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View Full Version : USB Flash Drive is read only? Can't repartition


Vici
09-02-2011, 01:52 AM
After once again googling for quite a while I couldn't find an answer.

I have a USB drive that I tried to use as boot disk to isntall Ubuntu. Well now I'm down with that part and I want to use it again, problem is I can't. I went under disk management in windows 7 to repartition and for some reason the entire drive is read only. I took a screenshot for y'all to see.

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2314/diskmanagementm.jpg

Usually you just right click and you can format it that way but it didn't work. Anyone have any idea what is going on? And yes I am running this as administrator.
Vici
09-02-2011, 01:53 AM
BTW it's disk 3. Though if you couldn't figure out the disk you probably couldn't help lol.
eisfeld
09-02-2011, 04:24 AM
Some USB flash drives have a switch like some SD Cards to protect the data from being erased. If activated it's read only.
Just check your drive for a button, a switch or something else.
Jt.ONE
09-03-2011, 12:06 AM
CMD run as admin...

First type DISKPART and hit enter to see the below message.

Next type LIST DISK command and note down the Disk number (ex: Disk 1, disk 2) of your USB flash drive

Next type all the below commands one by one.
execute one by one:

SELECT DISK 1 [or whatever disk number your flash is]

CLEAN

CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

SELECT PARTITION 1

ACTIVE

FORMAT FS=NTFS
(Format process may take few seconds)

ASSIGN

EXIT

EXIT
ElNono
09-03-2011, 12:36 AM
Some USB flash drives have a switch like some SD Cards to protect the data from being erased. If activated it's read only.
Just check your drive for a button, a switch or something else.

this
Vici
09-03-2011, 10:07 AM
lol Flipped this switch but I still can't repartition it. It's not longer "read only" but ti still won't let me right click format it. It won't even show up in explorer when plugged in. It only shows it under disk management.
leemajors
09-03-2011, 10:41 AM
action/all tasks/format
Vici
09-03-2011, 11:01 AM
It won't let me. The only options that come up are "change drive letter and paths, eject, and properties."
ElNono
09-03-2011, 03:11 PM
Is that Vista or Win7?
PM5K
09-03-2011, 09:18 PM
Try a different computer.
DMC
09-04-2011, 01:00 AM
I have a USB drive that works fine on my work laptop which uses XP but on my home PC which uses Win 7, it doesn't detect the drive at all.

It's a Seagate drive.