How To Remove Disk Is Write Protected Message

Sometimes you may receive a message saying that the Disk is write-protected when dealing with external storage devices. This may mean the registry entry is corrupt, your system administrator has placed limitations or the device itself is corrupt. It may also mean the storage device is actually write-protected.

Disk Is Write-Protected

The following tutorial aims to help you remove the message saying Disk is write protected. the exact message would be:

The disk is write-protected

Remove the write-protection or use another disk

Is There A Hardware Lock
Some external devices such as pen drives actually carry a hardware lock in form of switch. You need to see if the device is having a switch and if it is pushed to protect the device from accidental writing. Remove the device from computer and if the switch is in on state, push it back to disable write protection.
If the device switch is off and you still get the message or if there is no hardware lock on the device, confirm with your system administrator to see if he has blocked USB ports. If the USB port is not blocked by the admin, let us check the Windows registry to see if it has been changed to lock the USB ports.
Editing The Registry
To check if the registry key is modified by some reason,

1. Press Windows Key + R
2. In the Run dialog box that appears, type regedit. Press Enter
3. You can now see Registry Editor. Expand the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
4. Expand System Folder in the left pane under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
5. Look for CurrentControlSet and expand it to locate Services
6. When you expand Services, click on USBSTOR
7. In the right pane, double click on Start. In the box that appears, enter 3.
8. Close Registry Editor.

After changing the registry value, try to save anything to the external drive that is giving you the problem. If you are still receiving the message, the problem may be with the device. Try attaching another external storage device and see if it works.  The next section explains how to troubleshoot the message: Disk Is Write Protected – assuming the problem lies with the device Boot in Safe Mode and Format the Device
You will not be able to format the device if you try to do it after booting to Windows normally. You will receive the same message saying device is write-protected. To counter this:

1. Reboot Windows.
2. As soon as the computer turns on again, press F8.
3. You will see a menu with Boot Into Safe Mode as an option.
4. Select that option using arrow keys and press Enter.
5. When Windows boots and finally gives you the desktop, open Run dialog (Win Key + R)
6. Type CMD in the Run dialog to get a black DOS Window
7. In the black window, type format followed by the drive letter of the removable storage. For example, if the problem drive is F, type format f:
8. Be aware that typing format will remove the contents of the storage device. Make sure you are using this option at the point where all you want is to be able to use the device again. Also make sure you know the drive letter as entering a wrong drive letter will totally erase the data of the related drive.

After the format, try to save anything to the disk. If you are able to save, the problem is fixed. If not, and if you wish, you can proceed with the next troubleshooting step at your own risk.