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How to remove write protection from media. What do you need to know to unlock removable storage media? Programs to fix errors

Instructions

Check to see if the read-only attribute is enabled in the file properties. If so, then this installation must be canceled, otherwise no changes to the file, including its deletion, are possible. If the file is not on the desktop, then find it using Explorer - press the combination Win keys+ E and navigate through the directory tree to the folder containing required file.

Click on the file right click mouse, this action will bring up a context menu in which you need to select the bottom line - “Properties”.

The first tab of the window that opens - “General” - contains a section with the necessary settings: at the bottom, find the inscription “Attributes” and the “Read Only” checkbox to the right of it. If this box is checked, uncheck it and click OK. Then delete the file and the procedure will be completed. If the reason is not in this attribute, then proceed to the next step.

The file you want to delete may be blocked by one of the applications running in this moment. If this application program, to remove the lock, just close it. Try this - close all running applications, wait a minute and try to delete the file. If this fails, you will have to close programs running in background- antivirus, firewall, etc. If this does not help, try another method.

Blocked not by the application, but system application You can try to delete the file by restarting the computer in “safe mode”. Then the OS will work in a stripped down form, many system services will be disabled and there will be an increased likelihood that problematic file will finally be freed from the “exploiter” program. To use this method, press the Win button, initiate a reboot operation from the main menu, and when the reboot starts, press the F8 key. A menu will appear on the screen in which you need to select one of three options safe mode. After that, wait until the system boots and delete the file.

Use programs that allow you to forcibly unlock any file if regular means The OS doesn't allow this. For example, it could be Unlocker - small and free utility with a Russian interface, which can be downloaded from the website http://unlocker-ru.com.

Firewall Windows protects your computer from unauthorized access. It would seem, why disable such useful function? However, this has to be done quite often. For example, when installing a firewall, it is recommended to turn off the firewall, since its functions will be performed by the installed program. If they are active at the same time, conflicts may occur.

You will need

  • Computer running operating room Windows systems(XP, Windows 7), basic computer skills

Instructions

Then in the "Control Panel" go to the menu " Windows Center" On the left side of the window you will see a box labeled “Resources”. Click on the hyperlink “Change how Security Center notifies you.” In the drop-down menu, uncheck the box next to “ Firewall».

For Windows 7, the procedure for disabling the firewall is a little more complicated. IN search bar Start menu, type "shell:ControlPanelFolder" and press Enter. In the window that opens, click on the line “ Firewall Windows". On the left side of the window, select Turn Windows Firewall on or off.

For each of the designated network types, check the line “Disable Windows firewall». Firewall Windows is turned off, now you need to stop the service " Firewall" In the Start menu bar, type services.msc and press Enter. On the right side of the Services menu, select " Firewall Windows". In the window that appears, in the “General” tab, click the “Stop” button, and then in the “Startup type” selection line, select the “Disabled” option. Click OK.

Open the Start menu, type “msconfig” in the search bar, press Enter. In the window that appears, in the “Services” tab, find the line “ Firewall Windows" and uncheck the box, then click "OK". If this step is not completed, the firewall will continue to start along with Windows 7 every time.

Sources:

  • Windows firewall

The need to change the attribute “Only for reading"may occur when copying and moving certain system files Windows to enable them full use. Thus, a personal folders PST file will not allow the Outlook application to launch normally if the attribute “Only for reading».

Instructions

Press the "Start" button to open the main operating menu Microsoft systems Windows and go to “Run” to perform the procedure for removing the “Only for reading» from a file on disk during a copy operation.

Enter cmd in the Open field and click OK to confirm the command to run the tool " Command line».

Enter value xcopy name_ disk:*.*path_to_the_required_file /h/e in the command line text field to use the Xcopy.exe program compact disk and confirm the execution of the selected command by pressing function key Enter.

Explore other features of Xcopy.exe by entering xcopy /? into the command line text box and pressing the Enter function key to confirm the command.

Find the file to edit in the program " Windows Explorer" and call its context menu by right-clicking to perform the operation of changing the attribute "Only for reading» manually.

Select "Properties" and go to the "General" tab of the dialog box that opens.

Uncheck the "Only for reading» and press the OK button to confirm that the selected changes are applied.

Return to the main Start menu to perform an alternative procedure for removing the "Only for reading" using the Attrib command and go to "Run".

Enter cmd in the Open field and click OK to confirm that the command line will launch.

Enter the value attrib /? into the command line text box to define the required command and press the Enter function key.

Use valueattrib -r -s name_ disk:filename to remove the Read Only and System attributes from the selected file and confirm the command by pressing the Enter softkey.

Sources:

  • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323002/ru

Even when doing simple operations With ami Difficulties may arise. For example, when deleting a file, you can get a system failure under the “sauce” that it is protected from records, cannot be moved and so on. In some cases this protection is physical, as is the case with recorded optical disk data that can only be deleted by damaging (scratching or breaking) the disk itself. If the ban is software, it can be removed or bypassed.

It’s a shame and a shame when you have a flash drive, but you can’t transfer information from your computer to it. When you try to perform this action, the operating system calmly says: “No.” And of course, immediately “dark thoughts” immediately creep into your head: they say, the data is not loading, which means the USB drive is broken, as they say, it has given up its life. However, one should not rush to make such statements. The file or folder may not be transferred to the flash drive due to the fact that it is write-protected. That's all!

Protection is divided into hardware and software. Accordingly, for each type of blocking entries are applied various ways shutdowns. Let's learn how to use them. A removable drive should not lie idle, especially if it is brand new, just purchased.

Hardware protection

On new flash drives, to remove write protection, sometimes it is enough just to change the position of a special lock installed on the case. It is he who completely disables/enables write blocking. So inspect your device, if it has such a switch, slide it in the opposite direction and try again to move the necessary folders from the computer.

Software protection

WITH software locking the matter is a little more complicated. You will need to perform some manipulations with system options and directly with the protected flash drive. The focus of the effort will depend on the shutdown method used. Let's consider separately how to perform them correctly.

Note. If the guide you choose fails to remove the write blocking, try using another one. The effectiveness of the “recipe” depends on the specifics of the defense mechanisms.

Method #1: Unlock using formatting

If you don't have it in your storage valuable information, do the following:

  • right-click on its icon in the system window. And then in context menu click "Format...";
  • in options set file NTFS system, and the size of the distribution unit (cluster) is 4096 bytes;
  • click "Start";
  • Once the procedure is complete, move the files to the drive from the computer’s memory.

Advice! If you don’t know how to quickly clear a flash drive of all data, or files from the flash drive are not deleted (selectively), also use the formatting function.

Method #2: eliminating viruses

Some computer malware mischiefs in a special way. Having infected a flash drive, they make sure that nothing is deleted on it and nothing is written to it. That is, they completely block access. Therefore, before plunging into the wilds Windows settings and go into painful research like “why it is impossible to delete and write”, check the USB drive with an antivirus and, if necessary, destroy the blocking viruses found.

Method #3: Disabling the ban in Windows

Prohibition of recording on external storage can be enabled directly in Windows. Check the status of this add-on. If enabled, disable:

1. Press "Win+R".

2. In the “Run” panel, type - gpedit.msc, click “OK”.

3. In the local editor group policy, in the “Computer Configuration” section, open: Administrative Templates → System.

4. Click on the “Removable Storage Device Access” folder. In the adjacent block, double-click on the “Removable disks” option. Deny recording."

5. Click the Disable radio button, then Apply and OK.

Note. If this add-on has been disabled, it means that the recording is blocked for another reason. Follow method #4 or #5.

Method #4: Unlock via command line

1. Click the Start button. Type cmd in the “Search” line.

2. Right-click on the icon of the same name that appears at the top of the panel.

3. In the list of functions, click “Run as administrator”.

4. In the command line console, enter the directive - diskpart. Press "Enter".

5. In the utility line, type - list disk and press “Enter” again.

6. In the list of connected drives, find the flash drive (it’s easy to find by size; see the “Size” column). Remember it serial number(eg Disk 2).

7. Execute the following list of commands (enter them in the line, and then press “Enter”):

  • select disk
  • clean
  • create partition primary
  • format fs=ntfs

Wait for the operation to disable the protection to complete (the process is displayed in the line ... percent completed).

Method #5: registering the key in the registry

1. In the Start window, type - regedit. Click on the editor icon.

2. Open the section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE → SYSTEM → CurrentControlSet → Control

3. If there is no “StorageDevicePolicies” section in the “Conrol” branch, create it:

  • right-click on the “Control” folder;
  • select: Create → Section;
  • give the section a name - StorageDevicePolicies.

4. In the StorageDevicePolicies branch, create an entry:

  • in the next block (by right side from directories) right-click;
  • click: New → DWORD Value (32 bits);
  • Give the parameter a name - WriteProtect.

5. Set the value in the created key to 0 (click twice on the entry, enter the number in the “Value” column, click “OK”).

6. Reboot your operating system. Connect the flash drive.

Method #6: unlocking with special utilities

If you are not computer savvy or prefer automated methods of changing settings, then it is better to use the services of special assistant programs. Here are some solutions that have proven themselves in practice:

The utility removes write protection on Transcend, JetFlash, A-Data flash drives (only on them!). After launch, it detects the media and corrects the problem. To download Recovery Tool, go to the brand’s offsite - http://ru.transcend-info.com/. Type Recovery in the search bar. In the search results, click the JetFlash Online Recovery link.

Apacer Repair V2.9.1.1 - powerful tool. Helps users out when the lock cannot be removed using standard means. The utility supports removable media manufactured by Apacer.

Good luck unlocking your flash drive!

When working with flash drives, certain difficulties sometimes arise. For example, often the system, when attempting to copy any information to a medium or format it, suddenly displays a message that the disk is write-protected. As a result, you cannot 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 condition?

First, we recommend that you take a close look at the media itself. Some USB flash drives and memory cards have a special switch. It has two positions: one activates the write lock, and the other removes it.

This means that all you have to do is move the lever to remove the protection. At the same time, it will be possible to write any information onto the flash drive again. True, you first 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. Maybe, removable drive infected malware, which forcibly protects it from writing and prevents it from being formatted.

For reference! If you use a card reader, it's worth checking that too. Sometimes due to a malfunction of this device The system writes that “the disk is write protected.”

Removing protection from a disk using the Diskpart utility

On operating systems(OS), starting with Windows XP, there is console utility. It's called diskpart. So, using this this tool can be controlled various disks. Including gaining access to the “problem” media. Working with the utility is easy:


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

However, please note that there is various systems write protection. Not everything can be removed using the diskpart utility. Therefore, if the procedure does not give the desired result, then try another method. We'll talk 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 standard 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 little 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 partition 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 “Done”. We are waiting for the flash drive formatting process to complete.

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

Sometimes standard means Windows does not help solve the problem related to the operation of removable media. Therefore, you should not neglect special utilities. They are specifically designed for restoring and formatting USB flash drives, SD cards, etc. So you can use:

  1. Special proprietary software produced directly by the manufacturer itself. 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. There are a lot of them. One of the most popular and convenient - HP disk format tool, HDD low level format, Recuva, SDFormatter, etc.

What else can help remove write protection on files?

  • By changing Windows registry settings, in some cases it is possible to remove protection. To do this, open the “Run” line. Enter "regedit". In the menu that launches on the left, go to the StorageDevicePolicies folder. You can find it at the following path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control. Here we are interested in the “WriteProtect” parameter in the right panel. Double click on it. Then we change the number 1 in the “Value” field to 0. All that remains is to connect the flash drive and format it.
  • Sometimes you can remove write and format protection by updating the drive firmware. 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 which you can easily find and download the latest firmware for the media from the network. If you suddenly encounter difficulties at this stage, then use the FlashBoot.ru website.
  • If it is impossible to copy information or save any files to the card, then try removing the 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 is 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 work with the memory card.

If you have tried all the methods described above, but the flash drive still does not format, then most likely it has failed. This happens quite often. Give the drive to service center- not the best rational decision. Repairing a flash drive usually costs more than buying it. Therefore, it is best to buy a new one removable media.

When you try to add data to a flash drive, your computer may display the error message “The disk is write-protected.” Therefore, it is important for anyone to know how to remove write protection from a flash drive. It is difficult for the user to check the cause of the phenomenon, but often this acts as a precaution against downloading viruses from laptops, computers, and other devices to the drive. It is difficult to clear a flash drive of them; it is much easier to protect it and then remove the recording.

How to unlock a write-protected flash drive

Unlocking is accomplished via a lock switch in some flash or removable SD cards. If you find a switch, then the method to remove write protection from a USB flash drive is to switch the lock lever in the desired direction of the open lock image. After this, reinsert the media into the PC port, access to it will become free, and you will be able to record information. To return to the “Flash drive is write-protected” state, switch the lever to the “Protect” position. The same applies to following the point on how to remove protection from a memory card.

Launch Windows Registry Editor

The system registry editor is a way to return the flash card to working condition using simple steps. Follow these simple steps:

  1. First, you need to click on the “Start” icon and type “Regedit” into the search box, right-click on the dropped file, and from the resulting menu click on the “Run Administrator” button.
  2. Select the “StorageDevicePolicies” subsection through the command channel “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies”. Absence this section on your PC requires you to enter it. To do this, right-click on the “Control” subsection, click “New”, select “Section”. Next, you can give the subkey the name “StorageDevicePolicies”, after removing the quotes. While on this registry branch, create a "DWORD (32-bit)" element called "WriteProtect".
  3. Make sure that the renamed WriteProtect element is equal to 0. To verify this, click on the element, select “Change”, correct the one to zero, confirming the selection with OK. The change may not be necessary if the value is already zero.
  4. Close the program, remove the media, restart the PC. A reboot will return the inserted card to its original working state.

Recovery via command line

The command line is alternative method solving the question of how to remove protection from a flash drive. The process includes the following points:

  1. Click “Start”, enter “cmd” in the search box, right-click on the program that appears, find “Run administrator” and click on the option.
  2. Enter the command “diskpart”, click “enter”, then enter “list disk”, click “enter” again.
  3. Determine the disk number. If it is the only one, then it will be “Disk 1”. If you have several devices, knowing the capacity or memory of the USB drive will help determine the number.
  4. After selecting the protected disk that you want to fix by typing “select”, you need to clear the read-only attributes by typing “attributes disk clear readonly”. If desired, you can carry out additional formatting. To do this, use the command “clean”, create a subsection “create partition primary”, format the flash drive to required format. Done – the disk is working again.

How to remove protection from a transcend flash drive

Holders of Transcend flash cards can resort to using a utility created exclusively for the brand. The file is called “JetFlashRecovery” and can be downloaded from the company’s official website. The utility is completely free to access, eliminates write protection problems and other difficulties that arise. To make it easier to find the utility, use the file name.

Hello dear readers! Quite recently I encountered one problem, I wanted to reinstall Windows, I found a sandisk cruzer 8gb flash drive, recorded the image and just took it out of the computer, everything was as usual, I reinstalled Windows and decided to format the flash drive, but when I tried to format it, I got the error “the disk is protected from records. Remove the protection and try again.”, when copying files from a computer to a USB flash drive, I got the error “the disk is write-protected.”

I started looking for the cause of this problem, searching on the Internet what could be the problem with this error, I came to the conclusion that the reasons for the “write protection” error could be the following:

  • The file was corrupted usb system drive – this is exactly what happens because we ignore the message about “ safe removal devices” (that’s why my flash drive broke down, sandisk usb drives become unusable because of this). – In my opinion, this is the most common reason.
  • The flash drive was infected with viruses.
  • Damage to the USB drive itself. It fell somewhere, got wet and shorted out, or you hit it hard, etc.
  • Also, the most common reason is a special switch on the flash card, which protects against unauthorized writing to your usb drive.

So, we have figured out the reasons, now I will describe methods that will help you remove write protection. Before you begin, inspect your flash drive for a switch. If you find such a switch, move it up or down depending on the model of the flash drive, to usb flash drives usually drawn open lock, if it’s not drawn, then logically, just move it in the opposite direction. On flash cards that use adapters, this is usually micro-SD, then move the slider to the very top of the adapter or in the opposite direction from the “Lock” inscription.


How to remove write protection from a SanDisk flash drive

Let me repeat a little, if you have a Sandisk flash drive, and especially a Cruiser model, then you will not be able to restore your flash drive using any method. Unless, of course, it is a 2016 model, and then it won’t be possible to restore it unless you find specialized software on the official website: https://ru.sandisk.com. You will be lucky if your flash drive is still under warranty; if the warranty is over, then feel free to throw it in the trash, like I did.

- This universal utility, which fits almost any usb storage and for microSD flash cards using adapters. Download the program and run the exe file (the program does not require installation). After launch, the program itself will detect your device. Then simply select the file system type and click the “Start” button. (downloads: 6944)

Advice! If the flash drive is up to 4GB, then select the “FAT32” file system; in other cases, select “NTFS”.


How to remove write protection from Transcend, JetFlash and A-DATA flash drives

– a program for removing protection from flash drives from the following manufacturers Transcend, JetFlash and A-DATA. Download the archive with the program, after simple installation, the program will detect the flash drive itself and press the “Start” button (downloads: 5301)


– this set of programs is specially created for JetFlash recovery usb Transcend. This online tools from Transcend itself. You can download from the blog or go to the official website of the program download page: http://ru.transcend-info.com/Support/Software-3. (downloads: 1584)

How to remove write protection from an Apacer flash drive and a Phison controller

Apacer Repair – this program Suitable only for Apacer flash drive. Download the program and to remove write protection, simply run it and follow the instructions. (downloads: 2015)

Apacer 8 Repair Utility - A set of eight programs for formatting Apacer Handy Steno flash drive and other models. (downloads: 1814)

AH320_Utility_LFormat
Handy Steno AH320
HS2.0_Utility_FDU1.20
Handy Steno AH123
HS20_LFormat
HS20_RepairTool
Repair_V2.8.1.1

Repair_v2.9.0.4
Handy Steno AH161 plus, Handy Steno AH221
Handy Steno AH222, Handy Steno AH223
Handy Steno AH225, Handy Steno AH321
Handy Steno AH322, Handy Steno AH323
Handy Steno AH326

Repair_v2.9.1.1
Handy Steno AH123, Handy Steno AH124
Handy Steno AH125, Handy Steno AH160
Handy Steno AH220, Handy Steno AH320
Handy Steno HC202, Handy Steno HC212
Handy Steno HA202, Handy Steno HN202
Handy Steno HN212, Handy Steno HT202
Handy Steno HT203 200X, Handy Steno HS120

Repair_v2.9.1.8A
Handy Steno AH522 200X
These flash drives are mainly used Phison controllers. Some utilities do not work under Windows 7.


– another program for working with Transcend JetFlash V33, V60 and other flash drives running on the AlcorMP controller. Download the archive, after unpacking, run the file AlcorMP.exe. If your flash drive is based on an AlcorMp controller, then a black inscription will appear in the line under the letter “G”. If the inscription is red or the inscription does not appear at all, then working with this flash drive is impossible. To remove protection, simply press the “Start (A)” button. After successful completion, the message will be displayed green. (downloads: 2255)


How to recover a flash drive and remove protection from Silicon Power

At the moment I am using a flash drive from this company, I have a “Silicon Power Blaze B10 32GB 3.0”, I am very pleased with this flash drive and the speed of its operation. Just like with other flash drives, I had an incident with it: when formatting the flash drive, the light was turned off, after that the computer saw the flash drive and at the same time did not, the flash drive was identified as drive “G”, but when I tried to enter the flash drive, the computer gave the following message “Disk G absent. Insert the disk and try again,” the same thing happened during formatting. How scared I was . But she came to my rescue next program, I found it on the company’s official website.

This program is specially created for usb recovery Silicon Power drives, it works perfectly with interfaces 2.0 and 3.0, suitable for any flash drive silicon power. (downloads: 3554)


Important point: All programs must be run as administrator, this is done for correct operation utilities for working with flash drives.


A couple of nuances: Before starting to use the programs described above, I recommend the following actions with a flash drive, but if they don’t help, only then start working with the programs. When using the programs, all data from the flash drive will be deleted.
  1. Check your USB drive for viruses with various antivirus programs.
  2. Change the USB port, it happens that the port may be damaged and not enough energy is supplied to the flash drive from the computer.
  3. Check your USB drive for security switches.

Well, that seems to be all the advice that will help you remove protection from a flash drive or restore its functionality.

I hope these tips help you. Thank you for your attention!

Best regards, Dmitry Arsenyev