Having trouble making a recovery usb drive or remove write protection

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

As the title says. I went to make a recovery drive on a 32gb usb. Included system files. It took quite a while, got all the way to the end and then said "We can't create the recovery drive - A problem occurred while creating the recovery drive". A bit of googling showed some people had been asked to use a 32gb drive (I was only asked to use a 16gb drive) so I thought I'd try a bigger 64gb usb drive. But I can't reformat the 32gb one now because it says it's write protected. Can't see anything in properties to turn off write protection. I tried diskpart to remove readonly, which completed, but it still says it's write protected if I try to format it.

This is very annoying! So before I endup with my 64gb drive also failing and also ending up write protected, I'd like to know how to "un" write protect the 32gb drive please. Also it's not possible to delete any contents on the drive. No delete option on right click.

retiredat44 · Oct 11, 2025

How to Turn Write Protection on or Off for a USB Flash Drive

Learn how to enable or disable write protection on a USB flash drive using a hardware switch, DiskPart, Windows registry, security permissions, or formatting.

www.computerhope.com

look at this site, has good info on helping you. Yes, it sucks when that happens

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

Thank you very much. I was impatient so I tried the 64gb and that worked. So despite the program saying you need a 16gb drive, you don't - you need something bigger than a 32gb drive! ie a 64gb drive.

That article was really helpful thank you @retiredat44 - I had tried some of the fixes already, but not all and what it shows is that there is no "Security" tab in properties for FAT drives - and it's under "Sharing" on FAT drives. I was about to try that, but when I plugged the 32gb usb in again, Windows popped up saying there was a problem with the drive and would I like to repair it - I said yes, it did it's stuff and after that it formatted without me needing to do anything else. So I don't know if the "Sharing" option works or not!

gunrunnerjohn · Oct 11, 2025

What recovery option needs a 64GB drive? Just curious, I've never run into that issue. I recently bought a bunch of USB 3 32GB drives since my ancient collection of 2G, 4G, etc. drives was getting long in the tooth!

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

Windows "Make a recovery usb". Googling shows a lot of people having problems with it or just saying it doesn't work. The recovery usb program says you need a 16gb drive. Other people have had it saying they needed a 32gb drive. I used a 32gb drive and it failed. However, it is possible the drive had a fault if windows tried to repair it afterwards. It worked first time on the 64gb drive. There are various posts online about 32gb not being enough. Whether that's the case or not I don't know but a 32gb usb drive only actually has about 29gb.

This is the option with "include system files" ticked as well. So I would think it would need more than 32gb if Windows is on it too as well as all the repair tools.

I also bought a bunch of 32gb drives recently, and at the time, had difficulty finding less than 64gb ones! Just used my only 64gb drive up.

BamaInArk · Oct 11, 2025

Not sure it would work on a write protected flash drive but using Diskpart, selecting the correct drive then using the Clean command should basically wipe everything(well clean the partition table and formatting) from the drive.

antspants · Oct 11, 2025

Hi Hazel.

You can format a USB nicely using RUFUS. It can handle some stubborn USB’s.

Open RUFUS
Select the card
Select Non bootable
Click start

You can also Show advanced drive properties

Show advanced format options

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

BamaInArk said:
Not sure it would work on a write protected flash drive but using Diskpart, selecting the correct drive then using the Clean command should basically wipe everything(well clean the partition table and formatting) from the drive.

Thanks - I did the "attributes disk clear readonly" command in diskpart - which seemed to confirm it was done but the drive still wouldn't format. I then tried the clean command in diskpart and that threw an error. Whatever making a recovery drive does it seems to make it hard to remove write protection afterwards!

hsehestedt · Oct 11, 2025

Maybe I'm simply not aware, but is there any advantage at all to using a recovery disk vs just booting from Windows installation media?

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

hsehestedt said:
Maybe I'm simply not aware, but is there any advantage at all to using a recovery disk vs just booting from Windows installation media?

Good question. I have always used a Windows installation media for recovery tools. I suppose I was just thinking about futureproofing and having the recovery usb made in case anything changed in future Windows iso's. But then as long as I have an older windows iso on usb stick, then it probably makes no difference.

I'm probably in ocd tidy mode after doing a clean install

gunrunnerjohn · Oct 11, 2025

OK, you got me curious. I normally use the Acronis Recovery USB to bring back one of my images, and that one fits on a 4GB drive. I'm creating a recovery disk (including system files) on a 32GB USB. It said I needed a 16GB, so we'll see what it ends up with. I can't imagine needing 64GB, but I figure this is the way to find out.

zbook · Oct 11, 2025

Hazel123 said:
it says it's write protected.

The write protected error message frequently indicates a failed drive.

Run drive tests:

a) Run Sea Tools Long generic test (all drives) > post images or share links

SeaTools | Seagate US

SeaTools - Quick diagnostic tool that checks the health of your drive.

www.seagate.com

b) Run HD Tune (all drives) (old version) > post images or share links

HD Tune website

HD Tune

www.hdtune.com

https://www.hdtune.com/files/hdtune_255.exe

a) Health

b) Full error scan

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

Thank you. As it's just an old usb drive I will probably just bin it

And there clearly was an error if windows detected it and said it needed repairing. But it sounds like you've confirmed the error is probably with the drive - thanks.

antspants · Oct 11, 2025

Hazel123 said:
Thank you. As it's just an old usb drive I will probably just bin it And there clearly was an error if windows detected it and said it needed repairing. But it sounds like you've confirmed the error is probably with the drive - thanks.

Did you try Rufus or not.

JLArranz · Oct 11, 2025

It's very easy to check if the recovery disk needs 16 or 32 GB: the tool does a partition of exactly that size. Normally it ends up not full at all. Once packed in an *.iso, the recovery disk has about 10 GB. iso doesn't use compression, it packs the files as needed by an optical disc, what has become a standard.

I renew my recovery disk about once per year or after a feature update, it's a low priority task for me. I convert it to iso b/c I combine it with the Macrium Reflect Rescue Disk in a single USB stick. MR is my main recovery tool and the only one I've used in my Windows 11 until now.

I re-use the same USB stick, that has 64 GB (last time I checked it was difficult to find 32GB ones anyway). If MR has shifted version it's an easy iso replacement. If it's the Windows Recovery Disk what I want to renew, I use the stick for it, convert it to iso with ImgBurn, format it with WinSetupFromUSB and add the Windows Recovery iso, and afterwards I add the MR iso.

Last time I did the latter I found my stick write-protected. If it's dead, it's the first stick (from about 5) that I've lost for this cause. In general a dying stick losses data or recognition capability very fast or quite progressively. Maybe it's still usable but it's 23H2 anyway.

Bryan · Oct 11, 2025

Two or three times I have had the same Windows error message. It was caused by removing the USB by just pulling it from the PC and having forgot to use the eject sequence first. Having Windows then "fix" the error "has not/does not" seem to have created any ongoing, undue problems for the USB stick. Maybe that might have happened to you?

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

Thanks all. I always remove the usb's properly

So I don't think it was that. But it was only when it was plugged in again it said it needed repair. It's quite an old one so I won't risk using it again - I have plenty of others. No I didn't try rufus because it was already formatted by then - after I plugged it in and it got repaired.

JLArranz · Oct 11, 2025

Bryan said:
Two or three times I have had the same Windows error message. It was caused by removing the USB by just pulling it from the PC and having forgot to use the eject sequence first. Having Windows then "fix" the error "has not/does not" seem to have created any ongoing, undue problems for the USB stick. Maybe that might have happened to you?

My most common forgetfulness with pendrives is leaving them connected after using them and shutting down with them plugged. Afaik the write protection is programmed in the firmware when it has detected the drive is about to die, so the user can recover the data. This should be explained clearly somewhere but I guess there isn't an "authority" for it (imo it's important enough to be standarized by the IEEE, ISO or some other organization of this kind).

Hazel123 · Oct 11, 2025

JLArranz said:
It's very easy to check if the recovery disk needs 16 or 32 GB: the tool does a partition of exactly that size. Normally it ends up not full at all. Once packed in an *.iso, the recovery disk has about 10 GB. iso doesn't use compression, it packs the files as needed by an optical disc, what has become a standard.

I renew my recovery disk about once per year or after a feature update, it's a low priority task for me. I convert it to iso b/c I combine it with the Macrium Reflect Rescue Disk in a single USB stick. MR is my main recovery tool and the only one I've used in my Windows 11 until now.

I re-use the same USB stick, that has 64 GB (last time I checked it was difficult to find 32GB ones anyway). If MR has shifted version it's an easy iso replacement. If it's the Windows Recovery Disk what I want to renew, I use the stick for it, convert it to iso with ImgBurn, format it with WinSetupFromUSB and add the Windows Recovery iso, and afterwards I add the MR iso.

Last time I did the latter I found my stick write-protected. If it's dead, it's the first stick (from about 5) that I've lost for this cause. In general a dying stick losses data or recognition capability very fast or quite progressively. Maybe it's still usable but it's 23H2 anyway.

I also found it hard to find 32gb ones recently, but got a couple of these, they're ok.

Amazon.co.uk

gunrunnerjohn · Oct 11, 2025

JLArranz said:
My most common forgetfulness with pendrives is leaving them connected after using them and shutting down with them plugged. Afaik the write protection is programmed in the firmware when it has detected the drive is about to die, so the user can recover the data. This should be explained clearly somewhere but I guess there isn't an "authority" for it (imo it's important enough to be standarized by the IEEE, ISO or some other organization of this kind).

I don't understand this particular comment. I've shutdown dozens of times, actually probably hundreds of times, with a USB drive installed. I've never seen one get write protected from that operation. AAMOF, my two laptops both have a 512GB USB mini-drive permanently connected to a USB port and have lived through many shutdown/startup cycles.

I can understand that you might get a glitch if you yank the power plug and have a sudden power-out shutdown, but not a normal shutdown. My computers are all on UPS systems, and of course, my laptop doesn't have power off shutdowns since it has a battery. I've pulled plenty of USB drives out without them being "safely removed" as well, again never a write protect issue.

The times that I've had a USB error or some kind it's always been the there's a real problem with the drive, and it finds the round file right after that.

Having trouble making a recovery usb drive or remove write protection

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