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Please help me, how can I remove the write protection on my USB? I can't remove or clean my USB.
Write Protection
Write protection refers to hardware and software techniques that are used to lock data devices and prevent accidental data corruption or loss. On USB flash drives there is most often a small switch that protects the device. First, check on the side of the USB device and see if there is a small slide switch. If so, try sliding the switch to turn the write protect off.
Physical Write Protection Lock
If you have already switched the physical lock off, it is also possible that the USB flash drive has become write protected some other way, and so there are a few other techniques to try to access it. If this is the case, you might be getting an error message when you are using the USB drive that asks you to remove the write protection or use another disk.
Prepare by Backing up the Registry
This solution requires you to adjust your computer's registry, which is a high-risk operation. While the steps themselves are very simple, it is very important that you follow them carefully. Deleting files from your registry can render programs unusable and destabilize your entire system. Make sure you are careful and don't matoke any additional changes to your registry. It is also a good idea to create a backup of your registry. Here is a link to an article explaining how to protect your registry setting before you continue.
Edit the Write Protect Value in the Registry
Once you are backed up, follow these instructions to edit your registry and - hopefully - resolve the write protection issue.
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1. Click to open the Start menu
2. Click Run to open a search box
3. Type in regedit then press the Enter key
4. This will open the registry - scroll through to find the entry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
5. Click to open the path
6. On the right side of the window, find and click twice in the WriteProtect key
7. Find the Value Data box and set to 0
8. Click OK
9. Exit the registry, and then reboot the computer. Reconnect the USB drive and all should be well.
I hope that this helps solve your problem!! Good luck!
Is your computer an Open Invitation for HACKERS? Download free version of Sparktrust Inspector to identify vulnerabilities and problems on your computer (and even your WEBSITES)!
Kate Dubensky | March 16th, 2010
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I did all the stuff u said but the write protection doesn't show! What can I do??
What happens if you right-click the USB drive and choose Properties? Click on the Security tab and see if the permissions can be changed.
i do HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control
but i didn't see StorageDevicePolicies
how can i create a folder "StorageDevicePolicies"?
i don't know how to create a folder "StorageDevicePolicies"
please help me...
Hi,
You can create a new folder in the Windows registry. Navigate to the CurrentControlSet\Control folder and right-click Control. Next, click New followed by Key. Name the new key StorageDevicePolicies. Once created, right-click the StorageDevicePolicies key and click New > DWORD value. Name it WriteProtect. Finally, edit the DWORD value by assigning a value of 1 to it. Confirm your choices, exit the registry editor and reboot.
(Again, use extreme care when editing the registry. Make sure to back it up first.)