Solved USB device write protected


lolekk

Member
Local time
9:31 PM
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21
OS
Windows 11 x64 pro
Hi,

After reinstalling my OS “without any reason” every usb sticks and even one external hard drive become Write Protected. Strange thing I didn’t have any problem to format them but still when I tried to download something on them, I receive message: “The disk is write protected, remove the write-protection or use another disk”. I clean attributes in Diakpart. I used “hard disk low level format application” to format and everything was going smoothly but they are still not useful. I tried also regedit to check what number was in StorageDevicePolicy but I didn’t have there QWORD64 with name “Write Protect” which I created with value date “0”.
Now, I don’t have any more ideas what I can do else to fix this strange problem. I’ll really appreciate if someone help me to solve it.
Thanks in advance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 x64 pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    made it
    CPU
    Coffee Lake-S HexaCore Intel Core i7-8700K, 3700 MHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z370 Taichi
    Memory
    G Skill Trident Z RGB F4-3200C16-8GTZ - 32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
    Sound Card
    on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG L226W (Digital)
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    SSD Samsung 970 and SanDisk SDSSDH3240G
When drives become write protected it often indicates a drive problem.

When multiple drives are affected, it may be related to unexpected shutdowns and restarts (weather, power outages, etc.)


Check the drives using another Windows computer.

If they still display write protected then please test the drives to see if they pass or fail various drive tests using:


Sea tools long generic test (using Windows or bootable versions)



HD Tune Full Error Scan: (free or trial) HD Tune website

or

Macrorit Full Error Scan: Check Hard Disk for Bad Sectors | Scan Disk on Windows


Test USB drives using: GRC | ValiDrive


If the drives pass the above tests there are additional tests.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4800MQ CPU @ 2.70GHz
    Motherboard
    Product : 190A Version : KBC Version 94.56
    Memory
    16 GB Total: Manufacturer : Samsung MemoryType : DDR3 FormFactor : SODIMM Capacity : 8GB Speed : 1600
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Quadro K3100M; Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition Audio CODEC; PNP Device ID HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_111D&DEV_76E0
    Hard Drives
    Model Hitachi HTS727575A9E364
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Mobile Workstation
It was about GPT and MBR but still big thanks for advice !!!!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 x64 pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    made it
    CPU
    Coffee Lake-S HexaCore Intel Core i7-8700K, 3700 MHz
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z370 Taichi
    Memory
    G Skill Trident Z RGB F4-3200C16-8GTZ - 32GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    nVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
    Sound Card
    on motherboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG L226W (Digital)
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    SSD Samsung 970 and SanDisk SDSSDH3240G
same thing happened to me, just found out in the middle of the night.. what is going on??? my USB sticks have been locked!! I have lots of paid software and cannot find a fix,,, do I have to go into the registry, did MS screw us recently?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Home built
    CPU
    i9-13900
    Motherboard
    ASUS Strix Z90-H
    Memory
    64 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 5070 TI OC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony 55"
    Hard Drives
    SSD
    PSU
    850 watt EVGA
    Case
    Cooler Master Haf 932
    Cooling
    CoolerMaster
    Keyboard
    MS
    Mouse
    CoolerMaster
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    VR, Virtual Reality
same thing happened to me, just found out in the middle of the night.. what is going on??? my USB sticks have been locked!! I have lots of paid software and cannot find a fix,,, do I have to go into the registry, did MS screw us recently
Ah - the paranoid default on many posts - assume big bad MS are screwing you LOL.

If they are, I am sure it is just you personally they are after.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
What are the details for the external hard disk? This is more likely to be recoverable. I've had lots of cheaper USB sticks go read-only and I think it happens when the internal firmware detects an error. At least the data on them should be safe.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.2894
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Swift SF114-34
    CPU
    Pentium Silver N6000 1.10GHz
    Memory
    4GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SSD
    Cooling
    fanless
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot Secure Anywhere
    Other Info
    System 3

    ASUS T100TA Transformer
    Processor Intel Atom Z3740 @ 1.33GHz
    Installed RAM 2.00 GB (1.89 GB usable)
    System type 32-bit operating system, x64-based processor

    Edition Windows 10 Home
    Version 22H2 build 19045.3570
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.2506
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Mini 210-1090NR PC (bought in late 2009!)
    CPU
    Atom N450 1.66GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Browser
    Brave
    Antivirus
    Webroot
Win11 would not help at all when I took anew 256GB TeamGroup thumbdrive.. and tried to format it, totally unable to format.. I even have paid software like EaseUS partion pro. no go. I used Rufus and also Belana Etcher to put an ISO on it. So tell me it is me!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Home built
    CPU
    i9-13900
    Motherboard
    ASUS Strix Z90-H
    Memory
    64 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 5070 TI OC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony 55"
    Hard Drives
    SSD
    PSU
    850 watt EVGA
    Case
    Cooler Master Haf 932
    Cooling
    CoolerMaster
    Keyboard
    MS
    Mouse
    CoolerMaster
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    VR, Virtual Reality
I used Rufus

Sometimes with a USB drive after using it for RUFUS, the drive can lock.

You can use RUFUS again to format the drive.
It’s been a while, but from memory:

Open RUFUS
Plug in your USB
Boot Selection; Non Bootable
I select target system: BIOS or UEFI
File System; Your Choice? (For larger USB’s NTFS or exFAT)
Click Start.



IMG_4652.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build 22631.5039
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Sin-built
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz (4th Gen?)
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VI Formula
    Memory
    32.0 GB of I forget and the box is in storage.
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte nVidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super OC 6GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    5 x LG 25MS500-B - 1 x 24MK430H-B - 1 x Wacom Pro 22" Tablet
    Screen Resolution
    All over the place
    Hard Drives
    Too many to list.
    OS on Samsung 1TB 870 QVO SATA
    PSU
    Silverstone 1500
    Case
    NZXT Phantom 820 Full-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 Elite Class Dual Tower CPU Cooler / 6 x EziDIY 120mm / 2 x Corsair 140mm somethings / 1 x 140mm Thermaltake something / 2 x 200mm Corsair.
    Keyboard
    Corsair K95 / Logitech diNovo Edge Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech: G402 / G502 / Mx Masters / MX Air Cordless
    Internet Speed
    1000/400Mbps
    Browser
    All sorts
    Antivirus
    Kaspersky Premium
    Other Info
    I’m on a horse.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 Build: 22631.4249
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    LENOVO Yoga 7i EVO OLED 14" Touchscreen i5 12 Core 16GB/512GB
    CPU
    Intel Core 12th Gen i5-1240P Processor (1.7 - 4.4GHz)
    Memory
    16GB LPDDR5 RAM
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics Processor
    Sound Card
    Optimized with Dolby Atmos®
    Screen Resolution
    QHD 2880 x 1800 OLED
    Hard Drives
    M.2 512GB
    Antivirus
    Defender / Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    …still on a horse.
I have used rufus with success, every time to be able to format USB sticks when Windows claims they are write protected. It usually happens when I format something with Ubuntu Linux, and Windows does not like it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
Win11 would not help at all when I took anew 256GB TeamGroup thumbdrive.. and tried to format it, totally unable to format.. I even have paid software like EaseUS partion pro. no go. I used Rufus and also Belana Etcher to put an ISO on it. So tell me it is me!
I have some basic questions.

1. "'a new 256GB TeamGroup thumbdrive.. and tried to format it," Generally new flash drives come factory-formatted.When bought, did you plug it in and check that it shows full capacity in Windows Disk Management? Why did you want to format it again? If unable to format, did you get any error message?

2. Did you plug in any other flash drive and check whether you can access the files in it? If "yes" a system/OS fault is ruled out. And in that case I will assume that the 256GB Team Group flash drive may be fake.

Check with ValiDrive GRC | ValiDrive

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro Version:24H2 OS Build: 26100.3775
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink Mini PC Model: SEi12
    CPU
    12th Gen Intel core i5-1235U(Alder
    Motherboard
    SEi (manufactured by AZW)
    Memory
    16*2 (32 GB) DDR 4-3200(1600MHz) Crucial Technology
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Internal)
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    BenQ GW2283
    Screen Resolution
    1920*1080
    Hard Drives
    500GB NVME (Kingston SNV2S500G)
    1TB (Crucial CT1000BX500SSD1)
    PSU
    Power Brick 19V-6.32A , 120.08W
    Keyboard
    Dell KB3322Wi (Wireless)
    Mouse
    Dell WM118t (Wireless)
    Internet Speed
    4G/5G
    Browser
    MS Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium - Subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Home Version 24H2 Build 26100. 3775
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3280 AIO 22"
    CPU
    Intel Core i3 8145U
    Motherboard
    Dell inc. 027W48
    Memory
    Intel Optane 16GB module + DDR 4 16GB (Optane disabled.)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Internal
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell Monitor 22"
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial CT1000BX500SSD1 ; 1000,2 GB
    PSU
    Power Brick
    Case
    All-in one
    Mouse
    Dell Wireless KM 636
    Keyboard
    Dell Wireless KM636
    Internet Speed
    4G
    Browser
    Edge, Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    Upgraded from Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Home on 28 Oct 2023
I have some basic questions.

1. "'a new 256GB TeamGroup thumbdrive.. and tried to format it," Generally new flash drives come factory-formatted.When bought, did you plug it in and check that it shows full capacity in Windows Disk Management? Why did you want to format it again? If unable to format, did you get any error message?

2. Did you plug in any other flash drive and check whether you can access the files in it? If "yes" a system/OS fault is ruled out. And in that case I will assume that the 256GB Team Group flash drive may be fake.

Check with ValiDrive GRC | ValiDrive

I bought it on Newegg a few months back... the only message is it is 'write protected' I just use rufus for these pia thumb drives..
some brand thumb drives do not give me any issues, but this brand does..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus Home built
    CPU
    i9-13900
    Motherboard
    ASUS Strix Z90-H
    Memory
    64 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia RTX 5070 TI OC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony 55"
    Hard Drives
    SSD
    PSU
    850 watt EVGA
    Case
    Cooler Master Haf 932
    Cooling
    CoolerMaster
    Keyboard
    MS
    Mouse
    CoolerMaster
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    VR, Virtual Reality

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