The Media is write protected

Question

Hey guys, for some reason now when ever I access a file on my external hard drive, i get the error in the title. I've tried checking multiple files on them hard drive and in different locations. None of them let me access them anymore. Does anyone know why this would be and how I can fix it? I cant think of anything I did differently recently that might have affected it.

Answer 1

Hello

The “write protected” error message indicates that your external hard drive is currently set to prevent new data from being written to it. This could be due to a number of reasons such as the read-only feature being enabled, a virus attack, or even a corrupted file system.

Here are some methods you can try to remove the write protection:

Check for a physical lock switch: Some storage devices have a lock switch that can be toggled to enable or disable the write protection feature. If your drive has a lock switch, simply toggle it and re-insert your drive to the appropriate port.

Use DiskPart Utility: You can use the DiskPart utility of Windows to unlock your storage device. This method requires command line scripting. Here’s how you can do it:

Connect your write-protected hard disk to your Windows PC.

Press Windows + R, type cmd and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.

Type diskpart and press Enter.

Type list disk and press Enter. Note the disk number that corresponds to your USB drive.

Type select disk X (replace X with your disk number) and press Enter.

Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.

Type exit and press Enter to close DiskPart.

 

Modify Registry: If the above methods don’t work, you can try to remove write protection by modifying the Registry1. Here’s how:

Press Windows + R, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > System > CurrentControlSet > Control.

Look for a key named StorageDevicePolicies. If it doesn’t exist, right-click on Control, select New > Key, and name it StorageDevicePolicies.

Inside StorageDevicePolicies, look for an entry named WriteProtect. If it doesn’t exist, right-click inside the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it WriteProtect.

Double-click on WriteProtect and change its value data to 0 to disable write protection.

If none of these methods work, it might be necessary to format the drive, but this will erase all data on the drive.

Answer 2

Hello

The “write protected” error message indicates that your external hard drive is currently set to prevent new data from being written to it. This could be due to a number of reasons such as the read-only feature being enabled, a virus attack, or even a corrupted file system.

Here are some methods you can try to remove the write protection:

Check for a physical lock switch: Some storage devices have a lock switch that can be toggled to enable or disable the write protection feature. If your drive has a lock switch, simply toggle it and re-insert your drive to the appropriate port.

 

Use DiskPart Utility: You can use the DiskPart utility of Windows to unlock your storage device. This method requires command line scripting. Here’s how you can do it:

Connect your write-protected hard disk to your Windows PC.

Press Windows + R, type cmd and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.

Type diskpart and press Enter.

Type list disk and press Enter. Note the disk number that corresponds to your USB drive.

Type select disk X (replace X with your disk number) and press Enter.

Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.

Type exit and press Enter to close DiskPart.

 

Modify Registry: If the above methods don’t work, you can try to remove write protection by modifying the Registry1. Here’s how:

Press Windows + R, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > System > CurrentControlSet > Control.

Look for a key named StorageDevicePolicies. If it doesn’t exist, right-click on Control, select New > Key, and name it StorageDevicePolicies.

Inside StorageDevicePolicies, look for an entry named WriteProtect. If it doesn’t exist, right-click inside the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it WriteProtect.

Double-click on WriteProtect and change its value data to 0 to disable write protection.

 

If none of these methods work, it might be necessary to format the drive, but this will erase all data on the drive.