Flash drive just got randomly write protected

[Guest]

I know this might be a common topic on the internet but I've tried all the methods on the first page of google and none worked. 

 

My flash drive does not have a write protection switch or viruses.

My main OS is a variant of ubuntu 14.04 called Zorin 9 but I am dual booting with windows 10.

Diskpart doesn't work.

Regedit doesn't work.

And Gparted doesn't work either.

 

I know it might not be that big of a deal because it's only a 16 GB flash drive but I'd still like to keep some of my money.

[VerticalDiscussions]

16GB flash drives are usually sold for 10€ tough. You seem to have tried everything imaginable on that flash drive from the software side things (cleaning, virus/malware scanning, formating and checking the drive connector. If you can backup your data, do it. Backing up data implies "Read" so you should be fine if its only "Write" locked at random. "Execute" you wont need ot use i presume.

 

Please dont throw that drive at me!

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, VerticalDiscussions said:

16GB flash drives are usually sold for 10€ tough. You seem to have tried everything imaginable on that flash drive from the software side things (cleaning, virus/malware scanning, formating and checking the drive connector. If you can backup your data, do it. Backing up data implies "Read" so you should be fine if its only "Write" locked at random. "Execute" you wont need ot use i presume.

 

Please dont throw that drive at me!

 

The annoying thing is though I was installing GParted when it got write protected which I guess is also ironic.

[ARikozuM]

13 minutes ago, epicdude7623 said:

I know this might be a common topic on the internet but I've tried all the methods on the first page of google and none worked. 

 

My flash drive does not have a write protection switch or viruses.

My main OS is a variant of ubuntu 14.04 called Zorin 9 but I am dual booting with windows 10.

Diskpart doesn't work.

Regedit doesn't work.

And Gparted doesn't work either.

 

I know it might not be that big of a deal because it's only a 16 GB flash drive but I'd still like to keep some of my money.

Did you use "override"?

[Guest]

Just now, ARikozuM said:

Did you use "override"?

I got no override option when I did it before

[ARikozuM]

Just now, epicdude7623 said:

I got no override option when I did it before

"delete partition override"

[Trololo]

Apart from other possible culprits like access rights, software problems, etc., this is how NAND flash dies when it wears out from too many erases - it essentially becomes read-only and nothing can be done about it, it's done.

 

It is the same process as in SSDs, but USB drives typically do not have such robust controllers, do not support TRIM, do not have spare blocks and have simpler wear leveling, so you are looking at anything from 1,000 to 100,000 erase cycles depending on the flash drive in question.

[Guest]

Just now, Trololo said:

Apart from other possible culprits like access rights, software problems, etc., this is how NAND flash dies when it wears out from too many erases - it essentially becomes read-only and nothing can be done about it, it's done.

 

It is the same process as in SSDs, but USB drives typically do not have such robust controllers, do not support TRIM, do not have spare blocks and have simpler wear leveling, so you are looking at anything from 1,000 to 100,000 erase cycles depending on the flash drive in question.

 

I don't think I've done even close to 1000 erase cycles because I can still see the files.

[Trololo]

When an erase fails, you will keep seeing the files and possibly be able to read them - a failed memory cell will not be erased and will keep its previous contents. Keep in mind that they are not "erase cycles" of the entire drive as such, but of individual memory cells. That is why an SSD will: a) move stuff around in order not to overwrite a few blocks again and again, b) transparently replace failed blocks from reserve space. Imagine 16 GB drive with no spare blocks - if you fill it up to the last block and then rewrite that one, it will be gone very quickly.

 

How does the drive behave now, is it completely read-only are can you still write to some parts?

How old and 'reputable' is it (e.g. some noname china vs. overpriced 'professional' stuff)?

Was it ever used as ReadyBoost drive, swap drive or boot drive?

 

Maybe this is a red herring and it is only some software problem, but perhaps check it with tools used for checking counterfeit ebay drives - H2testw or ChkFlsh (not to check whether it is fake, but to see how it takes writes across the drive).

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Trololo said:

When an erase fails, you will keep seeing the files and possibly be able to read them - a failed memory cell will not be erased and will keep its previous contents. Keep in mind that they are not "erase cycles" of the entire drive as such, but of individual memory cells. That is why an SSD will: a) move stuff around in order not to overwrite a few blocks again and again, b) transparently replace failed blocks from reserve space. Imagine 16 GB drive with no spare blocks - if you fill it up to the last block and then rewrite that one, it will be gone very quickly.

 

How does the drive behave now, is it completely read-only are can you still write to some parts?

How old and 'reputable' is it (e.g. some noname china vs. overpriced 'professional' stuff)?

Was it ever used as ReadyBoost drive, swap drive or boot drive?

 

Maybe this is a red herring and it is only some software problem, but perhaps check it with tools used for checking counterfeit ebay drives - H2testw or ChkFlsh (not to check whether it is fake, but to see how it takes writes across the drive).

 

It's only like 3-4 months old and I don't remember the brand because it was on the box and not on the flash drive. I never used it with ReadyBoost but I have put a few install disks on it for windows. And I think it's semi-reputable because I went to an actual store to buy it.

[Guest]

11 hours ago, ARikozuM said:

"delete partition override"

I just tried that and it comes back with this message:

DISKPART> delete partition override                                                                                                                                          

DiskPart has encountered an error: The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error.                  

See the System Event Log for more information.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Wedsea040 said:

Do you have one of those physical lock switches? My SD card has one and it locks itself some times when I put it in a reader.

I've looked for one and it's non-existant 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Trololo said:

When an erase fails, you will keep seeing the files and possibly be able to read them - a failed memory cell will not be erased and will keep its previous contents. Keep in mind that they are not "erase cycles" of the entire drive as such, but of individual memory cells. That is why an SSD will: a) move stuff around in order not to overwrite a few blocks again and again, b) transparently replace failed blocks from reserve space. Imagine 16 GB drive with no spare blocks - if you fill it up to the last block and then rewrite that one, it will be gone very quickly.

 

How does the drive behave now, is it completely read-only are can you still write to some parts?

How old and 'reputable' is it (e.g. some noname china vs. overpriced 'professional' stuff)?

Was it ever used as ReadyBoost drive, swap drive or boot drive?

 

Maybe this is a red herring and it is only some software problem, but perhaps check it with tools used for checking counterfeit ebay drives - H2testw or ChkFlsh (not to check whether it is fake, but to see how it takes writes across the drive).

 

I tried h2testw and it came out with a code 19 error and I can't find chkflsh.