One SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 32GB drive decided it was time to be write protected. Diskpart showed that the disk was currently in a read-only state.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\>diskpart Microsoft DiskPart version 6.3.9600 Copyright (C) 1999-2013 Microsoft Corporation. On computer: MEINCOMPUTER DISKPART\> list disk Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn Gpt -------- ------------- ------- ------- --- --- Disk 0 Online 111 GB 0 B Disk 1 Online 465 GB 0 B Disk 2 Online 1863 GB 0 B Disk 3 Online 698 GB 0 B Disk 4 Online 28 GB 0 B Disk 5 No Media 0 B 0 B Disk 6 No Media 0 B 0 B Disk 7 No Media 0 B 0 B Disk 8 No Media 0 B 0 B DISKPART\> select disk 4 Disk 4 is now the selected disk. DISKPART\> attributes disk Current Read-only State : Yes Read-only : No Boot Disk : No Pagefile Disk : No Hibernation File Disk : No Crashdump Disk : No Clustered Disk : No
After a number of attempts suggested by Internet I decided that it was time to give up and give in to the dark side.
This was a FAQ entry at EMTEC:
My flash drive doesn't work / My flash drive is write protected HOME › FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS › USB FLASH DRIVES
You can try restoring flash drive by using that "Restore" tool (backup data before): Download link: http://www.emtec-international.com/sites/default/files/drivers/restore.zip If it doesn't fix the issue, flash drive should be returned to the store where it has been purchased to get a replacement. Process to restore: 1) Plug the flash drive (certify that only the EMTEC flash drive is plugged) 2) launch restore.exe 3) Press the button RESTORE 4) A warning message is displayed about erasing data. Press RESTORE to continue. 5) A confirmation message is displayed, then press the YES 6) A message RESTORING DEVICE ... appears. Do not unplug the flash drive and wait for the restoration (1 to 2 minutes).
The download link is also dead but I found a program that fit the description. Ignoring the “certify” part and following the instructions I now have a working SanDisk USB drive. An empty one but at least I can use it to unimportant file transfers.
This is a copy of the program. Use at your own risk…
https://minfil.org/H2D3n6b2bb/Restore.zip
I will never buy a SanDisk USB drive again.