switch position. If it is in the write enable position, or if the device does not have a write block switch at all, proceed to the next steps.

Step 2: check the system registry.

The reason for the occurrence of a write error in some cases may be a change / damage to the system registry settings.

open regedit.exe and go to section

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR

On the right side of the window, double-click the option Start. The Start parameter defaults to 3 (recording allowed):

If the problem persists after performing this action, go to step 3.

Step 3: format the USB drive.

There are several ways to format disks, for example, in a graphical interface familiar to most users.

From context menu Windows Explorer:

From a Windows snap "Disk Management":

For various reasons, we may encounter the inability to format the disk in the ways listed above. In this case, it remains to resort to the option using the command line console.

To do this, I advise you to boot into safe mode(Windows boot modes are selected by pressing the key F8 at the beginning of system startup). Then open command line(cmd.exe) on behalf of the administrator.

Enter the command:

FORMAT G: /q /fs:fat32

where G:- the letter assigned by the system to the USB disk (flash drive), /q- quick format option, and /fs:fat32– parameter of the specified file system.

In principle, the parameter of specifying the file system type when formatting flash drives is optional, since the FORMAT command by default formats the disk into the FS that was originally defined for the disk. As for formatting external USB drives that are supposed to be used to install the operating system, or to store a large amount of data, then in these cases the parameter must be applied /fs:ntfs, since the NTFS file system allows you to work with files larger than 4 GB. A complete list of parameters (switches) of the format command can be found by typing format help.

Step 4: recover data from USB drives using special programs.

Successfully formatting the flash drive allows us to proceed with the data recovery operation. Many USB flash drive manufacturers offer proprietary utilities to solve problems with devices (formatting, unlocking, data recovery), for example Kingston DataTraveler. But you can also use universal ones: HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool, R.saver, PhotoRec (it restores photos well). To recover information, try using these utilities as well. They successfully return data even after formatting and then overwriting the drive, but they can only help if the file system is not damaged.

If you are using other means to solve problems with USB drives, please share your experience in the comments.

I wish you successful application!

Good day.

Recently, several users have contacted me with the same type of problem - when copying information to a USB flash drive, an error occurred, something like the following: " The disk is write protected. Remove protection or use another disc".

This can happen for various reasons and there is no one-type solution. In this article, I will give the main reasons due to which this error appears and their solution. In most cases, the recommendations in the article will return your drive to normal operation. Let's get started...

1) Mechanical write protection on the flash drive is enabled

The most common reason for a protection-related error to appear is the switch on the flash drive itself (Lock). Previously, something similar was on floppy disks: you wrote down something you needed, switched it to read-only mode - and you don’t worry that you will forget and accidentally erase the data. Such switches are usually found on MicroSD flash drives.

On fig. 1 shows such a flash drive, if the switch is set to Lock mode, then it will only be possible to copy files from the flash drive, it will be impossible to write or format it!

Rice. 1. MicroSD with write protection.

By the way, sometimes you can also find such a switch on some USB flash drives (see Fig. 2). It is worth noting that it is extremely rare and only in little-known Chinese firms.

Fig.2. Write-protected RiData flash drive.

In general, by default, Windows does not prohibit copying and writing information to flash drives. But in the case of virus activity (and indeed, any malware), or, for example, when using and installing all kinds of assemblies from different authors, it is possible that some settings in the registry have been changed.

Therefore, the advice is simple:

1. first check your PC (laptop) for viruses ();
2. next check registry settings and local access policies(more on this later in the article).

1. Check registry settings

How to enter the registry:

• press the combination of buttons WIN + R;
• then in the Run box that appears, type regedit;
• press Enter (see fig. 3.).

By the way, in Windows 7 you can open the registry editor through the Start menu.

Note. Chapter control you will have, and here is the section StorageDevicePolicies- may not exist... If it doesn't exist, you need to create it, to do this, just right-click on the section control and in the drop-down menu, select the section, then give it a name - StorageDevicePolicies. Working with partitions resembles the most common work with folders in Explorer (see Figure 4).

Further in the section StorageDevicePolicies create a parameter DWORD 32 bits: to do this, simply click on the section StorageDevicePolicies right-click and select the appropriate item from the drop-down menu.

By the way, such a 32-bit DWORD parameter can already be created in this section (if you had one, of course).

Rice. 5. Registry - creating a DWORD 32 value (clickable).

Now open this parameter and set its value to 0 (as in Figure 6). If you have an option DWORD 32 bits has already been created, change its value to 0 . Next, close the editor and restart your computer.

Rice. 6. Set the parameter

After restarting the computer, if the reason was in the registry, you can easily write the necessary files to the USB flash drive.

2. Local access policies

Also, in local access policies, writing information to connected drives (including flash drives) can be limited. In order to open editor local policy access- just press the buttons Win+R and in the execute line enter gpedit.msc, then the Enter key (see Figure 7).

Then, on the right, notice the " Removable drives: disable recording". Open this setting and disable it (or set it to "Not configured").

Actually, after the specified parameters, restart the computer and try to write the files to the USB flash drive.

3) Low-level formatting of a flash drive / disk

In some cases, for example, with certain types of viruses, there is nothing left but to format the drive in order to completely get rid of malware. Low-level formatting will destroy absolutely ALL DATA on the flash drive (you can no longer recover them with various utilities), and at the same time, it helps to bring the flash drive (or HDD), on which many have already put an end to it ...

What utilities can be used.

In general, there are more than enough utilities for low-level formatting (besides, on the website of the flash drive manufacturer you can also find 1-2 utilities for "reanimating" the device). Nevertheless, by experience, I came to the conclusion that it is better to use one of the 2 following utilities:

1. A simple, installation-free utility for USB formatting-Flash drives (the following file systems are supported: NTFS, FAT, FAT32). Works with devices via USB port 2.0. Developer: http://www.hp.com/
2. HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool. An excellent utility with unique algorithms that allows you to easily and quickly format (including problem drives that other utilities and Windows do not see) HDD and Flash cards. AT free version there is a speed limit - 50 MB / s (not critical for flash drives). Below, I will show my example in this utility. Official website: http://hddguru.com/software/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool/

An example of low-level formatting (in HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool)

1. First copy ALL REQUIRED files from a flash drive to a computer hard drive i.e. do backup. After formatting, you will not be able to recover anything from this flash drive!).

3. You should see a list of all connected drives and flash drives. Find yours in the list (be guided by the device model and its volume).

Rice. 9. Choosing a flash drive

4. Then open the LOW-LEVE FORMAT tab and click the Format This Device button. The program will ask you again and warn you about deleting everything on the flash drive - just answer in the affirmative.

Rice. 10. Start formatting

5. Next, wait until the formatting is done. The time will depend on the state of the media being formatted and the version of the program (the paid one works faster). When the operation is completed, the green progress bar will turn yellow. Now you can close the utility and start high-level formatting.

Rice. 11. Formatting completed

6. The easiest way is to just go to " This computer" (or " My computer"), select the connected flash drive in the list of devices and right-click on it: select the formatting function in the drop-down list. Next, name the flash drive and specify the file system (for example, NTFS, because it supports files larger than 4 GB See Fig. 12).

Rice. 12. My computer / flash drive formatting

That's all. After a similar procedure, your flash drive (in most cases, ~ 97%) will start working as expected ( the exception is when the flash drive is already software ways won't help...).

Why does this error occur, what should I do to avoid it again?

And finally, I will give a few reasons why a write protection error appears (using the tips listed below will significantly increase the life of your flash drive).

1. First, always use safe shutdown : right-click in the tray next to the clock on the icon of the connected flash drive and select - disable from the menu. According to my personal observations, many users never do this. And at the same time, such shutdowns can damage the file system (for example);
2. Secondly, install an antivirus on the computer with which you work with a flash drive. Of course, I understand that it is impossible to insert a flash drive into a PC with an antivirus everywhere and everywhere - but after coming from a friend where you copied files to it (from an educational institution, etc.), when you connect the flash drive to your PC - just check it ;
3. Try not to drop or throw the flash drive. Many, for example, attach a flash drive to the keys, like a keychain. There is nothing like that - but often the keys are thrown on the table (bedside table) upon arrival home (there will be nothing for the keys, but the flash drive flies and hits with them);

I bow out on this, if there is something to add - I will be grateful. Good luck and less mistakes!

Using the drive to edit information on it is not always successful, sometimes flash drive not formatted write protected. Formatting and any other manipulations related to changing information on the media will be blocked, and the flash drive turns into a regular CD / DVD disc. The problem has been known for a long time, so the solutions have already been worked out and are reliable.

Note that the only worthy use of flash drive write protection is its protection against viruses that migrate through the system without the knowledge of the user and infect more and more new areas.

The flash drive is not formatted: what to do?

The very first step in solving a situation where a flash drive is not formatted by Windows is to check the physical condition of the drive. Some flash drives have a lock with a sliding latch, the same applies to microSD cards. The toggle switch may be located on one of the edges of the media. To eliminate the prohibition for writing, you need to move the lock to the Open or Lock position, this is done with something hard or with a fingernail, since the toggle switch is quite small.

Most likely, the lock was turned on by accident, so before further connecting the drive, it is worth checking the correctness of its installation.

Another common problem is software write blocking, which is set at the level of the drive's microcontroller. For normal operation, you need to unlock the USB flash drive, which can be done using the built-in Windows tools.

The flash drive is not formatted - the disk is write-protected. Unlock via registry

A more common reason why a flash drive is not formatted is the software area. To remove the ban, you need to perform some manipulations with the registry.

1. Press Win + R and enter regedit in the window that opens, the editor will be called with administrator rights;

Not always the problem with formatting flash drives is due to their malfunction, sometimes an error can occur due to write protection. And if some removable media have the appropriate switches to allow writing data to the device, then others do not. Be that as it may, from this article you will learn how to format a USB flash drive if it is write-protected. Even taking into account the fact that there are no switches at all and the flash drive is write-protected.

Remove write protection using the command line

You do not know what it is and how to use it? No problem. Following our instructions, you can easily cope with this task:
If for some reason you did not see the long-awaited message with the formatting results, do not despair. It is possible that the flash drive was protected in another way - we recommend that you try using the following methods to remove write protection.

The local group policy editor, as a way to remove protection from snaking and formatting a flash drive

We believe that with the editor of the local group policy You are unfamiliar, as well as the command line, because it is used ten times less often. You should not worry about this either, there will be no problems. So let's get started:

Did everything work out for you? Or are you still puzzled over how to format a write-protected flash drive? If nothing happened, most likely the problem lies in the storage medium itself.

Flash drives (USB-flash) and SD cards (MicroSD) are small devices that can store a significant amount of gigabytes of information that have come to replace disks. It would seem that there will be no problems with flash drives and cards, but when recording, it may turn out that the storage device used is simply blocked, and it is impossible to write new information to it.

Installed write protection from a flash drive is a fairly common problem faced by ordinary users. Any person who uses it for the first time can face such a situation, or he needs to temporarily use a flash drive, for example, dump information on someone else's memory card. This problem is often quickly resolved, which means that there is no reason to panic.

Before considering all the ways that will help remove the lock, you should pay attention to why this same lock is installed on the flash drive and card.

Important! The main reason for installing a lock is to protect the drive from virus programs. There are viruses that can replicate on their own.

To solve this problem, there are 2 main methods - software and hardware.

Disabling the lock by changing the position of the switch

If you pay attention to a flash drive or SD card, you can see that there is a small switch on the side. They have a length of no more than 5 mm. and is translated from one position to another literally with a fingernail. This is a hardware lock.

Some manufacturers make notes next to the switch so that the user can understand whether the lock is on or not. The mark is represented by an image of an open and closed lock. You can change the position of the switch as many times as you like.

Software removal of protection from a flash drive

As for the second method, that is, software, it already involves the installation and removal of the lock using the operating system. You will need to install a flash drive or SD card into your computer, and use a registry editor or command prompt. All methods should be considered in detail.

Unprotecting a flash drive using changes in the computer registry (Windows settings database)

• 1. First of all, go to "Start". Enter regedit in the search field. Now you will need to go to the item "Run as administrator" - this is done by clicking on the right mouse button;

• 2. In the registry window that opens, you need to find the "StorageDevicePolicies" section
  You can get to it by going to the line at the following address (you can use the registry search, in the "Edit" tab): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

It is possible that the partition may not be available. In such a situation, you will have to create it. This is done simply and quickly. Click on the Control section, then click "Create" and then "Section". Give the new section a name: StorageDevicePolicies

• 3. Now you need a DWORD (32 bit) parameter, which is also created independently in the new registry branch. Give him a name WriteProtect.

• 4. WriteProtect must have a value of 0. Click on the new parameter, click on Change. Most likely, the user will find "1" in the window that opens. Erase the unit and put "0" instead. It all ends by pressing the "OK" button.

• 5. The editor can now be closed and the drive removed. It remains only to restart your own computer and re-insert the drive. If everything was done correctly, then the files can be easily written to it.

Removing protection using the Command line, the Diskpart parameter

There is a Diskpart command interpreter that will also help you unlock your flash drive or SD card. Its purpose is to manage partitions and disks using commands.

• 1. Click "Start". Write the word cmd on the command line. Click on the right mouse button and click "Run as administrator".

The drive may need to be formatted. Specify the "clean" command in the command line, then create the "create partition primary" partition, complete removal data in NTFS "format fs = ntfs" or FAT "format fs = fat".

Removing protection from a flash drive using the local group policy editor

• 1. Open the editor - it's easy to do: press the two keys "Win" + "R" at the same time. In the line that appears, enter the command gpedit.msc. Enable it by clicking "Ok".

• 2. You will need to be in the "Removable drives: Deny reading" section. This can be done by opening the editor and the branch "Computer Configuration" - "Administrative Templates" - "System" "Access to Removable Storage Devices" and here, on the right, there will be the desired section. It is possible that the parameter is enabled and simply disable it.

3. Right click on the parameter. A window will open where you will need to click "Disable" and confirm the action.

Each of specified methods was used, but it was not possible to achieve the desired result. See who is the manufacturer of the product and go to its official website. There will definitely be utilities for working with a flash drive or SD card.

Unfortunately, the flash drive and the card have their own resource for overwriting data. If it has been exhausted, then it will be impossible to erase information from it, as well as write it down. Will have to spend on a new flash drive or a map.

Good afternoon, dear readers and subscribers of the blog site. I'll tell you a little story about how people break usb flash drives and how to restore them. My colleague gave one of the employees a flash drive to transfer data from one computer to another. The user made the transfer and gave us the media. Then my colleague inserted this flash drive for himself and tried to write something on it and was very surprised that she didn’t see her at all, only a window immediately appeared that she needed to be formatted, we try and get an error " The disk is write protected". Let me show you how to solve this problem and return the media to a working state.

What do the errors look like?

Let's show what the error looks like. On the first window of formatting a removable disk, you will see "The disk is write-protected".

By clicking OK, you will see another interesting warning:

Windows cannot format. Check that the drive and drive are properly connected, make sure the drive is not read-only, and then try again. For more information, see Help by searching for information about read-only files and how you can change

If you open the Disk Management snap-in, then you will find that the media has a status of "Read Only"

There is also a situation that the flash drive is seen and opened, but it does not give anything to write there, even if you consider that there are write rights on the "Security" tab. Here you already see the message "."

All these symptoms can be easily cured.

Why does the disk write is write protected

Let's look at the most common causes that lead to a USB drive failure, both at the physical and logical levels:

• Incorrect ejection of the media from the computer, at the operating Windows systems. I am sure that you are sinning with this, in most cases, it is easier for the user to simply pull out the USB flash drive than to do the correct extraction through a special window or program. As a result, you increase the likelihood of a file system crash on it, NTFS does not like this.
• A large number of flash drive errors
• Physical deterioration
• Problem with drivers

We remove the disk is write-protected when formatting

When everything is clear with the reasons, then let's get down to practice. I will immediately show a working method that removes the read-only media lock. The Formatter SiliconPower utility will help you with this.

You can download Formatter SiliconPower either from the official site or from me.

The utility is completely portable and does not require installation. Launch Formatter SiliconPower.

Before starting, I advise you to leave it on only not working flash drive

You will see a window in which you will be prompted to format, agree and click "Format"

You will be warned that all data will be deleted, continue the operation.

The recovery process begins, in no case remove the USB flash drive until you see a window that everything went well.

This is how the window looks like, that everything is done and now the usb drive is not write-protected, and works in the mode you are used to.

Remove write protection from USB in the Windows Registry Editor

This method will help in 99 percent of cases when you see a flash drive, but does not allow you to write anything on yourself. Here the whole problem is in one registry key that needs to be corrected or recreated. And so, we press the Win and R buttons at the same time, and in the Run window that opens, we write regedit.

Go to section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

If there is no such section, then you will have to create it through the right click and give it the name StorageDevicePolicies

In the StorageDevicePolicies section, you need to create a "QWORD (64-bit) Value" registry key named WriteProtect and give it a value of 0.

If the WriteProtect key was already in your registry and had a value of 1, then it was he who forbade formatting the flash drive and wrote that the disk was write-protected, change it to zero.

After making changes to the registry, you need to restart your computer, otherwise the settings will not take effect.

How to remove write protection on the command line (cmd)

If you still have your removable media showing the message "That the usb disk is write-protected" do not rush to get upset, we have the Diskpart utility in stock. You can run it via command Windows line on behalf of the administrator.

1. At the command prompt, type Diskpart and press Enter. Then enter the command list disk and in the list of disks find your flash drive, you will need its number. Type the following commands in order, pressing Enter after each.
2. select disk N(where N is the flash drive number from the previous step)
3. attributes disk clear readonly
4. exit

As you can see, the diskpart utility has worked, now you can check the result of its execution.

Transcend flash drive not formatted

There are also specific methods for USB storage, certain manufacturers, for example, for Transend, there is a special JetFlash utility Online recovery.

As you can see, everything was successfully completed and the flash drive quietly opened.

Summary

As you can see, the error with the inability to read or format the flash drive is solved very simply, for this there are both built-in utilities and utilities from manufacturers, choose the method that suits you and repair it, if you have questions, then write them in the comments, I will try to answer them, thanks to all.

Useful advice by user Sergey (Fin)

Now I dissected the corpse and found the oxidation of the USB contacts. Radio amateurs have such a spray called Contact CLEANER, so I used it. Contacts shine, the flash drive is read, written and formatted. I hope that she will continue to please me with her performance (although this is already a big question, her total age is about 8 years).
Ivan, thank you for the article and all the best!
Hope it helps your other readers.
PS: whoever washed the flash drive or dropped it into water - take it apart, dry it, then clean the board itself on both sides with a toothbrush and alcohol. It should come to life - I did it myself several times =) Good luck!

When working with flash drives, certain difficulties sometimes arise. For example, often the system, when trying to copy any information to the media or format it, suddenly displays a message that the disc is write-protected. As a result, you can neither transfer files to removable storage, nor delete or change them. What to do in such a situation? And most importantly, how to format a write-protected flash drive and return it to its usual working state?

To begin with, we recommend that you carefully look at the carrier itself. Some USB flash drives and memory cards have a dedicated switch. It has two positions: one activates the write lock, and the other removes it.

So, it is enough to move the lever to remove the protection. At the same time, any information can be written to the USB flash drive again. True, first you still need to format the drive using standard Windows tools.

If there is no switch on the flash drive, then just check it with antivirus software. The removable drive may be infected with malware that forcibly protects it from writing and prevents it from being formatted.

For reference! If you use a card reader, then you should check it too. Sometimes due to malfunction this device The system writes that "the disk is write-protected."

Removing disk protection using the Diskpart utility

On the operating systems(OS), since Windows XP, there is a console utility. It's called diskpart. So, using this tool you can manage various disks. Including, get access to the "problem" media. Working with the utility is easy:

After all the manipulations, the write-protected flash drive should change the file system. In addition, it will again be possible to drop any information on it.

However, please note that there are various write protection systems. Not everything can be removed using the diskpart utility. Therefore, if the procedure did not give the desired result, then try another method. We will tell about it further.

We remove the write protection of the flash drive through the group policy editor

Another method that allows you to format a flash drive even if it is write-protected. It is based on using the capabilities of the local group policy editor:

How to remove protection from a memory card using the diskmgmt.msc utility?

There is another regular Windows component for disk management. It is called the diskmgmt.msc utility. To use this OS tool to remove write protection, you must:

1. Press the combination Win + R. Enter "diskmgmt.msc" and click the "Enter" button.
2. Next, you need to wait a bit while the system displays the disk configuration.
3. Then we find the flash drive and right-click on it.
4. Select the "Delete volume" operation. The section will be defined as "not allocated".
5. Next, right-click on it. Click on "Create Volume".
6. The system will launch the New Volume Wizard application. Click "Next" several times, leaving all the default settings.
7. At the end, click "Finish". We are waiting for the end of the formatting process of the flash drive.

Is it possible to format a write-protected flash drive using third-party programs?

Sometimes standard means Windows does not help solve the problem associated with the operation of removable media. Therefore, do not neglect special utilities. They are just designed to restore and format USB flash drives, SD cards, etc. So you can use:

1. Special branded software, which is released directly by the manufacturer. For example, for Transcend products, this is the JetFlash Recovery program.
2. If for some reason it is impossible to use proprietary utilities, then download and try other formatting programs in practice. There are a lot of them. Some of the most popular and convenient are Hp disk format tool, HDD low level format, Recuva, SDFormatter, etc.

What else can help to remove file write protection?

• Changing parameters Windows Registry, in some cases it turns out to remove protection. To do this, open the "Run" line. Enter "regedit". In the menu that opens on the left, go to the StorageDevicePolicies folder. You can find it in the following path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control. Here we are interested in the "WriteProtect" parameter in the right panel. We double click on it. Then we change the number 1 in the "Value" field to 0. It remains only to connect the USB flash drive and format it.
• Sometimes you can remove write protection and formatting by updating the firmware of the drive. This can be done in different ways. We recommend using CheckUDisk, UsbIDCheck, USBDeview or ChipGenius. Through them you will find out the VID and PID codes, which are necessary to determine the chip model of your flash drive. After that, you can easily find and download the latest firmware for the media from the network. If suddenly at this stage there are difficulties, then use the site FlashBoot.ru.
• If it is impossible to copy information to the card or save any files, then try to remove protection in this way. Go to "My Computer". Find the flash drive you need there. Click on it with the secondary mouse button. Select the "Properties" line. Then go to the "Access" tab. Next, click on "Advanced Settings". Check the box next to "Share".
• It also happens that the problem associated with the inability to write or format removable media caused by incorrect installation or incorrect setting programs for creating virtual drives. For example, Alcohol 120%, DAEMON Tools, Virtual CD, etc. Therefore, you should try to remove this software. Perhaps, somehow it blocks the work with the memory card.

If you have tried all the methods described above in practice, but the flash drive is still not formatted, then most likely it is out of order. This happens quite often. Give the drive to service center is not the most rational solution. Repairing a flash drive is usually more expensive than buying it. Therefore, it is best to purchase a new removable media.

The main purpose of protecting USB disks and SD cards is to add a write protection switch to USB flash drive and SD cards to prevent accidental deletion of files and avoid suspicious files such as malware/Trojans, etc. from allowed sources for storing data on a USB drive. If the USB drive is in read-only mode, any attempt to create (or) edit a file on the USB drive will be refused, but if you really want to make changes to the USB drive, add some additional information(or) changes to the information that is already on it, the restrictions that you added to your computer in the first place will now prevent you from making changes, such as adding new files or deleting existing files from any USB drive connected to it. But, you can still read the files available on it, but you won't be allowed to make changes or format the drive.
How to remove write protection to format USB flash drive and memory card

Initially, this kind of logic was put in place to protect your valuable information on a USB drive from someone who can handle your device but can't access it. It can steal your device, but it won't be able to make changes to make you believe you edited the files on the drive. For example: in a business environment, anonymous who tries to change the amount price offer cites the project as intending to eliminate the company from competing with several other companies that attempted to acquire the project.

But in USB drives and SD cards, this logic is used to block unauthorized content, store and modify the content present on it, making the information read-only. Consequently, any USB drive or SD card connected to your computer is now write-protected, so even if the computer is affected by harmful viruses such as Trojans, malware etc. will never affect the USB stick connected to it.

There are several ways to format a write-protected USB flash drive and SD card, and here in this article we would like to share a few more details that work for most of the available devices in an efficient and simple way.

1. Using the Diskpart program - a command line command
2. Using the registry RegEdit.exe

1. Disable flash drive write protection using the command line utility - the Diskpart command

This is another easy way to disable write protection from a disk, USB storage device such as flash drives and memory cards using the command line using a program called diskpart.

Note: to disable write protection using this method, you can run a command prompt window as an administrator, otherwise access will be denied.

Warning: during this process, some USB drives will be hidden after the clean process is started. After removing the write protection on the device, for reuse The USB drive must be formatted, so we strongly recommend that you back up your USB drive files before moving on to the next section.

1. Connect the USB drive to the computer and run the command prompt as an administrator (to open the command prompt, type cmd.exe in the start menu search box and right-click and select run as administrator)

2. In the command prompt window, type the following commands and press enter after each command.

diskpart [press Enter] list disk [press Enter]

3. All drives including external and internal drives will be listed, look for the USB drive with the storage capacity it contains, usually USB drives have less capacity, so it will be in MB.

4. To select a disk from the list, enter the command “ select disk 1” and press Enter, you will get the message “Disk 1 is the selected disk”.

5. Now enter the type “ attributes disk clear readonly” and press Enter, immediately after the entered command the message “disk attributes are cleared successfully”.
6. Now all the attributes that are added to the disk, such as read / write - protection will be completely removed.
7. From here you can either stop and close the command line and execute the format USB disk manually in Windows Explorer (or) continue the format directly on the command line with the following command and specify the format type.

Note: formatting via the command line is a slow process as the write protection is removed, so we recommend that you stop and close the command line and open windows explorer and try to format the USB drive and drives in "My Computer" (Windows Explorer) with right click->Format.
8. To format the USB drive directly on the command line, follow steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 above, then continue by typing the commands below.

clean[press Enter] create partition primary[press Enter]

format fs=ntfs(If the USB drive is less than 4 GB, we recommend that you replace NTFS with either FAT or FAT32 file system)
9. EXIT when you're done, your device is now write-protected and ready to go.
10. For more detailed information by the above way, see below picture and command details cmd commands in order.

Note: After formatting through the command line utility, if the USB drive is not showing up in My Computer just change the drive letter in Disk Management.

2. Remove write protection from a flash drive using the registry service RegEdit.exe

We will list how and in what order it is recommended to use the method without using any third-party tools to remove write protection from a USB drive disk. So, please follow the steps below to do it through the recommended process.
1. Enter Run run and type regedit to launch the regedit.exe editor utility

2. After you have entered the regedit command, the editor opens, go to the next section.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SYSTEM->CURRENTCONTROLSET->CONTROL->STORAGEDEVICEPOLICIES

3. Now look for the write-protected value on the right side of the window, then double click on it and change the value from 1 to 0.

Note: if you don't find something like STORAGEDEVICEPOLICIES in the above navigation, create a new setting, right click on manage- control->New->Key and name the key as StorageDevicePolicies.

4. Now right click on the created folder StorageDevicePolicies->New->DWORD (32 bit) value and name it like " WriteProtect” and set its value to 0. Click OK and save the changes.

Changing the DWORD(32 bit) value from 0 to 1 will enable write protection on the USB flash drive, and changing the value from 1 to 0 will disable write protection and allow you to make changes to the drive.

5. Then close the regedit.exe editor and restart your computer.