The sd card is write protected how to format. Removing write protection from a flash drive
Writing files to removable storage is the simplest operation on personal computer that millions of users use every day. But not all users understand the true causes of such an error. In this article, we will understand the causes of the error and how to fix it.
Causes of the "Disk is write-protected" error. Why microsd card is write protected
The verbatim text of the notification looks like this: “The disk is write-protected. You need to remove the protection or use another disk." The appearance of this message is quite logical if the operating system does not have the ability to write to disk - for one of the reasons it is prohibited.
Causes of failures can be software or hardware. Software and hardware failures occur both in the computer OS and in the file system of the drive. But before deciding what to do, you need to understand the causes of this phenomenon.
The main ways to protect a flash drive (memory card) or disk from writing
Methods for protecting information on a flash drive, as well as types of failures, can be conditionally divided into two groups: hardware and system.
One of the options for hardware protection is a mechanical switch on the drive case in the “lock” position.
System protection is a set of programs and utilities specially designed to ensure data security. For example, a lock is set in the Windows registry or a group policy to disable writes.
The easiest way to remove protection from a flash drive - Total commander
Total Commander- one of the oldest Windows managers, but is still popular with users, as it has good functionality and easy to handle. You can remove protection in TC using the following algorithm:
- Open "Configuration".
- Open the File Operations tab.
- Choose " automatic way copying".
hardware method. Windows Command Prompt - Diskpart
Important: You need to run the command prompt as an administrator.
To remove protection using the command line, you need to follow the following algorithm:
- Go to the start menu.
- Find the application "Command line" (also the command line is launched by the key combination Win + R).
- Enter the Diskpart command and press the “Enter” key at the command prompt, thereby launching the disk manager application on the system.
- Enter the Attributes disk clear readonly command and press the “Enter” key, thereby disabling the “read-only” mode.
- Enter the Clean command and press the “Enter” key, thereby deleting all partitions and volumes of the disk.
- Type in the Create Partition Primary command and press the “Enter” key, thereby creating the primary disk partition from scratch.
The ability to write to a USB flash drive is often blocked by numerous malware that enter the computer system through other external media connected to the device or the Internet.
To find and eliminate them, you need to download an antivirus, such as Dr.Web CureIt, and scan the system for malicious code.
Mechanical protection. Flash card recording mode switch
Some flash drives are equipped with special write protection mechanisms. They are located on the body of the device, on the outside. The device looks like a small switch.
Important: Such switches are more common on SD cards, but some USB models also have them.
To activate the ability to write to a disk, just put the switch slider in the desired “OnLock” position.
Windows Tools. Group Policy Configuration (gpedit.msc)
How to remove protection installed as a result of local settings group policy? This restriction is removed according to the following algorithm of actions:
- Activate windows keys+R command line.
- Enter the command Gredit.msc in the search box, click OK.
- In the new window, navigate through the tabs: Configuration>Administrative Templates>System>Removable Storage Access.
- Go to the line "Prohibit reading".
- Double click on the line.
- In the new window, activate "Apply"> OK.
Registry editor. Removing write protection with regedit
Registry Editor - standard program embedded in modern system Windows. The application edits registry keys, sets new parameters by default, restores files from backups.
To remove protection using the editor, you need to follow the following algorithm:
- Make an entrance to the registry editor program by activating the Win + R keys.
- Type Redegit in the search bar and click OK.
- Find one of the registry branches called: HKey Local Machine
- From the drop-down list, select the branch System.
- From the drop-down list under this branch, select Current Control Set, then Control
- From the list of subsections select StorageDevicePolicies
- Check the WhiteProtect parameter in the program interface
- Change the parameter value from 1 to 0.
- Close the editor, restart the OS.
What to do if the disk is write-protected and the flash drive is not formatted - Low-level formatting
If the above attempts to remove protection did not bring results, then it is worth using the low-level formatting method of the drive to clear and recreate all tables of the flash card file system. At the same time, you need to remember that in this case the recorded data will be lost, but the damaged disk memory will be restored. A full format will block the damaged areas of the USB and the system will not be able to write data to them in the future.
To carry out the operation, the Low Lewel Format Tool program is suitable. The application clears the partition table, boot sectors, and even manufacturer data - every last byte. Available on the Internet free version program, but it works slower than a paid counterpart.
Non-typical causes of the "Disk is write-protected" error
The reasons why disk writes are blocked can be conditionally divided into common and atypical, more rare ones. The second group includes file system errors, wear or physical damage to the flash drive, microcontroller failures, and USB port failures.
- Fatal errors of the flash card file system
In case of violation of the sequence of storage and naming of information in the memory of the drive, the structure of the file system is damaged. Logical errors are made after incorrectly removing the flash drive from the connector, memory wear, power surges and other processes. The disk is blocked, and the system reports the need to format it. To correct the situation you need:
- Attempt to recover data using the correct software for this media.
- Perform formatting high level with file system recovery.
The role of physical damage to the carrier is a factory defect, cracks, overheating in motherboards and microchips. Also, physical damage is provoked by violations of operating and storage conditions, power surges, loosening of USB connectors.
- Microcontroller failures or complete wear of the flash drive
The flash memory and the computer "communicate" with each other using a controller chip built into the external drive. The controller is controlled by a microprogram recorded in the chip. Sometimes, in case of unsafe removal of a flash drive or horse races electric current, arises software failure controller. A clear sign of the onset of such a malfunction: a write lock. Also, blocking occurs due to wear of the memory chip, overcoming the threshold of rewriting cycles. The system goes into information protection mode to stop the process of memory destruction. Flashing the microcontroller with the help of special programs will help to eliminate failures.
The USB port turns off spontaneously on the computer rarely, but still this error happens. To check if the port is working, you must first try to connect other devices to it. If the port sees the smartphone, keyboard and other devices unstable or completely refuses to notice them, then it does not function. If the user sees a system message about the write protection of the disk, it is not associated with a malfunction of the USB ports. But the administrator can disable them intentionally to protect the data from being downloaded. How to remove write protection from a flash drive if the port is disabled?
In this case, you need to enable USB according to the following algorithm of actions:
- Enter BIOS system while holding the F2 or F10 keys.
- Find values for USB Controller.
- Set the Enabled parameter for these values.
- Confirm the changes by activating the F10 key.
- Restart PC.
How to remove protection from excel sheet
If the Excel sheet is not allowed to be edited, the application toolbar is inactive, and the user does not have access to most functions. When you try to make changes, the program will display a message stating that the sheet is protected. To unlock a sheet, the following steps will be required:
- Click on "File".
- Activation of the "Unprotect" link in a new window.
- Enter password. Without knowing the password, the protection cannot be removed.
AT old version Excel to remove the lock you need:
- Activate the "Service" item.
- Select the Protection tab from the list.
- Activate the Unprotect Sheet command.
- Enter password.
Programs for fixing write errors and formatting protected flash drives
Flash drive manufacturers understand that failures can occur in their products for various reasons, so every well-known brand creates utilities to fix them. Useful programs available on manufacturers' websites. For example, the program for Kingston is called Kingston Format Utility, Transcend - JetFlash Recovery. Programs are freely available on manufacturers' websites.
Having a problem with a write-protected flash drive? Don't know how to unlock a flash drive, make it readable? You are trying to write some file to a usb drive or sd card, and in response you get a message: "the flash drive is write-protected." If you urgently need to copy files to a disk or flash drive, I will show you how to remove protection and format (or erase) the storage medium - for further work familiar and correct.
We use programs to format memory cards and usb flash drives
Some flash drives are equipped with proprietary software. It works better than standard tools Windows formatting. These programs - not always, but nevertheless - will help to remove protection. The disadvantage of this approach is that you lose all data on the media. Therefore, if this is unacceptable to you, go to the next chapter.
2. More universal way force format usb flash drive / sd card - turn to 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, back up the Windows Registry using the RegOrganizer program for this.
1. Open the Registry Editor (Start - regedit).
2. Change to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ directory. If there is no StorageDevicePolicies folder inside this directory, create it. For this:
3. Right click on the current Control directory
4. From the menu, select New - Partition and name it StorageDevicePolicies.
5. Right-click StorageDevicePolicies and select the new DWORD(32-bit) value for 32-bit OS or DWORD(64-bit) for 64-bit OS, respectively.
6. Rename the dword parameter to WriteProtect, double click on the line, set the value to 0 (HEX).
7. Safely remove the flash drive and restart your computer.
8. Connect the flash drive. Format it if necessary.
Video version of the instruction:
Another solution to remove protection from a disk: using the diskpart utility
diskpart is a console utility included with Windows XP and higher that allows you to flexibly manage hard drives, file volumes, and partitions at a deep access level.
We will try to access the problematic flash drive through 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 in the system.
3. Determine where your USB drive is on the list. Enter "SELECT DISK n", where n is your USB flash drive with a write-protected disk.
Be very careful! Choosing 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 thrice). 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. Type "select partition" to select a partition on the disk
7. Type "active" to make the disk active
8. Enter "format fs=ntfs" to format to NTFS (before formatting the flash drive, make sure you have chosen the correct media!).
By the way, the diskpart option is one of best practices 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. We will need a standard implementation for its implementation. Windows component for disk management - diskmgmt.msc.
- Start - Run. Type diskmgmt.msc into the text box and press Enter
- Right click on the partition you want to format (the letter and partition will help determine)
- Select "Delete volume..." and confirm the operation
- AT context menu select "Create Volume"
- Select primary partition
- Leave all parameters as default
- Click ok
Remove protection from a flash drive through the Windows Group Policy Editor
In some cases, access to the flash drive is limited by the rights of the local Windows group policy. We tell you how to remove protection in a similar situation:
- Start - Run - .
- In the panel that opens, navigate to the next section: "Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - Removable Storage Access".
- Next, you need to deactivate the "Removable drives: Deny reading" option by switching to the "Disabled" state.
Other Working Methods for Removing File Write Protection
If none of the above recipes helped, well, other methods will probably work, how to remove protection from a flash drive (the list will be updated over time).
- Check your flash drive for viruses. Some malicious applications establish their own control over files, as a result, the flash drive is protected from writing data belonging to viruses. How to remove the protection in this case? For scanning, we recommend using the best antiviruses.
- Check if there is a hardware button on the flash drive 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 such usb flash drives and sd cards are very rare - basically, these are old models of devices.
- Update the flash drive firmware, you can find the exact model on Google by 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 is working. If none of the ways to remove protection from a flash drive helped you, it remains to replace usb drive- in other words, buy a new one.
However, ask questions on the topic - you can do this through the sidebar on our website. We'll try to help.
The media is write-protected: what to do? FAQ
Flash drive 32 gig WANSENDA when formatting. When you try to delete a file, it asks you to remove the write protection from the disk or use another. What to do, how to remove write protection? I can't delete or upload files to a flash drive.
Answer. Try to remove protection from your flash drive through the Registry, using the diskpart or diskmgmt.msc utilities (included with Windows). Format the flash drive special programs- Low level format or Disk format tool (see the beginning of the guide).
All formatting attempts give me one result: remove protection, the card is write-protected. I removed the protection in all sorts of ways, but it comes back, I can’t do anything. The phone gives information about the malfunction of the card and cannot format it in any way. Comp and laptop accept, 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 to reset the protection using the methods described in the article and immediately format the memory card in FAT32. Check if there is a switch on the sd card (maybe it is set in the wrong position, so the memory card is write-protected).
I can't format a SONY 64GB flash drive, copy and delete files on it. The system says the disk is write protected. What to do? I've tried everything you have. Does not help. Flash bought in mvideo, about 3 months ago, worked properly before.
Answer. Some users are helped to remove protection by a proprietary JetFlash utility recovery. It allows you to format a flash drive at a low access level. If it doesn't help, try removing the write protection from the disk through the registry or command line. After that, 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 map - there is NO way to delete them at all. They are deleted from the computer, but then appear again on the map. I can’t write anything on the card - at first everything seems to be there, but there is nothing on the phone ... as if not. I didn’t drop the phone, didn’t drown it, just suddenly the card stopped working, and even so bizarrely. 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 USB flash drive?
Answer. You can remove write protection on a flash drive through forced formatting. This can be done through the diskpart console utility for Windows or various graphical utilities like SDFormatter or Hp disk format tool.
It is possible that the files are not deleted due to read errors in sectors that contain non-deleted files. You can check the flash drive for errors through Properties - Tools - Check in Explorer.
After the navigator with ADRplayer, I can not delete files from the SD card (including write-protected ones). Recognized by Windows as a 118 MB disk with ADRplayer on it. The files are all played by this program. Formatting is not possible on Windows.
Answer. Since the disk of the sd card 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, format it first.” options didn't help.
The way through 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 writes that it is working. What to do, how to remove write protection from a flash drive, reanimate 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 third-party software to manage disks on the flash drive - say, Acronis Disk Director.
I bought a mini sd for a 128gb SanDisk phone. Insert into phone samsung galaxy A5 (2016), it will work for a while and then it will block writing to it. whatever he did: he formatted it through the PC, and through the phone - all to no avail, it will work for a while and then again blocks the recording. How to format a protected flash drive?
Answer. The file table on the memory card may be corrupted, 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 app. 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 Wipe cache partition option.
I ordered a USB flash drive from the Internet. I initially formatted it, but I didn’t like that she didn’t read and see all the formats. I decided to format completely, without a checkmark, only (table of contents). now a laptop with Windows 10 sees it, but requires it to be formatted. I format, but the flash drive is not formatted - the disk is write-protected. I already tried to do something (download programs), but I don’t understand, I’m still far from it, however.
Answer. In your case, it is advisable not to format the USB flash drive standard means Windows, I use specialized software - the good thing is that the choice is wide. First of all, look for programs specifically for your flash drive on the manufacturer's website. If not found, use the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool or any disk manager like Acronis Disk Director. Specify NTFS or exFAT as the file system.
1) 16 GB Sandisk ultra USB 3.0 flash drive. Tried everything from renaming letters 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 my micro SD card. Writes: "Windows could not complete formatting." I already tried different programs and the command line. It still does not format. I just can’t delete files. I click “delete”, removed the USB flash drive and put it back. The file that I deleted is there again I can neither delete nor format.
Answer. Try other formatting programs: SDFormatter or software available on the developer's website (sometimes you can use them to format a USB 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's configuration. Try to format the flash drive on another computer or in another OS environment (Windows/Mac OS/Linux).
Often on removable drives an important and necessary piece of information is stored that you want to keep always at your fingertips. Memory cards, in turn, contain a lot of pleasant music or movies. Unfortunately, it happens that these devices stop working. There are many reasons for their behavior. But the main thing is how to bring a flash card, micro sd, memory card back 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 use 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 modified, it effectively resists unauthorized use of the media.
The latest SecureDigital card (SD) features new file write and erase protection mechanisms. It is both mechanical and software methods. To prevent the start of writing 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 the misuse of memory cards, but also complicates the life of their owners.
Troubleshooting Removable Storage
Formatting
During formatting, the process of unscheduled marking of the information storage area is started. The negative property of this procedure is that at this time all existing files from the media are permanently erased.
Why format a flash drive?
Reasons why you should format a flash drive:
- the presence of viruses;
- inability to write a large file to the media;
- fight with slow work devices ( low speed data transmission).
Formatting can be fast and lengthy. by the most popular way is a simple quick format when this process is started by right-clicking on the flash card icon. In the context menu that appears, select the "format" command.
5 ways to format a flash drive
We offer 5 simple ways to choose how to format a flash card:
What do you need to know to unlock removable media?
Basically, BitLocker is used to encrypt removable drives. It is important to note that it is only available for Windows 8.
Also for operating system Windows, you can use a snail called Repair. This simple device will 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 settings of the media, so all information from it is lost. You can download the application from the link to JetFlash Recovery Tool. Install and run it. In the window, select the incorrectly working flash drive, press START. The formatting of the media will start. After that, it should be removed by a safe method.
Let's analyze the most effective way. You can remove protection in the Windows Registry Editor. To launch the registry editor on the keyboard, hold down the Windows + R keys, then type regedit, and press Enter. We open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies. It is necessary to change the value in the WriteProtect data from 1 (this means write protection) to 0 (remove protection). At the end of the procedure, save the changes, turn off the flash drive and restart the computer.
Removable media troubleshooting methods
conclusions
We have reviewed all the most popular and effective methods for troubleshooting removable media.
It remains for the reader to choose the appropriate method for him. However, the more important information stored on a flash drive and the more often you use it, the more careful you should be with this device. Because most of the breakdowns occur just because of the "human factor".
Therefore, before removing a USB flash drive, memory card or HDD from electronic device, use safe extraction. This prevents many of the problems with removable storage media. And if the flash or sd cards started to work incorrectly or are not displayed, this can always be corrected with the help of a properly selected “treatment”.
With prolonged and active use of an SD or microSD memory card, you may encounter certain kinds of problems. One of these is write protection, due to which no files can be placed on the drive. Let's talk about how to remove it today.
Disabling memory card protection
Unfortunately, much more often write protection turns out to be software, and therefore it will not be possible to remove it so easily. In this case, it is necessary to act comprehensively, alternately resorting to various options for solving the problem, which is usually accompanied by the following notification when trying to interact with the drive (formatting, deleting files, moving them, inserting, etc.):
Note: When following all the recommendations below, the memory card must be connected to the computer. In addition, some of the methods discussed below involve formatting, so if important data is stored on the drive, copy it to any convenient place on the computer disk.
Method 1: "Registry Editor"
It is possible that write protection is set at the operating system level, and not on the drive itself. In this case, to remove it, you must contact "Registry Editor" Windows.
- Hold down the keys WIN+R to call a window "Run" type regedit into it and click "OK" or "ENTER".
- In the opened window "Registry Editor" go to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Search this location for a directory "StorageDevicePolicies", and if it doesn't exist, create it. To do this, right-click (RMB) on the Control directory, select items from the menu "Create" — "Chapter" and name it "StorageDevicePolicies", but without quotes. - Select the created directory by pressing the left mouse button (LMB), and then right-click on the empty area on the right and select menu items "Create" — "DWORD (32-bit) Value" or "QWORD parameter (64 bits)", depending on the bitness of the operating system installed on your computer.
Read also: - name new parameter "WriteProtect"(without quotes), open it by double-clicking LMB, set the value 0 and press "OK" for confirmation.
- Safely remove the drive, close "Registry Editor" and restart your PC.
If the write protection was set exactly at the Windows level, it will be removed after the system starts, and you can use the memory card normally. But if this simple solution doesn't help, move on to the next one.
Method 2: "Command line"
Console or "Command line"- an effective tool for managing the operating system and its components, which does not have a graphical interface, but is endowed with a number of useful tools. Among the latest utility diskpart, with which you can remove the write protection from an SD or microSD card.
- Run Command Prompt as Administrator. To do this, find it through the search (Windows 10) or the menu "Start"(Windows 7), right-click and select "Run as administrator".
- Enter the command below and click "ENTER" for its implementation.
- Then enter the following command and press again "ENTER":
- In the list of disks that will be shown in the console window, find your memory card - for this, focus on its size.
where # is the disk number corresponding to the memory card.
Note: At this stage, you should be extremely careful, because if you choose the wrong drive, you risk losing important data.
- Now you and I need to clear the read / write attributes of the memory card, delete and re-create a partition on it, and also format it to a different file system than the one originally installed. For these purposes, one by one, enter the following commands (after each of them, press "ENTER"):
attributes disk clear readonly
clean
create partition primary
select partition
active
format fs=ntfs
note to the last command - if a file was used on the SD / microSD NTFS system, you need to format in FAT32, then you should enter in this case format fs=fat32.
- Wait for the formatting of the drive to complete, the progress of which is displayed as a percentage.
To exit the utility diskpart type the command exit and then close "Command line".
Check if you can now write data to the memory card. If the problem still persists, don't despair - we have a few more solutions.
Method 3: "Disk Management"
Standard disk management tool integrated into all Windows versions, allows you to do almost the same actions that we performed in the previous method (starting with deletion and cleaning), but, unlike "Command line", it is endowed GUI and more intuitive to use.
- For start "Disk Management" enter into the window "Run" (WIN+R) the command below and press "OK".
- In the list of disks, find the memory card connected to the computer, focusing on the volume, and right-click on the area of \u200b\u200bthe drive itself.
Select an item from the menu "Delete Volume" and confirm the operation. - After completing the removal, right-click again on the drive area in "Disk Management" and use the "Create Simple Volume" context menu.
Next, follow the step-by-step prompts of the New Volume Wizard,
without changing the default values and just pressing "Further" at each step.
and "Ready" in the last window.
After completing the procedure, check if the write protection is removed from the drive.
Method 4: "Local Group Policy Editor"
There is another case when write protection is set at the operating system level - this may be dictated by the rules of the local group policy. Therefore, in this state of affairs, our task is to change them.
