When you open the flash drive, the disk is write-protected. How to remove write protection from a flash drive - step by step instructions. Removing disk protection using the Diskpart utility

First of all, I note that some flash drives, as well as memory cards, have a switch, one position of which sets write protection, and the other removes it. This instruction is intended for those cases when the flash drive refuses to be formatted despite the fact that there are no switches. And the last point: if all of the following does not help, then it is quite possible that your USB stick simply damaged and the only solution is to buy a new one. True, it is worth trying two more options: (Silicon Power, Kingston, Sandisk and others),.

It is possible that the flash drive is write-protected in a slightly different way and for this reason is not formatted. You should try using the Local Group Policy Editor. To run it, in any version operating system press the Win+R keys and type gpedit.msc then press OK or Enter.

In the Local Group Policy Editor, open the "Computer Configuration" - "Administrative Templates" - "System" - "Access to Removable Storage Devices" branch.

After that, pay attention to the item "Removable drives: disable recording." If this property is set to "Enabled", then double-click on it and set it to "Disabled", then click the "OK" button. Then look at the value of the same parameter, but already in the "User Configuration" - "Administrative Templates" section - and so on, as in the previous version. Make the necessary changes.

After that, you can format the USB flash drive again, most likely, Windows will not write that the disk is write-protected. Let me remind you that it is possible that your USB drive is faulty.

Sometimes it happens when, when trying to format a flash drive, the system reports that the disk is write-protected. In this manual, you will learn what to do if the flash drive is not formatted by displaying the message "the disk is write-protected." The operating system shows such a message in certain cases, each of which we will consider below.

First of all, let's start with the fact that some media have a special switch designed to protect data. In one of the positions, write protection is set, and therefore a window with information may pop up: disk is write protected. However, such cases are rare, and the flash drive may refuse to be formatted for completely different reasons. If all the methods described below do not help you, then most likely the problem is really in a faulty flash drive and then it would be more logical to think about purchasing a new drive.

Removing write protection using the Diskpart shell

On the command line, there is a DiskPart command interpreter created specifically for managing partitions, disks, and volumes. This is the tool we will be using. First of all, let's start the command line. To do this, press the key combination Win + R and drive in the cmd command.

A command prompt will open where we will have to enter some sequential commands. By the way, after the manipulations described below, all data on flash drives will be destroyed. So let's run these commands:

By executing these commands on the command line, your flash drive will be formatted in the required file system. After that, it will be formatted without problems, as before.

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

In some cases, in order to remove protection from a flash drive, you need to contact the Windows Local Group Policy Editor in order to successfully format the drive. To get into this editor, press the key combination Win + R and type the command gpedit.msc.

In the window that opens, on the left, select Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - Access to removable storage devices.

Next, we find the item "Removable drives: disable recording" and look at the status: is it enabled. If it is enabled, then you need to set the "Disabled" mode by double-clicking on this item. The same manipulations must be done in the "User Configuration" section. After our actions, most likely, the operating system will no longer display a message stating that the disk is write-protected.

If you know other ways to solve the problem when the flash drive is not formatted, you can write in the comments. That's all! Thank you for your attention!

The era of floppy disks is long gone, but sometimes when trying to write to a flash drive, a user may encounter a situation known since the days of floppy disks - a removable disk is locked and cannot be used to write files.

How to solve this problem, we will consider in detail in our today's article.

So, you need to write some information to a flash drive, you insert it into the slot and you get a message like "The disk is write-protected, remove protection or use another disk."

This problem can be solved quite quickly, and we will talk about this a little later, but now a few words should be said about the purpose of setting write protection on a flash drive.

Note! As a rule, this operation is performed for only one purpose - to protect the flash drive from viruses that can spontaneously copy to removable media without the user's knowledge.

Ways to remove write protection from a flash drive

There are 2 key ways to remove protection from a flash drive: hardware and software.

The hardware way is to install a lock switch, which is present in some models of USB flash drives, as well as SD cards. As a rule, the switch is located on the side edge of the drive.

Carefully inspect your drive and look for an open/closed padlock icon or the word Lock on it.

Note! Removing the protection is very simple - you need to move the lock lever in the opposite direction. Write protection removed. Insert the flash drive into the appropriate slot and repeat the file writing operation again.

The software method involves the software interaction of the operating system and the controller of the flash drive, which is responsible for the ability to write information.

You can remove write protection programmatically using the command line, registry editor, or local group policy in Windows 7/8. Let's take a closer look at all of these methods.

Unprotect with regedit

Step 1."Start", in the search field, enter the name of the Windows registry editor - regedit. Right-click (RMB) on the program and in the context menu go to the item "Run as administrator".

Step 2 Go to the StorageDevicePolicies section:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

Important! If there is no such section, you need to create it. To do this, RMB click on the section Control - Create - Section. We name the section "StorageDevicePolicies" without quotes.

We create (RMB in the right column of the registry) a DWORD (32 bit) parameter in the created registry branch. For convenience, let's call the created element WriteProtect.

Step 3 You need to make sure that the value of the WriteProtect parameter is 0. Right-click on WriteProtect, select "Change". If the value is "1" you need to change to "0" and click "OK".

Step 4 Close the registry editor, remove the flash drive and restart the computer. Insert flash drive. Now the flash drive is working in normal mode, allowing you to write files.

Removing protection with Diskpart

If the flash drive could not be unlocked using the registry, let's try to do this using the Diskpart command interpreter, which allows you to manage disks and partitions using commands that the user enters on the command line.

Step 1."Start", in the search field, enter the name of the Windows command line - cmd. Right-click in the program, in the context menu we carry out "Run as administrator".

Step 2 Now you need to enter the commands: diskpart and list disk, and after entering each of them, you should press the Enter key.

Step 3 In the list above, you need to determine which serial number in the name the flash drive has.

This can be done based on the specified size, in our case, an 8 GB flash drive is presented in the table as "Disk 1" with a capacity of 7441 MB.

Step 4 We select the disk with the “select” command, clear the attributes that allow only reading “attributes disk clear readonly”.

If the USB flash drive needs to be formatted, you should enter the following “clean” commands, create a partition “create partition primary”, format it in NTFS “format fs = ntfs” or FAT “format fs = fat”.

Removing Protection Using the Local Group Policy Editor

Step 1. We tear off the editor by pressing the key combination Win + R, after which you should enter the gpedit.msc command and press OK or Enter.

Step 2 In the editor, open the branch: Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - System - Access to Removable Storage Devices. And we look at the status of the "Removable drives: Deny reading" parameter.

If the setting is enabled, you must disable it.

Step 3 To disable the write restriction, double-click on the parameter and select "Disable", "OK" in the window that appears.

If all the above methods did not help to solve the recording problem, you can try to go to the official website of the flash drive manufacturer and look for proprietary utilities for working with the drive.

It is also possible that the flash drive has exhausted its resource (there is a limit on the number of overwrites, after which the drive is switched to read-only mode) and the only way out of the situation is to buy a new flash drive.

Question from user

Hello. I'm trying to write to a flash drive word document With hard drive, but an error appears that the disk is write-protected. This has never happened before, I didn’t hit the flash drive, I didn’t drop it, I didn’t do anything with it ...

Interestingly, I tried to delete some file from the flash drive - exactly the same error appeared, there was no access. Those. in fact, I can only copy previously recorded data from a USB flash drive. Can you tell me how to remove this error?

PS Windows 7 flash drive USB Kingston 8 GB (most common)

Hello.

Such an error can be caused by several reasons: a hardware malfunction of the flash drive (for example, if you accidentally dropped it before), a virus infection, a “manual” write protection setting, etc.

In this article, I will consider in sequence all the popular causes (causing this error) and how to fix them. I think that by presenting the article in a similar format, it will be easier and easier for you and other users with the same error to solve the problem.

Typical error when deleting a folder from an SD card // example

Reasons blocking writing to a flash drive

Eliminate consistently!

1) Check if there is a write lock on the hardware level

Experienced users probably remember that earlier on floppy disks there was a small lever, thanks to which it was possible to protect the information on it from unwanted deletion (or change). And in my opinion, the thing was extremely useful!

Now on most USB flash drives there is no such protection, one part of the manufacturers (mainly Chinese) produces such flash drives. Therefore, some users do not attach much importance to some "locks" on the body of the flash drive. Meanwhile, if protection is enabled, then you will not write anything to such a flash drive (see photo below).

Well, SD cards (used in cameras, for example) have a small switch on the side. If you move it to the Lock position (blocked), then the flash drive becomes read-only.

The moral of the last sentences: first of all, check if there is a mechanical write protection, if the lever is set correctly (and in general, if it is on your device).

2) Is the flash drive (computer) infected with a virus?

I remember my student days... When it was necessary to bring and connect a USB flash drive to computers "infected" with viruses quite often (and deliberately and knowing it in advance) - otherwise it was problematic (or even impossible) to print materials. After such a connection, I had to check the flash drive for viruses and clean the "infection".

If you do not have an antivirus on your computer, I recommend choosing one from the list:

3) Is there a place on the flash drive?

I understand that this question is somewhat banal, but still. If the size of the recorded file is larger than the remaining free space on the flash drive, you can get a recording error.

To find out how much is left free space on a flash drive: open "My Computer", then right-click on the flash drive, and open it properties. In the tab are common- will indicate how much space is occupied, and how much is free.

4) Is it worth it to write protection in the registry

First you need to open the registry editor as an administrator. You can do this, for example, through the task manager: to launch it, press the key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc(or Ctrl+Alt+Del ).

Next click file/new task and in line open enter the command regedit(note that the task will be run as an administrator).

By the way, you may find the article on how to open the registry editor helpful.-

(for Windows XP branch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR )

Important! If branches StorageDevicePolicies will not be in the registry - it means you do not have a record lock in the registry. Just in case, you can create a branch (a branch in the registry is an analogue of a folder in Explorer) and then the Write Protect string parameter with the value "0". Creating branches and options is like working in a regular explorer, it's like creating a simple folder.

5) Check the file system of the flash drive for errors

A similar error can also pop up due to errors in the file system of the flash drive. For example, while copying a file, you removed the USB flash drive from the USB port or simply turned off the light - errors could well appear on it (by the way, the file system can be marked as RAW in such cases).

To check the flash drive for errors, open "My computer", then open properties flash drives, and in the section service press the button (checking the disk for errors, see screenshot below).

6) Is there a read-only attribute on the flash drive?

Another reason why Windows may give an error when writing a file to a USB flash drive is read-only attribute (if it is installed on a flash drive). There is nothing wrong with this attribute, it only tells the system that this disk is read-only, so it does not write data to it.

By the way, this happens quite often if you have picked up some types of viruses, or, for example, downloaded something from torrents (the uTorrent program often creates files with a read-only attribute).

And so, we will remove this attribute.

7) Check if there is any protection in the group policy editor

Writing to a flash drive can be disabled through the Group Policy Editor. Therefore, I also recommend checking if there is a treasured parameter there ...

Note: Windows Starter and Home users will not be able to open the Group Policy Editor.

To open the Group Policy Editor:

1. press button combination Win+R;
2. enter the command gpedit.msc;
3. click Enter .

It should have the "Removable drives: disable recording" option. Open it up and see if it's enabled...

By default, the parameter should be set to "Not set" (see screenshot below). If not, switch it to this position, save the settings and restart your computer.

Parameter responsible for prohibiting recording

8) Formatting a flash drive

Perhaps this is the last thing that can be done if all other advice turned out to be in vain and did not lead to anything. Formatting the media helps in many cases, including our error discussed in this article.

Note: copy all the necessary data from the flash drive, when formatting from the flash drive, everything will be deleted (just in case, I warn you ☺)!

In most cases, to format a flash drive, just go to "My computer", select the flash drive among the disks, right-click on it and select the command in the context menu "Format" .

If it is not possible to format the media: errors will come out, the computer will freeze, etc., then you need to use special utilities to format it. One of those that I would recommend is HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool.

HDD LLF Low Level Format Tool

A small utility used for low-level formatting of disks, flash drives. It helps in the most difficult situations when it is not possible to format the media through Windows. Interfaces supported: S-ATA (SATA), IDE (E-IDE), SCSI, USB, Firewire.

The utility is distributed in several versions: there is also a portable one that does not need to be installed.

Because there is no Russian in the program, I will show with an example how the media is formatted.

After launching the utility, click the button "Continue for Free".

When it is over, Windows will prompt you to format the flash drive (you can format it in the usual way through "My Computer"). As a rule, after low-level formatting, the flash drive is easily and without errors formatted in Windows.

By the way, if your flash drive still does not work, I recommend trying to restore it. Here is another way described in this article:

That's all I wanted to say! For additions on the topic - I would be grateful.

Miniature USB flash drives are our reliable electronic storage devices for various data. With their help, information can be easily "carried" in your pocket.

USB flash drives are convenient, compact, mobile, have a stylish design and make it possible to connect to any modern device with a USB connector for reading and writing information.

How flash drives work

The USB Flash Drive uses non-volatile NAND flash memory controlled by a microcontroller. The controller chip contains information about the manufacturer, available memory and service information necessary for the operation of the device. The storage time of information in memory cells is quite long, but limited. The number of data rewriting on a flash drive ranges from five to ten thousand cycles.

Typically, flash media with a small amount of memory uses the FAT family file system (FAT 16, FAT 32, ex FAT), and for Flash larger than 64 GB, NTFS or ex FAT systems are used.

Protecting information on flash drives

To ensure the security of storing confidential information and prevent viruses from entering flash media, we use various ways protection. This:

In this case, when you try to change the data on the connected flash drive, for example, when formatting, copying, transferring, deleting information, messages about the write protection of the disk appear on the monitor screen.

This review provides several options for removing protection in case of mechanical and software blocking of a flash drive.

This article will also consider possible reasons failures in the flash drive or software, causing a ban on overwriting, as well as ways to eliminate such malfunctions.

Flash drive problems associated with system messages that the disk is write-protected

Blocking a flash drive from being overwritten can be caused by:

• Special user actions to protect confidential information during mechanical blocking and data encryption;
• Software write prohibition set in the current operating system;
• Hardware settings of a personal computer that prohibit writing to USB devices;
• Limiting overwrite cycles when the flash drive has exhausted its resources. In this case, Flash is put into read-only mode;
• Disk overflow and lack of free space for recording data;
• Malfunction and disconnection of the USB ports of the computer;
• Incorrect formatting;
• File system errors;
• Damaged (Bad) blocks (sectors) of the memory chip caused by wear;
• Removal or absence of a special program - "driver", designed for the correct recognition of devices by the operating system;
• Unsafe removal of the device from the USB connector during running processes of recording, moving, renaming, deleting, downloading, reading open files;
• Running (hanging) system processes accessing the disk;
• Using flash drives in devices with various types operating and hardware systems. For example, after watching movies on a TV and recording video data from it, the flash is not detected and is not read by the computer. In these cases, each operating system changes the file structure of the flash drive, while writing data under its own unique scheme;

  Malfunctions of the main hardware components: memory chips and microcontroller (including failures of its program);

• Poor manufacturing when buying "fakes" of leading brands;
• Under thermal and electrical influences. For example, during discharges of static electricity and overheating;
• Mechanical damage as a result of breaks, cracks, scratches, desoldering and impacts during falls;
• Exposure to moisture and electromagnetic radiation;
• Instability of power supply;
• Malicious software - viruses.

The main ways to remove protection from overwriting information from a flash drive

Hardware way

Some manufacturers of USB drives implement mechanical protection against changes in the form of a switch (Lock), which allows or prohibits writing. Usually, it is located on the side of the media and is marked with a padlock icon.

To release the mechanical lock, move the lever in the opposite direction.

Software ways to unlock flash media using standard Windows tools

Removing overwrite protection using the Windows Registry Editor

The registry is a hierarchical database of parameters, hardware and software settings, information about user profiles Windows systems.

The registry editor is a special program included in the standard set of Windows operating systems. It allows you to add, edit registry keys and settings, set default values, import or export keys to save, and restore a registry file from backup during system failures.

There are three options to enter the Registry Editor:

Using the software utility "Run". For this:

After the registry editor has been launched, namely the following window has opened

you need to find the registry branch

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\

Color: #008000;">Control and then the StorageDevicePolicies subsection, if it exists, and in the right part of the program interface, pay attention to the binary parameter WriteProtect (Reg_Dword ), the value of which can be (0 ) or (1 ).

If this parameter is present and equal to (1), this is the reason for blocking the flash drive.

To remove protection, you must:

• double click on the parameter WriteProtect (Reg_Dword) ;
• manually change its value from (1) to (0);
• confirm changes OK ;
• close the registry editor;
• to restart a computer;
• check the removal of protection from the device.

If the registry key is missing HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Control\ StorageDevicePolicies, it must be created using the "Editor" described above in this way:

Removing protection from overwriting a flash drive using the Windows command line

For advanced users, the Windows operating system provides the ability to text input computer and MS-DOS commands using the command line shell.

The command console can be run with standard user or administrator rights.

To remove the overwrite protection or read-only attribute from USB drives, it is recommended to work in the console with administrator rights.

There are several ways to start the command line interface:

Launching Command Prompt in Windows 7

Using the software utility "Run".

For this:

Through Search in the Start menu. For this:

Launching Command Prompt in Windows 8

Launching Command Prompt in Windows 10

Similarly, you can find the console application " Command line(cmd)» via the start menu and run it through context menu « On behalf of the administrator»

With any of the above methods, the next console window opens.

Using the interface for entering text commands, you must do the following:

Removing overwrite protection using the Local Group Policy Editor

Group Policy is a set of rules that allows you to manage user settings and policy settings in Windows operating systems.

The Group Policy Editor is a Microsoft Management Console snap-in available as a standard set of utilities for operating systems starting with Windows Server 2008R2 and Professional editions for Windows 7 and Windows 8.

With this tool you can:

• configure various personal computer settings,
• set some restrictions for individual users or their groups on the launch and installation of programs, services, processes,
• prohibit changing information on any media, including removable drives, etc.

There are several ways to launch the editor:

After opening the Local Group Policy Editor, to remove write protection from removable USB drives, you must go to the following console tabs:

Software ways to unlock flash media using special software

If the standard tools of the Windows operating system described above did not lead to the desired result and the flash drive remains blocked, you can use special software (hereinafter referred to as software) from various manufacturers to remove protection and restore functionality.

In most cases, such software formats a flash drive, deleting all data on it.

Selecting Flash Recovery Software

The choice of utilities for servicing a USB Flash Drive is based on the conformity of the flash drive model, its memory chip and controller.

All well-known manufacturers of USB Flash are developing for their product special utilities, restoring the performance of devices and correcting possible flaws. Such programs can be found on official websites and downloaded.

When selecting software for a particular model of a Flash device, it is desirable to know such values ​​as:

• Vendor - manufacturer;
• Product - model;
• VID - Vendor Identifier, manufacturer identifier;
• PID - Product Identifier, product identifier, that is specific model devices;
• Serial Number - serial number;
• Controller Model - controller model, etc.

If determining the model (Product) and manufacturer (Vendor) will not cause any particular difficulties, then to discover other information, you will need to use third party programs or built-in operating system tools.

In order to find out the VID and PID of a USB device through the built-in system tools, you must do the following:

You can also use the ChipGenius program from Chinese developers to determine the information about the flash drive, which displays a report on the following data: Vendor, Product, VID, PID, SerialNumber, ControllerModel, FlashID, Channel, etc. This program is compatible with various controller models. You can download ChipGenius for free from the official website of the developer at this link.

Below is the ChipGenius interface with a sample USB 32GB Flash device scan report and definitions of values ​​such as:

1. Device Vendor, Product Model (Innostor);
2. Device Name (PenDrive);
3. VID (1F75);
4. PID(0903);
5. serial number;
6. controller manufacturer (Vendor Innostor);
7. Controller Part-Number and other parameters.

ChipGenius interface with flash drive scan report

When the necessary parameters are set, then using special sites with extensive databases of known flash drives (for example, http://flashboot.ru/iflash/), it is easy to find a utility to restore them or even “flash” the controller.

Below we will consider popular programs that will help remove protection from a flash drive and restore its performance.

Users should remember that during the operation of such software, data from flash drives will be permanently deleted.

AlcorMP

AlcorMP is a recovery program for flash drives with controllers manufactured by Alcor. It allows you not only to remove protection from a flash drive, but also to restore its performance, “flash” the controller and create protected partitions on the disk.

When using AlcorMP, all data on the USB drive is permanently deleted as a result of formatting.

Therefore, if the data on the media is important to you, then try to restore it first. deleted files from a flash drive. Since the official developer no longer supports this utility, our site recommends downloading AlcorMP for free from this link.

After downloading the program, you need to unzip it and run executable file AlcorMP.exe on behalf of the administrator and then connect the USB flash drive.

To recognize the device, press the Refresh (R) button. After reading the data, the program window will display media data marked with a black letter or number (in the example shown, the letter G). If the letter is red, then you need to use another software, because the flash drive cannot be processed in AlcorMP.

If desired, you can configure the utility for in-depth analysis of flash memory. To do this, go to Settings (Setup S) and set the value of the scan speed.

To start formatting, press Start (Start A) and wait for the process of removing attributes from the flash. Depending on the volume, speed of the media, the state of the memory, this process takes from two minutes to an hour.

Upon completion of the process, first disconnect the drive from the USB connector, and then close the program, check the performance of the flash drive and the success of removing the read-only attribute.

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool is a freeware program designed to format any models of flash media. With its help, you can partially restore inoperable flash drives and format disks even in cases where this fails. standard means operating system. You can download the Russian version of HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool for free on the official website.

The functionality of the utility allows you to unlock any USB device, select the file system (NTFS, FAT32), quick format option, assign a label to the disk, enable information compression for NTFS.

There is also an additional option HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool - creating bootable flash media using MS - DOS files located on the hard drive.

The program does not require installation. After downloading, the executable file HPUSBDisk.exe is launched (as administrator) from the archive, a disk is selected, the necessary values ​​\u200b\u200bfor the file system, label and formatting method are set, and the Start button is pressed. At the end of the process - close the interface Close (Close) and check the unlocking of the flash drive

JetFlash Recovery Tool

JetFlash Recovery Tool is a program designed to recover flash drives manufactured by Transcend (JetFlash) and A-Data, available for free use. You can read an overview of the program on our website.

Functionality:

• Correction of errors in reading record blocks at high data processing speed;
• Unblocking in case of impossibility of recording;
• Media recognition with file system RAW, which has a damaged structure;
• Formatting with the possibility of pre-saving data.

Download the program JetFlash Recovery Tool from the official website of the developer at this link.

After downloading the program, you need to run the JetFlash Recovery Tool.exe application file as administrator and wait for installation on HDD

Then run the JFRecoveryTool.exe executable file to download the application, connect a non-working or blocked USB flash drive and click Start. Upon completion of work, check the normalization of the state of the media

Apacer Repair

A small Apacer Repair program was developed specifically for flash media from Apacer Technology Inc. With it, you can perform a quick format if other options did not help, as well as repair USB Flash. As a result of software processing, you can remove the overwrite protection and correct errors in memory blocks.

You can download the Apacer Repair utility for free from the official website of the developer at this link.

After downloading the program and connecting the USB flash drive to the USB connector, launch the utility and follow the instructions on the screen.

Disk formatting starts with a warning: "" ( This will destroy all data on the flash drive, do you want to continue?)

Clicking the Format button starts quick formatting. A successful wipe operation will remove the write protection from the flash drive.

Other reasons for blocking USB devices from being overwritten and how to fix them

Viruses blocked the flash drive for writing

Computer viruses are malicious software, which disrupts the operation of operating systems, the file structure, deletes information, blocks media, and encrypts data without authorization.

The term viruses combines such types malware, like trojans, downloaders - droppers, phishing sites, worms, spam bots, spiders, etc.

These programs are capable of creating their own copies and being introduced through communication channels into systems, boot sectors of computers. They bring a lot of trouble to users by stealing confidential information and disrupting entire computer systems.

According to statistics, the most common cause USB media malfunctions are precisely malware or viruses.

When connecting an external drive to an unprotected computer, there is a high probability of infection, i.e. copying viruses to a flash drive.

Many viruses are designed to block access to a flash drive and prohibit any operations to change data on it in order to “protect themselves” from forced deletion or movement.

For example, such a common virus as Autorun is written to the computer's system file Autorun.inf , which allows applications to be launched from removable media. When a flash drive is connected, Autorun copies files like: Autorun.exe** , Autorun.inf __ and others to it. The symptoms of infection with this virus are as follows:

• The USB drive does not open at all, or when you try to access it, it suddenly appears in another Explorer window;
• it is impossible to delete or open suspicious files, and the system may display a message about write protection or inability to access the file;
• task manager and registry editor do not start;
• on the flash drive hidden folder RECYCLER , which contains the executable file of the virus.

To combat this type of virus, special programs Anti-auto run.

In cases where a flash drive is infected with a virus that blocks any action related to changing information, you must do the following:

1. Install antivirus software on your computer.
2. When connecting USB disk do a thorough scan installed antivirus with updated bases. It is advisable to check the flash with several programs.
3. If possible, format the flash drive using the built-in tools of the operating system or additional utilities described in this article.
4. If it is impossible to format in normal mode, try to perform this operation in safe mode booting the operating system (diagnostic mode, using only basic files and drivers). Why reboot the system while holding down the F8 key and select " Safe mode».
5. Be sure to check the hard drives of a personal computer for viruses so that they do not spread to other removable drives in the future.

Checking if the disk is full and removing protection from files intended to be copied to disk

To check the availability of free disk space, do the following:

Physical damage to the flash drive

The reason for blocking the flash drive for writing may be mechanical damage.

It usually occurs in the following cases:

• when buying low-quality goods ("fakes");
• when exposed to high temperature and overheating of parts of the device;
• electrostatic discharge;
• as a result of breaks, cracks in the electronics board, chips, scratches and impacts during falls, when the main elements are damaged: a memory chip and a microcontroller;
• improper storage conditions (for example, a humid environment) and violations of operating rules;
• voltage surges when power is applied to the carrier elements;
• a limited period of work with a decrease in data write-erase cycles;
• loosening the usb connector (interface)

If the integrity of the memory chip is not violated during physical damage, the data can be saved or restored. Such operations are carried out by specialists in service centers.

Malfunction or disconnection of the USB ports of the PC

Sometimes the reason for the appearance of write protection on a USB flash drive may be a malfunction or disconnection of the USB ports of a computer, laptop or other device by software or technical means.

To check for a port problem:

• insert the disk drive into another USB port;
• connect other USB devices to the connector. For example, a camera mobile phone, printer, tablet. If devices are not recognized personal computer, are read in jumps with significant interruptions, system connection error messages pop up, which means that the USB port is not working.

Thus, you can eliminate the possibility of problems with USB ports when you receive messages that the disk is write-protected

Prohibition of writing to flash devices when software and hardware disable USB ports

To restrict access to connected removable media (flash drives, portable hard drives, phones, etc.) or even prohibit their use, computer system administrators disable USB ports. The purpose of such measures is to prevent the theft of valuable information or the infection of computers with malware and spyware through flash drives. This causes system messages about the ban on writing to the memory of Flash devices. If you got behind such a computer, then you need to enable the USB port.

There are several ways to disable (enable) USB ports:

1. Through BIOS.

   This is a small program recorded in a special microcircuit. motherboard system block. It is designed for the initial startup of the computer, testing its main components, performing input-output functions, storing information about the hardware components of the PC and their settings.

   To disable USB ports need to:

   • enter BIOSby holding one of the following keys: Del, F2, F10, Esc, F8;
   • find all the values ​​\u200b\u200brelated to USB Controller (or Legacy USB Support) and set the parameter Enabled for them;
   • press the F10 key to confirm the changes in the settings;
   • to restart a computer.
   
   
2. Using the registry editor.

   This method is convenient because, unlike the previous one, USB devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, scanners are not disabled, but only flash drives.

   This article has already covered the process of loading the registry editor as a standard operating system utility.

   To disable ports through the editor, you must:

   
   
3. In the device manager. For this:
   
4. Uninstalling (deleting) the USB controller drivers.
5. Using special software to set access levels and prohibit users from connecting USB devices. For example, these functions perform Microsoft programs Fix It 50061 and USB Drive Disabler.
6. Disconnecting USB from system board computer. In this case, you can disable only the ports on the front and top of the system unit case by disconnecting the adapter cables that go to the motherboard.
7. You can also allow/deny access to removable storage devices using the Group Policy Editor. This method was discussed above in the article.
8. In reverse order, you can check and connect all controllers and USB ports, allowing access to personal computer users.

Thus, by checking all options for disabling USB ports, you can eliminate the possibility of blocking flash media for overwriting.

Microcontroller software failures and flash memory wear

Each flash media includes a controller chip designed to connect the flash memory and the computer. The controller is controlled by firmware, part of which is stored in the chip. This program is responsible for the memory parameters, the operation of the translator, contains the values ​​of product identifiers and the so-called write prohibit flags.

In cases of improper operation, unsafe ejection of media during running recording and transfer processes, power surges, the controller software crashes. One of the signs of such a malfunction is the blocking of the device for recording information.

Blocking of the device can also occur due to the wear of the memory chip, in which bad blocks appear and the threshold of rewrite cycles is exceeded. In this case, the microcontroller marks the blocks as unused, blocks the flash for writing, and goes into data protection mode to prevent further destruction of the NAND memory.

To eliminate software failures, you should reprogram (“reflash”) the microcontroller using special software. Firmware programs are selected in accordance with the controller model and flash media identifiers (VID and PID). More details about the selection of such software were described above in the article.

Flash drive file system errors

Damage to the internal structure of the file system is a violation of the order of storing and naming data in the memory of a flash drive. Logic errors can be caused by unsafe removal of the device from the USB connector, power surges, viruses, memory wear and other reasons. As a result of such failures, the disk is blocked for overwriting, there is no access to it, an undefined value is displayed in the properties of the USB disk. file structure RAW and a system message is displayed stating that the disk needs to be formatted.

In these cases it is necessary:

• using special software matched to a specific model of a flash device, try to recover valuable information;
• perform a high-level format that will restore the file system.

The selection of utilities for recovering and formatting Flash USB was described above in the article.

Low-level formatting - as one of the ways to restore the performance of a locked flash drive

If attempts to recover information on a locked USB device did not lead to the desired results and the data stored in memory is not important for the user, it is best to low-level formatting flash (Low Level Format), which will fix corrupted memory.

Low Level Format is the basic markup in the data storage area with a record of control information, which is usually carried out at device manufacturers and remains unchanged. However, there are a number of programs whose capabilities allow users to carry out low-level formatting themselves.

The Low Level Format process completely deletes data from the device memory and it is no longer possible to restore it. This action is carried out in order to block damaged areas of the USB Flash, which will not be recorded during further operation, as well as to prevent the theft of confidential information.

The most popular program for carrying out the process of low-level formatting of USB devices is HDD Low Level Format Tool. It allows you to change the size of the drive. Works with removable drives via USB and Firewire interfaces. During the erase process, the partition table, boot sectors (if any), manufacturer data, and every byte of data are cleared. The program is shareware.

IN free version(free) there are restrictions on formatting speed, and there is no access to program updates.

After downloading the program, you need to install it following the instructions on the screen.

Choose one of the options for using the program:

Since low-level formatting deletes all bytes of information, in order to resume working with the device, you need to carry out high-level formatting using the usual standard operating system tools, having decided on the file system of the flash drive.

Results

In this article, the possible causes of flash drive malfunctions that cause a ban on overwriting have been discussed in detail. The main measures to eliminate such problems were listed.

In some cases, with serious mechanical damage and software failures Flash USB, users are advised to contact service centers. Specialists use to restore and usb repair devices highly specialized software on special equipment.

If all the methods listed in the article did not help to “save” the flash device, and it remained inoperative, then you should think about buying a new one.

So that the purchased flash drive lasts a long time and is a reliable carrier important information, you must follow the simple rules for using Flash USB:

1. do not expose them to mechanical shocks;
2. isolate from moisture, high temperature and exposure to electromagnetic fields;
3. remove only using "Safely Remove Hardware";
4. periodically defragment the memory area;
5. check for errors using the chkdsk system utility (scanning and correcting data errors);
6. be sure to use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date to protect against virus infection.