Solved Write Protected USB?


Alexey2912

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Hi,

I cannot format a USB drive, displays it's write protected.

How does one format such.....

Thanks.
 
Windows Build/Version
22H2 (22621.608)

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Hi,

I cannot format a USB drive, displays it's write protected.

How does one format such.....

Thanks.
If we're talking about a flash drive I'm sure that you've searched the Web for various ways to try. Unfortunately it could be a sign that the FD might be failing so the first thing would be to copy all the data off it then try everything you find.

 

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Yeh, I'm going for the failing option too

Windows used to have a bit of a reputation for "fake" error messages, or as I call them "error messages of last resort" (Windows doesn't know what the problem is so picks out the first/next/closest best error message it can find ... bit like a response from a help call centre - something straight off the script.
 

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If we're talking about a flash drive I'm sure that you've searched the Web for various ways to try. Unfortunately it could be a sign that the FD might be failing so the first thing would be to copy all the data off it then try everything you find.


Thanks @Fabler2 , for posting the link. I tried formatting on a legacy W7 pc and it did format with none issues. Than plugged into the laptop same error.
Opened disk management, the USB was partitioned. Deleted both, created a new volume and formatted, in W11. No write protection error.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (22631.3296).
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron i5 5510
    CPU
    core i7 11th gen
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4 @3200 MHz
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 NVMe
    Keyboard
    Dell Premier Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard and Mouse – KM7321W
    Browser
    Brave.
    Other Info
    Edifier speakers. (Thanks to @Edwin).
  • Operating System
    W11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    XPS Special Edition
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel® Core i7-11700 processor
    Memory
    32 GB, 2 x 16 GB, DDR4, 2933 MHz, dual channel
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Thanks @Fabler2 , for posting the link. I tried formatting on a legacy W7 pc and it did format with none issues. Than plugged into the laptop same error.
Opened disk management, the USB was partitioned. Deleted both, created a new volume and formatted, in W11. No write protection error.
That's good news (y) I don't know how much trust I'd have with it for keeping important data now though.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro & 🐥.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X509DA (FP5)
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX Vega 10 Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe 1.3
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (22631.3296).
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron i5 5510
    CPU
    core i7 11th gen
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4 @3200 MHz
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 NVMe
    Keyboard
    Dell Premier Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard and Mouse – KM7321W
    Browser
    Brave.
    Other Info
    Edifier speakers. (Thanks to @Edwin).
  • Operating System
    W11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    XPS Special Edition
    CPU
    11th Gen Intel® Core i7-11700 processor
    Memory
    32 GB, 2 x 16 GB, DDR4, 2933 MHz, dual channel
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB GDDR6
    Hard Drives
    2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD

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