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How to remove write protection from an External or USB storage Device

How to remove write protection from an External or USB storage Device like Removable Disk, Flash Drives, Memory Cards, Hard Disk and others storage devices.

Write Protection is used to protect files on a USB Storage device or other storage devices like SD Card, Hard Disk, Removable Disk, Memory Cards. etcWrite Protection

Write Protection disables writing of Files to an External Storage device, it prevents pasting a file into the External or USB storage device, but it allow to copy from the External or USB storage device.

This will guide on How to Remove Write Protection from an External Storage Device (eg. USB Disk).

Using Command Prompt.

We are going to use a tool diskpart from the command prompt.

1) Press Win + X from your computer (Windows 8, 8.1 and 10), for other window search for Command Prompt (Admin).WinX Menu

2) On the WinX Menu, you will see Command Prompt (Admin), Click on it.

3) Grant the command prompt administrative privilege by clicking on Yes.Command Prompt

4). Type diskpart in the command prompt window and thus the diskpart tool will open as DISKPART>.Diskpart

5) Type again, list disk (You have to know the size of your disk so as to know the disk).List Disk

6) You then type select disk number, you disk number on the list. For example, my disk number is 2, so I will type Select  disk 2 (It will tell you Disk Number as been selected).Select Disk

7) Then type in attributes disk. (You could maybe that your Read-Only is set to Yes).Attributes Disk

8) To clear that, types in attributes disk clear readonly.Attributes Disk Clear

9) And then the read-only will be set to No.

10) Then type exit twice to exit the command prompt.

Try copying a file into the External or USB storage device, if it works then you problem has been solved, if it does not, check out the next process below.

Using the Registry Editor.

1) Press Win + R on your Computer System (Windows).Run

2) Then type in regedit and then click on Enter.Registry Editor

3) Use the left hand side to Navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

4)Click on the StorageDevicePolicies and on the right hand side, you will see WriteProtect.Storage Device Policies

5) You will see the Data Column, Check if Write Protect is Set to 1.

6) If set to 1, double Click on it and on the Value data, Set it to 0.writeprotect

7) Then Click on Ok. Exit the Registry Editor.

8) Restart your Computer System.

Try copying a file into the External or USB storage device, if it works then you problem has been solved.

Hope with this, you have been able to remove write protection from your external or USB storage devices.

Please and Like below. Also comment below for any problem encountered,

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