Temporarily Remove Write Protection through the Drive Letter

 

Step 1

Click the "Start" button and then select "Computer." Right-click the icon for the USB drive (labeled as "Removable Disk") and select “Properties.”

Step 2

Click the “Sharing” tab and click the “Advanced Sharing” button.

Step 3

Click the “Permissions” button to access the list of permissions. Select the “Full Control” check box under Allow for full read, write and change permissions. Click "OK" twice and click "Close."

Remove Write Protection through the Registry

Step 1

Click the “Start” button, type “regedit” (without the quotation marks) in the Search Programs and Files box and press "Enter" to open the Registry Editor.

Step 2

Navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies.” Right-click "WriteProtect" and select "Modify." Change the Value Data to “0” and click "OK."

Step 3

Add “StorageDevicePolicies” if it does not exist. Select the "Control" folder in the left navigation pane. On the “Edit” menu, point to “New” and click “Key.” Type “StorageDevicePolicies” (without quotation marks) and press "Enter." Right-click in the right pane, point to "New" and select "DWORD (32-Bit) Value." Type “WriteProtect” (without quotation marks) and press "Enter." Close the Registry Editor.

Tips

• If the USB flash drive does not appear on the Computer page, refresh the screen or reboot the computer until it does. If the USB flash drive does not eventually appear, it may be defective. Try opening it on another computer before discarding it. Make sure the USB drive is not open and no other programs are using it.

Warnings

• Remember to back up the registry before completing the steps. The “Format” command permanently deletes all data from the drive. Save what you want before formatting the drive.