I have gone through Windows XP, Windows 7, and multiple versions of Linux to see if any were able to solve my issue through basic settings manager, through command prompt, and even going as far as re-partitioning the drive, but every last option is denied because of the write protection error. If there is any solution to this, please help!!!
If you figure it out please report back.
The only time Iāve encountered it it was a Windows 7 Sharing option set to Read Only.Ā An easy problem to fix.Ā But when it carries over difference OSs itās a different problem and no idea as to the solution, or the cause.Ā Ā
>The only time Iāve encountered it it was a Windows 7 Sharing option set to Read Only.Ā An easy problem to fix.Ā
>But when it carries over difference OSs itās a different problem and no idea as to the solution, or the cause.
My 16GB SanDisk Cruzer locked up (going into āwrite protectedā mode) in the middle of a large file copy.Ā I have XP
and the flash drive has never been hooked up to a Windows 7 system.
Iām guessing that this is some sort of hardware glitch that SanDisk doesnāt want to admit to for some reason, probably because they donāt have a fix for it and/or donāt know exactly what is causing it.
" Iām guessing that this is some sort of hardware glitch"
While I suppose itās possible Iām still leaning toward a software problem.Ā A virus maybe, or even a Microsoft update.
A file can become Read Only via an Attrib setting in Windows Properties, a DOS command, or a Windows 7 Sharing function.Ā Not being able to format the drive brings it to a different level.Ā Maybe a Windows function like a Recycle bin or System Restore folder is in use by the system or a bug in a anti-malware app has it open.Ā If the problem carries over to a different OS then it gets more convoluted.Ā Maybe the FAT got screwed up.Ā But the error falls back onto the OS that caused it.Ā
Looks like there are a quite number of issues about the Write Protected Error. Is this considered to be an ongoing issue?Ā
I hope not.Ā
Gee, according to your other posting itās being worked on and a solution is coming soon.
Are you trolling here?
Same issue here - brand new SanDisk 32GB USB stick, now being reported by
both windows and two linux systems as being write protected.
Tried using the low-level partition tool fdisk on both linux systems to wipe the partition table,
and even that low-level tool was telling me that the partition table on the stick
is non-writable/non-updateable.
Sorry, but at this level itās not your choice of OS or any of its particular foibles - itās
the chipset in the USB stickā¦
So now I have a USB stick that I want to returnĀ for a refund/replacement, but
unfortunately it has a lot of files already on it from my fathers PC, some of which
contain sensitive personal data.Ā So Iāve got NO WAY to securely erase this friggin
thing before I send it back for refund(where it will pass through -how many- hands)?
Iād take a hammer to it, but then I wonāt get a refund.Ā Iām between a rock and a hard
place, thanks to SanDisk.
Iāll be extremely angry if this was a known hardware flaw, and SanDisk failed to
do a proper recall after theyād found out.Ā How many lots of these defective
beasts have they continued to sell?
I think itās time for a class-action suit.
What a joke.
Halfway through a copy the 8GB Cruzer gave me the āwrite protectedā error.
Lots of posts about this. Was supposed to have 6GB of data on its way to the US (lots of files under a gig each so its not the 4GB limit problem) ā¦ there is no way to circumvent this problem ā¦ Iāve wasted money and hours and hours on this thing ā¦ now I have private data on a Cruzer that I canāt delete ā¦ and I want my money back and compensation for my time.
I have tried everything even the DiskPart command line functions ā¦ using DiskPart I switched to Volume 11 which was the Cruzer (I have a lot of drives connected to my machine) ā¦ even DiskPart came back with a āThis disk is write protectedā message!
Purchased a Lexar 8GB flash drive ā¦ copied the files in no time at all ā¦ no errors. DO NOT BUY SANDISK.
Darren Powell
Sydney Australia
this is a serious issue. This is not the first sanDisk product that has turned to ****. You guys must provide a solution rather than blaming windows
1 Like
It is definitely a hardware glitch. tried everythng in the forum and still no use. SanDisk should own up to their fault rather than make excuses. Stop wasting our time, by blaming the OS.
I understand your frustration.
It has been my experience where I had a SanDisk USB stick that worked fine in one Win 7 pc be classified as unwritable in another Win 7 pc.Ā Putting it back in the 1st pc and it was writable just like before.Ā I got it to work in the 2nd pc my changing the Win 7 Sharing options for it to Read/Write and adding the Everyone user id to it.Ā SOME write protect / Read Only problems are Windows 7 related.Ā But I agree, not all of them seem to be.
I have a 16gb cruzer that shows as Write protected on a windows XP System. it has never been in a windows 7 system. I have tried EVERYTHING I can find for the the last 2 Weeksā¦when i have time to work on thisā¦ This is the second drive that has done this on 2 different OSās This is a hardware issue not a OS issue.
I would expect that Sandisk could post a solution, a utility or provide replacmentsā¦this seem to be a wide spread problem. I expect that sandisk would be concerned and DO SOMT?HI?NG! about the problem.
My 4 GB sandisk flash disk is write protected and I can do nothing about it!
Tried formatting it by different programs and nothing happened.
Whenever I try delete any file from it it says itās write protected. remove protection.
Is there any solution?
Iāve got this exact drive - 16GB Cruzer Blade, and itās gone write protected. Ā I tried it out in my new Raspberry Pi which i think may have had a bit of a USB driver issue - so I guess itās gone into some kind of safe mode.
Anyhow itās definitely broken - shows up as Read Only in Disk Utility in OS X, and that wonāt let me format or repartition or anything.
Any chance that someone from sandisk could tell me whether the device is beyond repair, or if thereās some tool that could make it work again?
if it is write protect it will need to be replaced. contact sandisk support to check warranty status.Ā
Changing the registry entry WriteProtect from 1 to 0 solved my problem on a Windows XP PC! It was working fine on my MacBook and Win7 laptops, but not on the particular Windows XP PC I used today.
Interesting.Ā So this was a WINDOWS problem.Ā hmmmmĀ what a surprise.
The question is HOW did the Write Protect switch get turned on.
There are a lot of reports of write protection being turned on, on Windows 7 systems, Windows XP systems and etc.Ā Some may indeed be problems with the SanDisk device but I believe some are caused by other factors.Ā In some cases the USB drive may have beenĀ used in a game or a car and etc prior to the problem.Ā Or a USB hub with insufficient power or a pc that experiences a power surge.Ā Ā Or a inadvertent click on a mouse pad at the wrong time.Ā Ā
Ed,
Are you serious that you, as an āexpertā still think that it is a Windows problem? I have the same issue only from a few days ago, but I have read several topics and tried all the suggested solutions with no success, so it is clear that it is a HARDWARE ISSUE FROM SANDISK!!!
So you are either not an expert or youāve got the instructions from your management that you need to blame the people or Windows, etc.
Many people canāt return the product for replacement since it contains already sensitive data which canāt be deleted due to theĀ hardware issue , but readable.
And you know, it is very interesting that SanDisk dramatically reduced the price of these drives recently. So it seems that by now it is clear for everyone including SanDisk that the products are bad , and no real solution exists to this problem, so SanDisk is trying to get read of the bad products quickly.
You know it is very sad, but hopefully people will āappreciateā it long termā¦ With this reacton, SanDisk is a failed brandā¦
I ment SanDisk is trying to get rid of theĀ bad products Ā quicklyā¦
āAre you serious that you, as an āexpertā still think that it is a Windows problem?ā
In SOME cases yes.Ā I have experienced the problem on a Windows 7 system and resolved it by changing a Windows 7 settings.Ā The above poster resolved the problem on an XP system by changing a Windows XP setting.Ā Hardware problems donāt get fixed with Windows setting changes.Ā So in SOME cases the problem is a Windows problem.Ā And in SOME cases it appears to be a hardware problem.
As for the cause of the latter itās hard to say.Ā Low voltage, high voltage, heat, etc all may play a role.Ā A manufacturing problem would seem to be something that would show up as soon as the drive is plugged in but thatās never whatās been reported.Ā Itās always after the drive has been used or being used.
