TrusCont Secure Flash Drive, copy protection. Removing write protection from a Linux flash drive copy protection from a memory card

Sometimes PC owners want to protect their files from copying and / or deleting. The reasons for copy protection are unwillingness for someone to use the files. In the second case, the reasons are clear - no one wants to lose the necessary documents, a lot of work is often invested in them. In addition, children and even adults in the household can delete the file by negligence. No one wants to share confidential data with someone or lose it. It's good that there are ways to deal with the problem using Windows tools and good programs and utilities. They will be discussed further.

Protecting files from copying using Windows

To protect your computer from being copied to removable media, you need to make some changes to the registry.

So you need to do the following:

Press in the lower left corner "Start" or two keys Win and R;

in the "Open:" window write regedit and click "Ok";

find the line HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and open the tree in the following sequence - / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Control /;

in the Control folder, find the StorageDevicePolicies subfolder, if it does not exist, you will have to create it;

open the WriteProtect parameter by double clicking; in the "Value:" window, in the place of zero, enter a unit, press "Ok".

When own creation the StorageDevicePolicies folder, the WriteProtect parameter is not in it and you will have to create it. In the registry editor, right-click and in the "Create" item (however, it is the only one), select the "DWORD parameter" sub-item, name the new "WriteProtect" parameter and change its value to "1" according to the above scheme.

After completing all the operations, close the editor and restart the PC. The machine has become completely protected from copying to external media.

Protecting files from deletion using Windows tools

To protect documents from deletion, you will have to create a folder in a convenient place, into which you can later drop files, the loss of which is undesirable. The following algorithm is performed:

right click mouse click on a folder or file, select "Properties";

in the "Security" tab, click on "Advanced";

in the window that appears in the "Permissions" tab, click "Change permissions ...";

in the newly appeared window, click "Add";

in the next window write "All" and click on "Ok";

finally, the main window will open, in which you need to tick the necessary items. In general, the following items will be enough: in the allow column - "Read attributes", "Folder content / read data" and "Read additional attributes"; in the deny column - "Delete" and "Delete subfolders and files".

Then click on "Ok". In all previously opened windows, also click on this button. At the end of the procedure, a warning window appears, you must agree to it by clicking "Yes". The folder is now protected from deletion of files placed in it.

Protecting files and folders from deletion and copying using programs

In addition to Windows tools, a sufficient number of programs have been developed, they also help protect files from copying and deleting.

Kaspersky Kryptostorage

The Kaspersky Kryptostorage program performs the function not only to protect against deletion, but also to protect against uncontrolled access. It does not affect the speed of the computer, since it is not constantly in operation.

FileProtection

A very good utility to protect against accidental deletion is FileProtection. The program fits into the context menu. To use it, you need to right-click on a folder (to protect the entire folder) or file and select "Protect File". To remove the restriction, select the "Unprotect File" item.

Port locker

A good copy protection program for USB drives is Port Locker. Immediately after installation, you are prompted to set a password for quick lock / unlock. This allows the owner to block access to the network, the printer and all connected USB drives during his absence. The program is easy to use, the trial period is 30 days.

Which tool is best for protecting files depends ultimately on the preparedness of the user. Anyone who is versed in PC is more likely to choose the option using windows... Those who are less prepared or those who do not want to "bother" will install the programs.
The main result will be that there will be fewer headaches.

How to remove write protection from a flash drive - instructions! The error "disk is write-protected" or "flash drive is write-protected" usually happens at the most inopportune moment. If you started reading this article, therefore, you turned out to be one of those “lucky ones” who at one point decided to drop something on their USB flash drive, and as a result received a message from the system that it was impossible to write data to the disk and now this very protection must be removed. A person who has encountered something like this for the first time reasonably appears complete bewilderment. Let's try to find out the reasons why it is not possible to write files to a USB flash drive and figure out how to fix this problem.

Content:

Causes of the error “The disk is write-protected. Remove protection or use another drive. "

It is quite logical that such a problem arises if the operating system polls the disk, but does not receive write permissions. In this case, it is not possible to write files exactly, although at the same time data can be read out completely without problems. The reasons for this behavior are different, but they are clearly divided into two groups:

Software glitch.
Hardware failure.

It is important to understand that both types of problems can happen both on a flash drive and on your computer.

Write protection types

By analogy with the reasons for the "media is write-protected" error, the write-protection methods can also be divided. A classic example of hardware protection is the presence of a special switch (on the body of a flash drive) that enables and disables the ability to write to a USB flash drive.

Software protection is a different kind of software systems designed to prevent unauthorized use of the drive.

When deciding how to remove protection if the "Disk is write-protected", first of all check if there is a special small switch on the case. It is always present on SD cards, and is somewhat less common on ordinary USB drives. There are frequent random switching when the flash drive is carried in your pocket.

Also, be sure to check the performance of the flash drive in other USB ports, and even better, on another computer. If you are the owner of a desktop computer with a system unit, it is preferable to check the USB flash drive by connecting to the ports on the back system unit... The problem may lie in poor contact, poor-quality wires, USB controller failures.

Removing write protection programmatically

Making sure of the absence mechanical problem protection, let's start checking the software.
By default, a flash drive is formatted using the FAT32 file system. A small number of users are aware of the limitation in this file system for the maximum file size in 4Gb. It turns out a twofold situation, formally there is permission to write, but a message about the impossibility of doing so appears. If you need to transfer large files, format the drive using NTFS - a system where there are no such restrictions. To do this, open "My Computer", right-click on your removable disk and select "Format". In the window that appears, in the "File system" line, select NTFS, click "Start".

Important! It is always best to use "safe removal" before removing the USB stick from the connector. Due to some peculiarities regarding flash drives formatted in NTFS, this should be a mandatory rule.

Blocking can be set in the Windows registry. The keyboard shortcut Windows + R will bring up the Run window, type regedit and click OK.

In the editor window, go to the section HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ StorageDevicePolicies, where you will see the WriteProtect parameter on the right. Double-click on the parameter to open the dialog for changing the parameter, set the value to 0. The StorageDevicePolicies section may be absent and you will have to create it. To create, right-click on the previous Control section, select New> Section, the name should be StorageDevicePolicies. In the empty area of the right side of the window of the newly created section, right-click again, select "New> DWORD Parameter" in the menu, select 64 or 32 bitness, depending on the bitness of your system. Name the parameter WriteProtect and set the value to 0 as described above. Be sure to reboot and check the result.

Make sure that writing to removable devices is not prohibited group policy. Similarly, when starting the registry editor, run gpedit.msc, which will bring up the "Local Group Policy Editor". Go to the branches "Computer configuration - Administrative templates - System - Access to removable storage devices". On the right, check the option "Removable drives: Deny writing". It must be disabled or not set. If an option is enabled, double-click it, select Disable and apply the selection. Remember to reboot before checking.

Check the system good antivirus with fresh bases. There are some malware blocking the possibility of normal operation with connected portable storage devices.

A significant number Windows users give preference to the file manager Total commander offering extensive features and ease of use. It is important to understand that Total Commander is essentially just a convenient add-on over Windows, so everything described in the article applies to it. However, there are nuances. Try copying your files in the Wındows explorer, if there are no problems with copying in the explorer, go to "Configuration> Settings: File operations" and select "Automatic selection of copying method". The authors of some assemblies of this manager expose settings that cause such failures.

Remove write protection in the command line (cmd)

How to remove protection from a write-protected flash drive using the command line. The method is a little more complicated. Find the "Command Prompt" application in the "Start" menu and run it with administrator rights. Then enter the following commands in sequence, confirming each entry by pressing Enter.

Attention! The entire contents of the flash drive will be permanently deleted!

Diskpart- launches the disk management utility;
list disk- will display all disks connected to the system, you need to determine which of them is your flash drive, for which you can navigate by the size of the disk;
select disk X- targets the program to the disk, replace X with the number of the desired disk;
detail disk- will show detailed information about the selected disk to make sure that you have chosen the right one;
attributes disk clear readonly- clears the read-only attribute;
clean- all volumes and partitions on the disk will be deleted;
create partition primary- re-creates the main section;
formatfs = fat32- formats a section using file system FAT32 (you can select file NTFS system command fs = ntfs);
exit- terminates the program.

Programs for removing write protection

Flash drive manufacturers take care of solving all sorts of problems that arise with their products by releasing proprietary utilities to restore problem devices. Do not forget that you must run any of these utilities with administrator rights. These useful programs can be freely downloaded from the respective manufacturers' websites. Transcend has it, Silicon Power has it, Adata has it, Kingston has it. Their use is quite simple and does not cause any difficulties even for beginners.

The programs listed below are designed for an advanced user and before using it, you should read the documentation. Independent developers release their own universal programs that are not tied to any vendor, but have similar functionality.

Popular representatives:, AlcorMP.

The latter works only with drives on the controller of the same name, but everyone has the same task - to help restore the problem device. Faced with finding a solution to how to remove protection from a flash drive, as a last resort, you should try to reflash it. Full information Flash Drive Information Extractor will tell you about the type of controller, memory used and even the production date

Kingston Format Utility is a utility to improve the performance of your flash drive and troubleshoot all common problems with it.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery - recover flash drives quickly and easily

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a specialized program for recovering external storage media, such as flash cards, ...

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TrusCont Secure Flash Drive
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2) a discount coupon for TSFD flash drives, valid only for the first 3 (three) days from the date of receipt!

TrusCont Secure Flash Drive(hereinafter abbreviated TSFD) - recordable flash drives with built-in copy protection for software, multimedia and content files. Compatible with all operating systems of the family Windows (Windows 2000 - Windows 8.1).

TSFD is an improved UFD specially designed for publishing almost any digital content. The flash drive is protected from copying by encrypting the content on it based on the encryption key built into the chip. Recommended use: Protection training courses, trainings, seminar materials, art albums, portfolios, low-circulation software, DBMS, e-books, video tutorials, presentations, PDF manuals, etc.

- Copy protection of software and other types of files
- CD-ROM and Read-Only sections to protect your files from being deleted;
- Huge capacity - up to 32 GB;
- Internet updates;
- Ability to limit the time of use;
- Controlled number of installations / users;
- Real Autorun / autorun functionality;
- Digital Rights Management.

Along with the flash drive comes a license that allows you to work with free software TrusCont TSFD Protection Toolkit within 1 year. Further, the flash drive will work with the last files written to the protected area. To continue working, you need to either purchase a new one TSFD or buy a license and renew the work for another 1 year.

The program primarily protects against copying, and not against unauthorized access, therefore, data decryption and bringing them to their original state are not provided. Encrypted files have the same size up to the last byte. Depending on the format, the file will either be fully encrypted or partially encrypted. So in executable files ( .exe), only a small part is encrypted to speed up the creation process.

On this moment current support for flash drives on the following controllers: SMI SM3257ENAA, SM3257ENLT... Personally, I used a flash drive for these purposes. TeamGroup on the controller SM3257AA, which is also supported, but alas, you can hardly find it on sale anymore.

Controller Vendor: SMI
Controller Part-Number: SM3257AA - ISP L0131-AA–
Flash ID code: ECD58472 5042 - Samsung K9HCG08U5E - 4CE / Single Channel -> Total Capacity = 8GB

Protected file formats

TSFD Protection Toolkit provides strong protection, by default, only for certain types of files that they claim. The table lists available options copy protection for each of the supported file types.

In principle, the utility can work with other formats, but protection is not guaranteed by the developer. So for example docs Microsoft Office (doc; docx; ppt; pptx; xls; xlsx), although not officially supported, the settings still contain support Microsoft Viewer (Word \ PowerPoint \ Excel) is available. This is because protection will be able to protect against copying when using Microsoft Viewer, but will not save if you allow the use of a full-fledged Microsoft Office.

So if you decide to add an officially undeclared extension, then for this, in the directory installed program TSFD Protection Toolkit, there is a configuration file tcp_custom.ini.

Extention = .xxx
Description = XXX Files
Group = Custom

Extention = .xxx
Description = XXX Files
Group = Custom

We replace characters xxx, both registers, with a specific extension. Further, in the process of the program's work, our file will appear on the tab Custom, whose name is also definite in ini-file.

The process of creating a flash drive:

Although the program cannot boast of a Russian-language interface, due to the fact that the process of its work is step by step wizard, special difficulties should not arise.

We are invited to choose the required task:
# Create a new project- create a new project
# Modify an existing project- open an already created project
# Write TrusCont Portable Image (* .tcpi)- write a flash drive from a saved image
# Test a flash drive for compatibility- test the flash drive for compatibility with the program

So, creating a clean project ...

It is necessary to add files that need to be uploaded to the protected area of the flash drive. Then apply certain parameters for all files, as well as for groups of files and individual subjects. For each type of file, the program contains certain features that may be most relevant to users.

The left panel contains all the files that you add. And to the right, only those with which work is declared or added using a file tcp_custom.ini... They are automatically sorted by bookmarks, depending on the type of content ( Web Content, Applications, Documents, Custom, Music).

Let's consider the main options:
1) Password (This password will be required each time the end-user tries to open the protected file)- the password requested each time the file is started.
2) Expiration date (After this date the file will automatically become invalid)- the date after which the file literally turns into a brick, which then cannot be launched in any way.
3) Enable Copy & Paste (Enable end users to perform copy-paste operations from protected documents to other application)- allows copying content from protected documents.
4) Allow printing (Allow end users to print protected documents)- allows you to output documents to print a physical printer. As reported, roll out the document to the virtual printer will still not be available.
5) Allow execution from another media (If check, a copy of the protected file is allowed to run from other media as long as the original USB is plugged in. Otherwise, the protected file can be launched only from the original USB)
6) Background checks every seconds and suspend after seconds (If checked, the protection will perform periodic checks of the USB during the software run. If the original USB is removed from the system, the protection will try to suspend the protected application and display a warning message)
7) Terminate on eject (If checked, the protection will perform periodic checks of the USB during the software run. If the original USB is removed from the system, the protection will terminate the protected application)- unlike the previous function, this one does not bother with all sorts of warnings, but silently cuts down the neglected economy (program).

To apply security settings to each specific file, right-click on it, and in context menu choose Options, or press the button “ Protection Options”Under the right window.

1) Volume label: usbdevru1- label of the volume to which the protected data is written.

2) Use external time source only- the function is available if you have activated the option for at least one file Expiration date... It forcibly prohibits the use of the system time as a reference system and forcibly switches to an external server on the Internet.

3) Rename TrusCont Autorun file to- assign the autorun file ( autorun_tc.exe), another name.

4) Set a global password – general password to all protected files.

5) Splash screen (Default, Disabled, Custom) - a splash screen that appears when the flash drive is autorun or when the autorun_tc.exe file is manually loaded. Personally, I would not disable the splash screen, as it clearly shows whether autorun has worked or if you need to manually launch autorun_tc.exe.

6) Restricted use mode: [none, computer, user, domain]; Count: [ 1 ] - limiting the number of computers, users, domains used. By default, there are no restrictions (none).

Launching a protected file is possible only if you have installed one or another program that was previously added to the list of allowed applications ( Allowed application). You can familiarize yourself with the list, as well as make adjustments there, by clicking the button Advanced.

Advanced -> Application

For example, I am to view PDF-documents using the free portable version PDF-XChange Viewer, which is absent both in the list of accepted applications and certified ( Certified applications). To add a new application, click Add Application and enter the following data:

Application Name: PDFX_Vwr_Port
Process Name list: PDFXCview.exe
List of file extentions supported by the application for “Save As”: pdf; txt(for example Acrobat)

Optionally, you can block the application's access to the network ( Block Network Access for this application).

I also added 3 more rules:

7z
7zFM.exe
rar; 7z; zip

WinRAR
WinRAR.exe
rar; 7z; zip

WinDjView
WinDjView.exe
djvu; djv; bmp

You need to decide which operation you will perform next:
# Start duplicating- start creating a flash drive.
# Save project- save the project (.tupx).
# Create a TrusCont Portable Image (* .tcpi)- create an image of a flash drive for subsequent recording. All project files will be saved inside it.
# Create a self recording update file- create a self-recording file (.exe) that does not require the Toolkit utility. For example, it can be used to send updates to clients by mail.

We choose Start duplicating…

Here we need to select our flash drive.
UNKNOWN_DEVICE- unsupported device
NOLIC # 201012240000000000000020 (N :) 8 GB- supported device, where characters after the # character are serial number devices.
- a flash drive already with a wired TSFD protection license and two partitions.

So I choose (*) TSFD, but if the flash drive is virgin, then you need to look for "Noughts" (NOLIC #).
Information on the drive will be displayed below:
Flash drive compatibility: TrusCont Secure Flash Drive (compatible)
License status: Valid until Jun-21-2015(license expiration date for a specific flash drive)

Select partitions

Here we are asked to choose the future configuration of the areas on the flash drive ( Partitions Configuration):
CD-ROM (read-only, support Autorun)
Read Only Removable (FAT32)
Write Enabled Partition

If you do not need a second unprotected section, then it is better not to activate it, but be limited to a single CDROM... It will be recognized faster by the operating system and will not collect viruses.
About Read Only Removable (FAT32), I do not even advise you to experiment, waste your time.

The picture shows that I entered the password usbdevpass, but if you did not create it when you first flashed the flash drive, then you will not need it. If you created it, then be sure to remember it, or better write it down, without it you will never be able to re-write it to this flash drive.

We are warned that the next step will lead to complete removal all information on a flash drive. Well, if necessary, do backups files from a flash drive.

Below are some details about the processed flash drive:
Volume label: usbdevru1
Drive: (*) TSFD: 000000000016F2D1 (I :, J :) 8 GB

Duplication in Progress

Conversion of a flash drive, data encryption, data recording, and so on are performed. The write speed is not great, for example, the tested flash drive in its ordinary life develops a write speed of up to 12mb / s, and judging from the picture, we have a current of 4.5mb / s.

Completion of creation

In addition to your files, two more files are created at the root of the CDROM section (Autorun.inf and autorun_tc.exe), which are responsible for autoloading.

autorun_tc.exe- the program is a content manager, after starting it becomes a protection driver in the PC's RAM. It is compiled for each specific flash drive and recorded after encrypted files are written.
Functions:
1. Check the presence of the original encryption key in the flash drive chip. If found, serve file operations.
2. Decrypt files directly to the requesting application without creating an intermediate copy on disk.
3. Block Windows functions API responsible for saving / resaving, copying / pasting, printing, printscreen, etc.

We distort the flash drive in the USB port and you can safely use it.

A little testing of the fruits of this product

Two computers were used as test subjects:
- stationary based on the AMD A85 chipset, with the installed OS Windows XP ENG SP3;
- HP laptop, on OS Windows 8.1 x64 RUS.

1) BOOTICEx86_2013.12.10_v1.3.2.1.exe, standard settings
XP: OK
8.1 x64: installed antivirus Avira Free, stubbornly insisted that it was a virus. But stability was tested when trying to delete a file with all sorts of under-programs (antiviruses).

2) GetMPInfo_v6.01.exe, Background checks every + Password
XP: OK
8.1 x64: OK

3) NOTEPAD.EXE, standard settings
XP: not working
8.1 x64: similar

Refuses to work with a flash drive created by the current version of TSFD Protection Toolkit (v2.5). You can use the previous version V2.4 which is available from the ProtectMedia website.
As it was explained to me, there are other problems with executable files. For example: files with very small code size are not supported. there is simply nowhere to build protection.

4) MPALL Setting.pdf, Password
XP: OK
8.1 x64: OK

5) UPTools Error Code List_OPEN.pdf, Enable Copy & Paste + Allow printing
XP: OK
8.1 x64: OK

6) Jerry Honeycutt - Registry Microsoft Windows XP. Professional's Handbook.djvu,
XP: OK
8.1 x64: not tested

7) Dance Minus - City.mp3, Password
XP: OK
8.1 x64: an error appears, after the closing of which everything is reproduced.

Turntable Windows Media
Windows Media Player cannot access the file. The file may be in use, access to the computer where the file is stored is not allowed, or the proxy settings are incorrect.
[Close] [Web Help]

8) Dancing Minus - Gardens in Bloom.mp3, standard settings
XP: OK
8.1 x64: OK

9) 6633b2.jpg, Password + Enable Copy & Paste + Allow printing
XP: OK
8.1 x64: OK, but the opening is preceded by an error, after closing which the picture opens without a problem.

Attention
Operation blocked
Iexplore.exe cannot be used to view a protected file because it is a 64-bit process. Use a 32 bit program to open the file
[OK]

One of the most reliable means of storing personal information, is a flash drive. For many, such a device becomes the first assistant in their work, with its help you can easily transfer the necessary information just in your pocket. When it comes to the security of storing various programs and files, then they often use special software (software). It is designed to protect the media from copying, deleting or moving materials, as well as from reading, without entering a special code.

But even if you have not used such programs, and when you run the command to transfer its contents, an error was displayed: "The disk is write-protected", do not panic, find out the reason and use the proposed methods. Removing protection from a flash drive is not a difficult task at all, and most importantly, it can be solved and more economical than buying a new one.

Causes

Blocking a flash drive can be triggered for many reasons. The most common are listed here:

Unfaithful Windows settings, for example, a software ban - set in the operating system;
Malfunction of the carrier, often poorly produced "flash drives" - Chinese forgeries of world leaders;
The physical switch is in the wrong position;
The carrier is infected with a virus;
Malfunctioning USB ports of the computer;
Lack of a driver responsible for the correct recognition of the device;
Improper use. For example, you cannot eject the media until the process is complete: writing, jumping, renaming, moving or reading;

These are by no means all the reasons causing the effect of the write protection of the carrier. But if you still encounter a similar error, this does not mean that you need to change the USB flash drive.

Proven ways to remove protection from a drive

On the Internet, a lot of recommendations are described to get rid of such a problem, both by hardware and software, and most importantly, the author of such posts is written: that his method is well "the best".

We present to your attention "TOP 7 effective ways»How to remove write protection from a flash drive, all of them have been checked and confirmed by a large number of users.

Hardware method using command line Windows
First you need to run a line, we do this by simultaneously pressing the spirit of the keys on the keyboard: Windows + R. The "run" window will open and enter the command " cmd"And click the OK button;

The system's response is to open a command line;

It is required to enter " Diskpart»;

and press Enter. A new window will open - disk management program;

Enter “ list disk», Confirm the action by pressing the Enter button;

A list will appear in the window that opens, on which you need to determine the number of the required media, focusing on the amount of memory, in our case it is Disk 5 - an 8Gb flash drive. Select the disk using the command: select disk) (, where -) (, this is the disk number, in our case 5;

After you have written: "Disk selected) (", enter the following command, which will remove the block from all protected files, when opening which there was a "read-only" error. attributes disk clear readonly(can be copied);

When the "Disk attributes have been cleared successfully" is displayed, you can exit the program by entering the "Exit" command.

After closing the utility, check the media for operability. Confident in the action of the method, you can use the device further at no extra cost.

Scanning for viruses
One of the most relevant ways to solve the problem under consideration is also scanning the media for viruses. To do this, you need to go to "My Computer" and click right key mouse to the name assigned to the device by the operating system, for example, "Disk Z".

Then select the "Check for viruses" item in the menu. After a few minutes, the scan result window will appear on the screen. This method can be applied to any anti-virus software installed on your PC.

The flash drive can be protected from writing by unauthorized installation of virus software. A clearly demonstrated method will help in solving this problem, and also protect your computer from the automatic installation of unnecessary gadgets.

Hardware button on media. Mechanical protection
Some models of USB portable drives have built-in protection that can be turned on / off using an installed button. Be sure to pay attention to this, to enable recording and movement, the button must point to the "open lock".

Formatting
Often, to eliminate such an error, utilities created for formatting are used. Remember, using this method will completely delete all files from the media.

Applying Windows Group Policy
The option of restricting rights by local group policy is possible, the elimination of such infringement of rights must be carried out following the algorithm:
Press Windows + R at the same time and enter the command gpedit.msc, click OK;

In the highlighted window, go sequentially through the tabs:

Computer configuration;
Administrative templates;
System;
Access to removable storage devices.

By pressing twice - the option window will open;

We put a mark on "Disable" → "Apply" → and confirm by clicking "OK".

After completing such a simple process, you can easily remove the obstacle to infringement of the rights to use the media and continue working.

Error recovery programs

If the above methods of hardware elimination did not give the desired result, it is worth trying with the help of software.

For expensive storage media, soft disks are intended, for less valuable storage media, there are also a lot of programs, for example:

JetFlash Recovery Tool - free program in the public domain, intended for carriers of the companies A-Data and Transcend. Its main functionality includes the ability to eliminate write and read errors, as well as unlock. After downloading the utility from the resource of its creator, run it using the file of the same name, format.exe. After waiting for the installation, click the JFRecoveryTool.exe shortcut. When will it open working window- insert the flash drive into the USB-input and click "Start". After the end of the process - check the drive to eliminate the error.

Apacer Repair- the utility is created individually for the carriers of Apacer Technology Inc's own production, it is also applicable for third-party drives. The functionality is able to eliminate recording problems. Downloading the program is recommended from the official resource, where it is posted and available for download completely free of charge. After completing the download process and connecting the USB drive, run the utility. First of all, it will do the formatting, for which there will be a warning. By clicking "Format", a successfully completed process will allow you to forget about a recently worried problem.

Knowing the name of the brand of your carrier, it will not be difficult for you to find the required program, there are masses of them on the Internet. It is to solve such problems that manufacturers create them and place them on Internet resources, it is worth noting that they are all in free access.

It is far from always possible to determine the true cause of the malfunction and remove the write protection. But using the above methods, by the result you will understand exactly what to do next: safely use a working device or still buying a new one will become an inevitable event.

We do not guarantee the safety of information!

Those who actively use flash drives in the process of their work have probably thought more than once about the question of how to protect the device and the information stored on it. Protect against viruses that can penetrate the drive if it has to be connected to other people's computers. Protect, possibly from intentional actions of colleagues at work, eager to destroy stored information. Protect from children. You can protect yourself at least from viruses and children's pranks with the help mechanical switch for write protection, if the flash drive provides one. If there is no such switch, you can resort to software analogs of such a mechanism. And, if necessary, also strengthen the security of the stored information. In fact, we will talk about this further.

How to protect a USB flash drive from viruses and erasing information

Ratool program

A small portable program Ratool is able to protect removable drives - flash drives, SD-cards, optical disks - from writing unnecessary information and deleting, on the contrary, the necessary information. It can be downloaded for free on the developers website:

https://www.sordum.org/8104/ratool-v1-3-removable-access-tool

Two main features of the program:

Prohibition of writing data to the medium and blocking the deletion of existing data;

Complete media blocking.

Launch Ratool. To prohibit writing to a USB flash drive and deleting data from it, in the program window, select the item "Allow read only". We press the button "Apply changes".

We will see a notification that says that the USB flash drive needs to be reconnected to apply the changes. We press "Ok".

We take out the USB stick from the USB port and insert it again. Now, when you try to copy files to a USB flash drive in Windows Explorer, this process will freeze at 0% and will not progress further.

And when you delete files from a flash drive, the operation will simply be ignored. But Total Commander, who wants to unauthorized work with our flash drive, will tell you about what is happening. When copying files inside file manager we will see a message that, they say, there is no access.

And when you try to delete data, Total Commander will ask you to remove the write protection.

Ratool, if necessary, can block the USB flash drive completely - make it so that the computer does not detect it at all. To do this, in the program window, you need to select the last item "Block USB storage" and apply the changes.

And, as in the previous case, reconnect the USB flash drive.

To return everything back - to make the USB stick defined by the computer or to enable data writing - in the Ratool window, select the first item "Allow reading and writing ...", apply the changes and reconnect the media.

From savvy third parties who can reveal the secret of protecting the flash drive from writing, in the arsenal of Ratool it is possible to access the program, provided that you enter a password.

The simple and convenient mechanism of Ratool's work, alas, is not without its drawbacks. Carried out by means of this program media blocking concerns only the current computer device. On another PC, on another laptop, the flash drive will not be write protected. On any new device, you will have to launch Ratool and carry out an operation to prohibit data recording for this particular device. Fortunately, the program weighs very little, so you can put it on a USB flash drive and always carry it with you. Ratool is a Windows program that runs from an EXE file, therefore, it will not help when connecting a USB flash drive to computers based on other operating systems.

Windows Local Group Policy Editor

Ratool, in fact, is a simplified mechanism for blocking removable media, which can be implemented on your personal or work computer using Windows itself - using the Group Policy Editor. The latter cannot be used in the Windows Home edition, but in the Pro edition it can be used to block flash drives, SD cards, optical disks and other drives for both all and individual computer accounts. How to work with the editor in principle and in terms of creating restrictions only for individual users is discussed in detail. Section 3 describes a way to disable writing data to removable media.

Even the first method, not to mention the second, is good when the flash drive is used in a limited circle of Windows computers. If the range of computers is wide, other actions will be more appropriate. You can, for example, protect the USB flash drive from the possibility of malware penetration in a separate way. Well, and the question of blocking the possibility of deleting data by third parties, it is advisable to replace the question of restricting access to the data of the drive in principle.

Protecting a flash drive from viruses

The mechanism for writing special hidden files with a zero size to it will help protect the USB flash drive from viruses. They have names and extensions of autorun files, which are usually disguised as malware, are not deleted, are not overwritten. They are simply stored on a flash drive without taking up space. If the virus tries to overwrite them, it will fail. For example, the free portable utility Flash Defender can create such trick files, you can download it on our cloud storage link:

https://cloud.mail.ru/public/GpFu/PxPLjziXf

We launch the utility. On the left side of the window, tick the USB flash drive. On the right, click the "Select All" button, then "Delete".

If the flash drive previously existed hidden files with names from the Flash Defender list, they must be removed in order for the utility to create its own such files. Further, on the right side of the window, click the "Select All" button again and click "Create".

That's it - now you can not be afraid to connect a USB flash drive to the computer of each opposite-cross. At least in the case of classic malware distribution scenarios, such protection will work.

USB flash drive encryption

Windows has its own standard mechanism for encrypting disks and removable media, but since we need a universal way to access data from a flash drive, it cannot be considered in this context. BitLocker is not available in the Windows Home edition, the dominance of which can be seen on many common OEM devices. A universal method of protection can be offered by the cross-platform TrueCrypt program. It encrypts the media, password-protected access to it. You can work with it on Windows systems (including the portable version), Mac and Linux. We considered the work of this program in detail in the articles about "" and.