As always, the problem happened at the most inopportune moment. If you started reading this article, then you turned out to be one of those “lucky” people who at one point decided to put something on your flash drive, but in the end received a message from the system that you cannot write data to the disk and now this very protection needs to be removed. A person who has encountered something like this for the first time reasonably appears completely bewildered. Let's try to find out the reasons why we can't write files to a flash drive and figure out how to fix this problem.
Content:
Causes of the error “The disk is write-protected. Remove protection or use another disk."
It is quite logical that such a problem arises if the operating system queries the disk, but does not receive write rights. In this case, it is not possible to write files, although at the same time data can be read without any problems. The reasons for this behavior vary, but clearly fall into two groups:
- Software glitch.
- Hardware failure.
It is important to understand that both types of problems can happen both on the flash drive and on your computer.
Types of write protection
By analogy with the causes of errors, write protection methods can be divided. A classic example of hardware protection would be the presence of a special switch (on the body of a flash drive) that turns on and off the ability to write to a flash drive.
Software protection consists of various types of software systems designed to prevent unauthorized use of the drive.
When deciding how to remove the protection if “The disk is write protected”, first of all check if there is a special small switch on the case. It is always present on SD cards, and is somewhat less common on regular USB drives. Accidental switching is not uncommon when a flash drive is carried in a pocket.
Also, be sure to check the functionality of the flash drive in other USB ports, or even better, on another computer. If you are the owner of a desktop computer with a system unit, it is preferable to check the flash drive by connecting to the ports on the back wall of the system unit. The problem may lie in poor contact, poor-quality wires, or failure of the USB controller.
Software removal of write protection
After making sure that there is no mechanical protection problem, we proceed to checking the software.
By default, the flash drive is formatted using the FAT32 file system. A small number of users are aware of the limitation in this file system to the maximum file size of 4Gb. This results in a twofold situation: formally there is permission to write, but a message about the impossibility of doing so appears. If you need to transfer large files, format the drive using NTFS - a system where there are no such restrictions. To do this, open “My Computer,” right-click on your removable drive and select “Format.” In the window that appears, in the “File system” line, select NTFS, click “Start”.
Important! It is always better to use “safe removal” before removing the flash drive from the connector. Due to some features regarding flash drives formatted in NTFS, this should be a mandatory rule.
The blocking can be set in the Windows registry. The Windows key combination + R will open the Run window, type regedit and click OK.
In the editor window, go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies section, where you will see the WriteProtect parameter on the right. Double-click on the parameter to bring up a dialog for changing the parameter, set the value to 0. The StorageDevicePolicies section may be missing and you will have to create it. To create, right-click the previous Control section, select “New > Section”, the name should be StorageDevicePolicies. In the empty area on the right side of the window of the newly created section, right-click again, select “New > DWORD Value” in the menu, select 64 or 32 bits, depending on the bitness of your system. Name the parameter WriteProtect and set the value to 0 as described above. Be sure to reboot and check the result.
Make sure that recording to removable devices is not prohibited by group policy. Similarly to launching the Registry Editor, execute gpedit.msc, which will bring up the “Local Group Policy Editor”. Follow the branches “Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - Access to Removable Storage Devices”. On the right, check the “Removable drives: Deny writing” option. It should be disabled or not set. If the option is enabled, double-click on it, select Disable, and apply the selection. Don't forget to reboot before checking.
Check the system with a good antivirus with the latest databases. There are a number of malicious programs that block the ability to work normally with connected portable storage devices.
A significant number of Windows users prefer the Total Commander file manager, which offers extensive features and ease of use. It is important to understand that Total Commander is essentially just a convenient add-on for Windows, so everything described in the article applies to it. However, there are nuances. Try copying your files in Windows Explorer, if there are no problems with copying in Explorer, open “Configuration > Settings: File Operations” and select “Automatically select copy method”. The authors of some builds of this manager set settings that cause such failures.
Remove write protection in the command line (cmd)
How to remove protection from a write-protected flash drive using the command line. The method is a little more complicated. Find the Command Prompt application in the Start menu and run it with administrator rights. Next, enter the following commands one by one, confirming each entry by pressing Enter.
Attention! All contents of the flash drive will be deleted permanently!
- Diskpart– launches the disk management utility;
- list disk– will display all disks connected to the system, you need to determine which of them is your flash drive, for which you can use the size of the disk;
- select disk X– targets the program to a disk; instead of X, specify the number of the desired disk;
- detail disk– will show detailed information about the selected disk to ensure that the choice is correct;
- attributes disk clear readonly– resets the read-only attribute;
- clean– all volumes and partitions on the disk will be deleted;
- create partition primary– re-creates the main partition;
- formatfs=fat32– formats the partition using the FAT32 file system (you can select the NTFS file system with the commandfs=ntfs);
- exit– terminates the program.
Programs for removing write protection
Flash drive manufacturers take care of solving various types of problems that arise with their products, releasing proprietary utilities for restoring problematic devices. Do not forget that you must run any of these utilities with administrator rights. These useful programs can be freely downloaded from the respective manufacturers' websites. Transcend calls it , Silicon Power calls it , Adata calls it , Kingston calls it . Their use is quite simple and does not cause difficulties even for beginners.
The programs listed below are designed for advanced users and you should read the documentation before using them. Independent developers release their own universal programs that are not tied to any vendor, but have similar functionality.
Popular representatives:,AlcorMP.
The latter only works with drives on the controller of the same name, but all have the same task - to help restore the problematic device. When faced with finding a solution to how to remove protection from a flash drive, as a last resort, you should try to reflash it. It will tell you complete information about the type of controller, the memory used and even the production date.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a specialized program for recovering external storage media, such as flash cards,…
Memory cards have long been widely used on a wide variety of devices, allowing you to additionally obtain several required gigabytes of memory. However, during use you may encounter such an unpleasant problem as write protection, which causes considerable inconvenience to users. What to do in this case? Fortunately, this problem can be solved quite simply. All you need is a little patience and follow the instructions. In this article we will take a closer look at how to remove protection and format a memory card. Let's figure it out. Go!
Users ask questions about how to remove the protection of a memory card and format it if necessary
It's worth starting with the fact that some memory cards have a special switch with which you can enable or disable write protection mode. Be sure to pay attention to this point.
The Diskpart system utility will help you solve the problem. Launch Command Prompt with administrator rights. This can be done through the Start menu or through the Run window (use the Win+R key combination and enter cmd).
Commands are entered sequentially
After the command line window appears in front of you, enter the following commands to format the micro SD flash drive:
select disk 0 (instead of “0”, enter the number corresponding to the microSD card; the necessary information will be displayed after entering the “list disk” command)
attributes disk clear readonly
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs (or specify fat32 after the “=” sign, it all depends on what file system you want to format the SD card in, some cameras may not support NTFS)
assign letter=X (X is the letter that will be assigned to the flash drive)
After formatting is complete, you can assign a drive letter
If formatting was unsuccessful in this way, try another option, namely doing it through the Group Policy Editor.
To go to the Group Policy Editor, open the “Run” window by pressing the Win + R key combination, and then write “gpedit.msc” in the input field (without quotes). In the window that opens, go to the “Computer Configuration” section, then open the “Administrative Templates” folder. In it you will find the “System” directory. Navigate to the "Removable Storage Device Access" folder, which is located in this section.
Finding the required policy setting
In the list on the right, find the line “Removable drives Prohibit writing”. Double-click on it with the left mouse button and select the “Disabled” mode. Click "OK" to confirm your changes. Then you need to perform similar steps in the “User Configuration” section. The further path consists of folders with exactly the same names. When you reach the desired item, turn it off.
The procedure in other sections is similar
After following all the instructions described above, you can format your microSD flash drive without any problems. If the operation fails again, this may mean that the memory card is faulty and you should consider purchasing a new one.
Now you know how to unlock a micro SD flash drive to format it. This is very easy to do and only takes a few minutes. Even if you are a novice user, this operation will not cause you any difficulties. Write in the comments whether the article helped you understand the situation and ask any questions you have about the topic discussed.
Sooner or later, every user of additional memory cards needs to format a microSD card.
There are several ways to do this efficiently and efficiently. But first you need to figure it out what is microSD and how is formatting done??
What is microSD?
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MicroSD is a small flash drive designed for portable equipment (mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, etc.).
There is a type of equipment to which you can only connect an SD card. Often in this case, together or separately, special adapter sold, allowing you to make the transition from microSD to SD.
There are now four generations of cards:
- SD0 – from 8Mb to 2 Gb;
- SD 1.1 – up to 4 Gb;
- SDHC – up to 32 Gb;
- SDXC – up to 2 Tb.
History of MicroSD development
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This memory card format was developed in 1999 by a joint effort of companies such as Panasonic, SanDisk and Toshiba.
Later, in order to “promote the idea,” a separate company was created to develop and improve this card format – SD Association.
Despite this early appearance, microSD cards only came into use in 2004. It was then that the company SanDisk introduced a standard for such cards, which was originally called TransFlash.
A year later, the name TransFlash was officially changed to MicroSD.
The device was initially doomed to great popularity, and they were right, especially now that it has very compact dimensions (20 * 21.5 * 14 mm and weighs 1 gram) and can store up to 128 GB of data inclusive, while having excellent data processing speed.
Areas of use
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As mentioned above, cards of this format are used mainly for portable equipment. There are only three types of SD cards: microSD, miniSD and regular format SD cards.
Regular and miniSD cards Most often used in photo and video cameras. They store the footage.
The third kind used in more compact technology– mobile phones, smartphones, communicators, MP3 players and others.
Such devices are equipped with a special connector that supports this format. In this case, the memory card stores photos and video files, music and even many applications.
SD cards are used not only for use in portable equipment, but also in PCs as a storage medium. In the modern world, more and more laptops have a connector for connecting regular SD cards.
You can connect the device to desktop computers via a card reader. In this case, a special adapter is used for a microSD card, which is exactly the same size as a regular SD card.
Why formatting should be done
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First of all, formatting allows you to completely free the memory card from the files on it. The second reason is the presence of viruses.
It is impossible to completely get rid of viruses by simply deleting virus files, so you will need to format the microSD.
And finally, the third reason is the slow operation of the card. By completely cleaning the drive, you can speed up its operation..
Formatting using standard Windows tools
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You can format the card using standard Windows tools, but will this give the desired effect? After all, microSD cards often have write protection.
Therefore, it will be impossible to delete files. To check this, you can try formatting the flash drive without using programs.
To do this, insert the card into the card reader and wait for the computer to “see” it.
Then go to “My Computer”, find the required removable disk and right-click on it.
In the context menu that opens, select the item "Format".
In the window that opens change the file system to FAT. If it is the default, then we do not change it. Then click the “Start” button.
Once the process is complete, your card remains empty. But not always completely.
After uploading new files and safely removing the removable drive, when you reconnect, it may turn out that the old files that were on the microSD before formatting and the new ones overlap each other.
In this case, independent formatting without third-party software will no longer help you. You will have to turn to various types of programs for help.
Let's look below at what programs can help us free up our SD card.
AutoFormat Tool
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This program is very easy to use. It has a very small volume and is absolutely free. To use it you need to download the download archive.
You can do this on any site where you have it. You just need to enter its name in the search bar of your browser.
After downloading and installing, click on the shortcut using the right mouse button, and in the context menu that opens, select the item "Run as administrator"».
After the program itself opens, in the utility window, select the arrow in the Disk Drive line and find the letter of your device.
Then put the marker on the SD item and press the “Format” button to start formatting.
After clicking the formatting button, another window will appear asking you to confirm the deletion of all files. Click “Yes” and start the formatting process.
Once completed, your card will be fully formatted and ready to use. If you can’t format the card using Windows, then this program will 100% help you.
Read also:
This program is just as easy to use as the previous one. With her help You can format not only SD cards, but also USB drives and even RW drives.
The program is capable of performing low-level formatting, so it is used to clean any removable media.
This program also has a disadvantage - Once formatted using it, the data can no longer be restored.
The program can be downloaded for free on any website that has similar software.
After downloading the program easy to install and does not take up a lot of hard disk space, which is also a big plus. To format, proceed to the following steps:
1 Run the program as an administrator by right-clicking on the shortcut. In the window that opens, select the media that needs cleaning and click the “Continue” button.
2 In the next window, open the “LOW-LEVEL FORMAT” section and complete the action by pressing the “FORMAT THIS DEVISE” button. After this, we wait for the formatting to finish. This program has a slight delay in the cleaning process, so you will have to wait a bit.
SDFormatter
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With this program you can perform better cleaning of the microSD card or any other removable media. It is more effective than standard Windows tools.
The developers of this utility are confident that this is the best formatting program.
To get started with this program, you should download and install it. You can download it from any site where it is available.
The program also absolutely free and does not take up much memory on your hard drive. After downloading, the program should be installed as usual and run as administrator.
After starting the program, a window opens in front of you, in which, in the “Drive” field, select the desired device to format.
After we have completed all the steps described above, just click the “Format” button and wait for the formatting to complete.
This method is quite simple, the program is easy to use and does not take up much space. It also doesn't use much RAM. Therefore, this method is very well suited for such purposes.
Starting the formatting process
Writing files to a removable storage device is the simplest operation on a personal computer, which millions of users perform every day. But not all users understand the true reasons for such an error. In this article we will look at the causes of the error and how to resolve it.
Causes of the “Disk is write-protected” error. Why is the microsd card write protected?
The verbatim text of the notification looks like this: “The disk is write-protected. You need to remove the protection or use a different drive." The appearance of this message is quite logical if the operating system does not have the ability to write to the disk - for one of the reasons it is prohibited.
The causes of failures may 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 reasons for this phenomenon.
Basic ways to protect a flash drive (memory card) or disk from being written to
Methods for protecting information on a flash drive, as well as types of failures, can be divided into two groups: hardware and system.
One of the options for hardware protection is a mechanical switch on the drive body in the “lock” position.
System protection is a set of programs and utilities specifically designed to ensure data security. For example, a block is set in the Windows registry or a group policy prohibits writing.
The easiest way to remove protection from a flash drive is Total commander
Total Commander is one of the oldest Windows managers, but is still popular among users because it has good functionality and is easy to use. You can remove protection in TC using the following algorithm:
- Open "Configuration".
- Open the “File Operations” tab.
- Select "automatic copy method".
Hardware method. Windows Command Line – Diskpart
Important: You must run the command line as an administrator.
To remove protection using the command line, you need to follow the following algorithm:
- Go to the Start menu.
- Find the “Command Prompt” application (the command line can also be launched using the Win + R key combination).
- Enter Diskpart into the command and press the “Enter” key at the command line, thereby launching the disk manager application on the system.
- Enter Attributes disk clear readonly into the command and press the “Enter” key, thereby disabling the read-only mode.
- Enter Clean in the command and press the “Enter” key, thereby deleting all partitions and volumes of the disk.
- Enter Create Partition Primary in the command and press the “Enter” key, thereby creating the primary disk partition from scratch.
The ability to write to a flash drive is often blocked by numerous malicious programs that enter the computer system through other external media connected to the device or the Internet.
To find and eliminate them, you need to download an antivirus, for example Dr.Web CureIt, and scan the system for malicious code.
Mechanical protection. Switch for recording modes on a flash card
Some flash drives are equipped with special write protection mechanisms. They are located on the device body, on the outside. The device looks like a small switch.
Important: These switches are more common on SD cards, but some USB models also have them.
To activate the ability to write to a disc, just move the switch slider to the desired “OnLock” position.
Windows Tools. Setting up Group Policy (gpedit.msc)
How do I remove protections that have been installed as a result of Local Group Policy settings? This restriction is removed using the following algorithm of actions:
- Activate Windows keys + R command prompt.
- Enter the command Gredit.msc in the search bar and click OK.
- In the new window, go to the tabs: Configuration>Administrative Templates>System>Access to removable storage devices.
- Go to the “Disable reading” line.
- Double-click on the line.
- In the new window, activate “Apply”>OK.
Registry editor. Removing write protection using regedit
Registry Editor is a standard program built into a modern Windows system. The application edits registry keys, sets new default settings, and restores files from backup copies.
To remove protection using the editor, you need to follow the following algorithm:
- Log in 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
- Select the System branch from the drop-down list.
- From the list that drops down under this branch, select Current Control Set, then Control
- From the list of subsections, select StorageDevicePolicies
- In the program interface, check the WhiteProtect parameter
- Change the parameter value from 1 to 0.
- Close the editor and reboot the OS.
What to do if the disk is write-protected and the flash drive cannot be formatted - Low-level formatting
If the above attempts to remove protection do not bring results, then you should use the method of low-level formatting of the drive to clear and re-create all tables of the file system of the flash card. 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. Full formatting will block damaged USB areas and the system will not be able to write data to them in the future.
The Low Level Format Tool program is suitable for this operation. The application clears the partition table, boot sectors, and even manufacturer data - all down to the last byte. A free version of the program is available on the Internet, but it works slower than its paid counterpart.
Not typical causes of the “Disk is write-protected” error
The reasons why writing to a disk is blocked can be divided into common and atypical, more rare ones. The second group includes file system errors, wear and tear or physical damage to the flash drive, microcontroller failures, and USB port malfunctions.
— Fatal errors in the file system of the flash card
If the sequence of storing and naming information in the drive's memory is violated, the structure of the file system is damaged. Logical errors occur after incorrect removal of 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:
- Try to recover data using software suitable for this media.
- Perform a high-level format with file system recovery.
Physical damage to the media includes manufacturing defects, cracks, and overheating in motherboards and microcircuits. Physical damage is also caused by violations of operating and storage conditions, power surges, and loosening of USB connectors.
— Microcontroller failures or complete wear of the flash drive
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 written into the chip. Sometimes, in case of unsafe removal of the flash drive or electrical current surges, a software failure of the controller occurs. A clear sign of such a malfunction: write blocking. Also, blocking occurs due to wear of the memory chip, exceeding the threshold of rewrite cycles. The system goes into information protection mode to stop the process of memory destruction. Reflashing the microcontroller using special programs will help eliminate failures.
It is rare for a USB port to turn off spontaneously on a computer, but this error still happens. To check if the port is working properly, you must first try connecting 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 disk being write protected, it is not related to a malfunction of the USB ports. But the administrator can disable them intentionally to protect data from downloading. How to remove write protection from a flash drive if the port is disabled?
In this case, you need to enable USB using the following procedure:
- Enter the BIOS by holding down 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 your PC.
How to remove protection from excel sheet
If the Excel sheet is not editable, 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 the sheet, you will need the following steps:
- Click on the “File” item.
- Activating the “Unprotect” link in a new window.
- Enter your password. Without knowing the password, you cannot remove the protection.
In the old version of Excel, to remove the lock you need to:
- Activate the “Service” item.
- Select the “Protection” tab from the list.
- Activate the “Unprotect Sheet” command.
- Enter your password.
Programs for eliminating recording errors and formatting protected flash drives
Flash drive manufacturers understand that their products may malfunction for various reasons, so every well-known brand creates utilities to eliminate them. Useful programs are available on the manufacturers' websites. For example, the program for Kingston is called Kingston Format Utility, Transcend is called JetFlash Recovery. The programs are freely available on the manufacturers' websites.
Regardless of the type of memory card, whether it is locked or not, an error may appear as a result of operation, allegedly the memory card is write-protected. In most cases, the only solution is to format the flash drive. But the device in which the flash drive is installed may not cope with this task, and for such cases we will look at how to format a protected memory card on a computer.
Since it concerns SD cards, the first thing you still need to do is make sure that the switch is missing or in its position. There are no such switches on microSD cards, but it can be on an SD format adapter. Perhaps switching the protection to a different position can solve the problem of formatting a protected SD card, if it is working properly, of course.
It is unlikely that you will be able to format a write-protected memory card using standard Windows tools. Here you need to immediately try to format the protected SD memory card via the command line using the utility DiskPart. The program is launched with a special command through the command line, which will have to be run as an administrator. Let's go to "Start", enter cmd in the search column, and launch the found program by right-clicking on it and selecting the required menu item.
Now you will need to enter a series of commands, pressing after each "Enter":
- diskpart(run the DiskPart program mentioned above);
- list disk(we display a list of all found disks, which will be assigned a serial number);
- select disk 1(select the disk with the serial number we need);
- attributes disk clear readonly(clean attributes);
- clean(clean the disk itself);
- create partition primary(we create the section again);
- format fs=fat32(format in FAT32 or format fs=ntfs for NTFS);
- exit(we leave).
This completes the process of formatting a write-protected memory card. If the problem is not solved, you should look for another solution and try special programs that can correct errors in the operation of flash drives. But very often the problem with formatting a protected flash drive cannot be solved. If the problem cannot be corrected using several programs, the flash drive can be thrown away.
