Sometimes it happens that the computer categorically refuses to write any data to the USB drive and displays a message that the disk is write-protected. This, of course, is unpleasant. Therefore, you need to know how to remove protection from a flash drive so that you can write various information to it. It should be noted right away that there are several ways to deal with this problem. But the reasons for this error are different. Therefore, you must first identify the cause of the problem, and then proceed to solve it. In the meantime, we will list the options for solving the problem.
Dealing with the mechanical switch
The fact is that flash drives may have mechanical switches that turn on the write prohibit mode. In the case of USB drives, everything is simpler, since there are not very many such models. However, they meet. Therefore, in some cases, you can remove write protection from a USB flash drive by simply moving the switch to another position. Howeverthere are also situations when the switch is simply broken and physically cannot move to another position. In this case, you will have to disassemble the drive or (most likely) replace it with a new one.
Mechanical switch in microSD
Standard microSD flash drives all without exception have such a switch. Therefore, most often problems with writing to these drives are associated with the switch. It will be enough to move the slider to another position - and everything will work. Removing protection from a flash drive blocked in this way is a couple of trifles. However, the problem is not always in the switch. Otherwise, this element simply would not exist. Now it's time to look at other ways to remove write protection. Some of them are complex, others are simpler. But even a beginner will figure it out with a good instruction.
Drive-only file system
This also happens often. Probably, during the previous write to this drive, someone set the drive's properties to read-only. Naturally, now it is impossible to write anything on it. It turned out a protected flash drive. Removing the protection in this case is also quite simple. You just need to have a computer with the Windows operating system on board. Although a PC with "Linux" is also suitable. However, consider the option with a computer running Microsoft OS.
Setting up new attributes
Open "My Computer" after inserting the flash drive into the appropriate port. Next, right-click on the name of the drive and select "Properties" from the drop-down menu. The attributes of the drive will appear in the first window. Uncheck the "Read Only" box, click "Apply" and "OK". After that, the flash drive should work fine. In the same way, you can remove protection from a micro-flash drive. Of course, if the problem lies precisely in this.
There is something wrong with the settings in Windows
If everything is fine on another computer, but your flash drive refuses to work normally, it means that there is write protection on the drive. Therefore, no files are copied to a removable disk. How to remove protection from a flash drive in this case? There is a way, albeit an unusual one. To do this, you will have to refer to the registry of the operating system. Everything that somehow affects its performance is recorded there. And there you can edit it. First, launch the Run component using the Win + R keyboard shortcut. Type "regedit" in the command line and click OK. The Registry Editor will launch. We need him.
Working with the Windows registry
Now go to the path "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control / StorageDevicePolicies". In the StorageDevicePolicies section there will be a key (DWORD) with the nameWriteProtect. You need to open it. The value "1" will be put there. That is why the system refuses to write data to a removable disk. How to unprotect a USB flash drive? It's very simple: write in the key instead of "1" the number "0", which means "No". After that, you will need to restart your computer or laptop. As soon as the OS is finished loading, you can try again to write something to the drive. Everything should work out. But if it didn't work out, then the problem lies elsewhere.
It is worth noting that working with the registry of the operating system should be done with a certain degree of caution. Out of ignorance, you can do something that the system will not start at all. Then troubles with Windows will also be added to the problems with the flash drive. You will have to completely reinstall the OS. And this takes a lot of time. Yes, and it's not as easy as it seems. Therefore, everything must be done with extreme caution.
Working with the command line of the operating system
This option is somewhat different from the previous one. The fact is that it is not the registry that is used here, but the DiskPart system utility, which allows you to perform low-level configuration of partitions, hard drives and drives. This method is a little more complicated, but it is guaranteed to remove protection from the flash drive if the problem with the drive is caused by a software error. So, we launch the "Run" component using the "Win + R" keys and add "cmd" in the line. We press "OK". It is important to remember that runningthe console should be run exclusively as an administrator. Otherwise, nothing will come of it.
In the command line, first type "DiskPart" and press "Enter". This action will launch a console disk utility. Next, enter "list disk". A list of disks available in the operating system will appear. The drive should be labeled "Disk 3". But there may be another number. The main thing is to remember it. Now you should enter the command "disk clear ReadOnly" and press "Enter". This action will remove all possible attributes from the flash drive that can only interfere with normal recording to the drive. Close the command line and restart the computer.
Problem with flash drive file system format
Often, writing to the drive becomes impossible due to damage to the file system of the flash drive. Therefore, a message appears stating that the disk is protected. How to remove protection from a flash drive in this case? Unfortunately, nothing but formatting will help here. But this will destroy all the data that is on the drive. Therefore, it is highly recommended to make a backup copy of them. And only after that you can start formatting. This process can be performed on any operating systems. Windows, Linux and MacOS will easily cope with this task. But, probably, only "MacOS" will have a problem with formatting in NTFS. However, this is not critical. Let's analyze the formatting using the Windows OS as an example.
Produceformatting
Start "My Computer" or "Windows Explorer" (depending on the OS version) and look for the drive. You need to right-click on it and select "Format" from the menu that appears. Then select the formatting options in the window that appears. It is better to uncheck the "Quick Format" item, as this is a very superficial process and it will not solve the problem. After all this, click on the "OK" button. The formatting process will begin, which can take quite a long time (depending on the size of the drive). After formatting, you need to try to write some information to the USB flash drive. If it didn’t work out, you’ll have to look for another way to remove protection from the flash drive.
Checking the drive for viruses
Oddly enough, the actions of viruses are the most common problem. They can interfere with writing data to a USB flash drive. In this case, it is possible to remove protection from removable media, but it is not certain that all files on it will remain safe and sound, since the antivirus product will definitely want to delete infected objects. But it's better that way than nothing. So, right-click on the name of the drive in the "Explorer" of the operating system and select "Check for viruses …" in the drop-down menu. The regular anti-virus program will immediately start and a deep scan of the drive will begin. All detected threats will be immediately eliminated or quarantined (depending on the antivirus). After that, you should remove the USB flash drive, then reinsert it into the port andtry writing something on it. If it works, the problem is solved.
Checking for free space
No matter how trite it may sound, but very often there is simply not enough space for recording on the drive. And the user can simply lose sight of this fact. How to remove write protection on a micro-flash drive in this case? Yes, very simple. First, go to "Windows Explorer" and look for the drive there. Right click on it and select properties. A chart will immediately appear with the ratio of free space and occupied space. If it is clear that there is no free space, then this is the reason for the impossibility of recording. The solution is simple: you need to delete unnecessary files from the flash drive. Or better yet, clean it up completely. Only then will it be possible to write something to this drive.
Using specialized utilities
Manufacturers of USB-drives often supply bundled with a flash drive programs to configure them. Do not neglect them. These utilities are "sharpened" specifically for flash drives of specific manufacturers and can control them at the hardware level. Companies such as Transcend, Sony, Kingston and other brands often supply software products to their products. You can say this: if they can’t already cope with the problem, then nothing else will help. All that remains is to purchase a new drive.
Conclusion
So, we have considered the question of how to remove protection from a flash drive. The first step is to find out why the files refuse to be written to the drive. If this is not possible, then go to"method of scientific poke" and sort through all the above methods. One of them will definitely help. However, if this did not happen, then the mechanical switch in the drive really broke. It is not worth repairing the flash drive yourself, because you can completely lose it. It is better to give knowledgeable people. It's even easier to buy a new one. All the same, the old sense will no longer be. But do not despair. In 80% of cases, the problem with writing files to the drive has purely software roots. And you can also solve it with the help of programs or the capabilities of the operating system. The main thing is to do everything according to the instructions.
